Psychology news

• Research locates absence epilepsy seizure 'choke point' in brain

  15-12-2016 20:35
  Researchers used a rodent model to discover that shifting the firing pattern of a particular set of brain cells is all it takes to initiate, or to terminate, an absence seizure.
  
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• Timing may be key to understanding cognitive problems in Parkinson's disease

  15-12-2016 20:34
  People with Parkinson's disease (PD) and mice that lack dopamine both are missing a critical brain wave needed for timing actions -- a cognitive process that's consistently impaired in patients with PD, new research shows. Brain stimulation at the same frequency as the missing brain wave restores timing ability in mice lacking dopamine, suggesting that it might be possible to use brain stimulation to improve cognitive problems in PD.
  
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• Alzheimer's: Proteomics gives clues toward alternatives to amyloid

  15-12-2016 20:33
  In Alzheimer's research, one particular protein looms large: plaque-forming amyloid-beta. Yet plaques can accumulate decades before symptoms appear, and clinical trials aimed at controlling amyloid-beta have mostly flopped so far. Scientists are using proteomics to look for alternative mechanisms and treatment strategies.
  
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• Depressed children respond differently to rewards than other kids

  15-12-2016 18:47
  Adults and teenagers with depression don't respond to rewards in a normal manner. Although depression has been diagnosed in children as young as 3, it hasn't been clear whether their responses to rewards also may be blunted. So researchers studied kids ages 4 to 7 and found that, like adults, when the children were depressed, their brains were less likely to respond to rewards. The researchers say insensitivity to rewards may serve as a "red flag" for depression in young children.
  
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• Re­search­ers cor­rect Par­kin­son's mo­tor symp­toms in mice

  15-12-2016 16:59
  A research group has succeeded in correcting the motor symptoms associated with Parkinson's disease in mice. These results are promising in terms of treatment, since Parkinson's disease is practically always diagnosed only after motor symptoms appear.
  
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• Impact of aging on brain connections mapped in major scan study

  15-12-2016 16:59
  Brain connections that play a key role in complex thinking skills show the poorest health with advancing age, new research suggests.
  
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• Mind-controlled toys: The next generation of Christmas presents?

  15-12-2016 16:52
  The next generation of toys could be controlled by the power of the mind, thanks to new research.
  
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• Harvard study finds hundreds of airline pilots may be clinically depressed

  15-12-2016 16:29 via boston.com
  
  Researchers say airline pilots may encounter a similar stigma experienced by first responders and military personnel surrounding seeking treatment for mental health issues.
  
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• For stress, superfoods are better than comfort foods

  15-12-2016 16:28 via cnn.com
  
  Though research suggests that certain foods can help reduce stress, it's actually not the high-fat and high-sugar comfort foods that do the trick.
  
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• Infants Show Apparent Awareness of Ethnic Differences

  15-12-2016 15:11 via feeds.socialpsychology.org
  Source: ScienceDailyNew research findings help advance our understanding of social cognition and social development. Researchers studied 40 Hispanic infants and 37 non-Hispanic white infants, all 11 months old. The researchers showed them the faces of 18 young women they did not know on a computer screen. Recording the infants' eye movements with technology that can track where a viewer is looking, and for how long, the results showed that both Hispanic and white...
  
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• Abortion Not Harmful to Women’s Mental Health, Study Suggests

  15-12-2016 15:11 via feeds.socialpsychology.org
  
  Source: CBS News - HealthwatchNew research tracked women's emotional and mental health for five years after they either went through with an abortion or were turned away.
  
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• Men's Rights UK Parliament Member Says "Gender Must Be Irrelevant"

  15-12-2016 15:10 via feeds.socialpsychology.org
  
  Source: BBC News - UK PoliticsCritic of "zealous" feminism, joins the Commons women and equalities committee.
  
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• Jingle Bytes? Artificial Intelligence Writes a Christmas Song

  15-12-2016 15:10 via feeds.socialpsychology.org
  
  Source: Yahoo News - ScienceYou might find yourself wishing for a silent night after you hear the first Christmas carol written by artificial intelligence. The new tune makes its holiday season debut courtesy of a team of computer scientists in the Department of Computer Science at the University of Toronto. The researchers fed 100 hours of pop songs to a type of artificial intelligence (AI) known as a recurrent neural network, which learns and performs by building...
  
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• Manipulating brain activity to boost confidence

  15-12-2016 14:59
  Is it possible to directly boost one's own confidence by directly training the brain? Researchers have discovered a way to implicitly amplify confidence in the brain by combining the use of artificial intelligence and brain imaging technology. The study could lead to important applications in clinical, medical and social settings.
  
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• Your left hand knows what your right hand is doing

  15-12-2016 14:58
  The saying goes that ''your left hand doesn't know what your right hand is doing,' but actually, your left hand is paying more attention than you'd think. Researchers found that when people practiced finger movements with their right hand while watching their left hand on 3-D virtual reality headsets, they could use their left hand more efficiently after the exercise.
  
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• New findings about stem cells in the brain of patients with epilepsy

  15-12-2016 14:10
  Neural stem cells have been found in epileptic brain tissue—outside the regions of the brain where they normally reside. In a group of patients who underwent surgery for epilepsy, over half had stem cells where healthy individuals do not have them, according to a study.
  
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• Infections during pregnancy have a negative impact upon maternal care, can trigger depression in child

  15-12-2016 14:08
  A viral infection in a pregnant woman not only affects her subsequent ability to provide maternal care but can also trigger depression in her offspring, which can then even extend into the next generation as a result of changes to genetic mechanisms in the brain.
  
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• How brain tissue recovers after injury: The role of astrocytes

  15-12-2016 14:08
  The mechanism underlying astrocyte-mediated restoration of brain tissue after an injury has now been pinpointed by a team of researchers. This could lead to new treatments that encourage regeneration by limiting damage to neurons incurred by reduced blood supply or trauma. 
  
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• Situational Depression: How is it Different to Clinical Depression?

  15-12-2016 09:00
  
  Situational depression is similar to clinical depression, but it normally lasts for a shorter time. Learn about the differences in symptoms and treatment.
  
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