Psychology news

• Found: Neurons that orient bats toward destination

  12-01-2017 22:25
  Bats – like humans – can find their favorite fruit stand (or coffee shop) even when it’s hidden behind a screen or tall buildings. How? Scientists have now identified the neurons that point bats in the right direction, even when their destination is obscured. This could aid understanding of some aspects of Alzheimer’s.
  
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• New system for forming memories

  12-01-2017 20:12
  Until now, the hippocampus was considered the most important brain region for forming and recalling memory, with other regions only contributing as subordinates. But a new study finds that a brain region called entorhinal cortex plays a new and independent role in memory. Researchers showed that, in rats, the entorhinal cortex replays memories of movement independent of input from the hippocampus.
  
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• Macaques, like humans, know how well they can recall memories

  12-01-2017 20:12
  Researchers have pinpointed a brain region monkeys use to evaluate their ability to recall memories. To date, this metamemory process, which requires a higher level of self-reflection about our own cognition, was thought by some to be unique to humans, though this research suggests otherwise.
  
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• Cannabis: Non-addictive pathway to pain relief?

  12-01-2017 19:01
  New research suggests an avenue for developing treatments for chronic pain that harness the medicinal properties of cannabis while minimizing the threat of addiction. Therapeutics that target the endocannabinoid system might produce pain relief with fewer side effects compared with opioids.
  
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• Viruses in genome important for our brain

  12-01-2017 17:08
  Over millions of years retroviruses have been incorporated into our human DNA, where they today make up almost 10 per cent of the total genome. A research group has now discovered a mechanism through which these retroviruses may have an impact on gene expression. This means that they may have played a significant role in the development of the human brain as well as in various neurological diseases.
  
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• Link found between concussions, Alzheimer's disease

  12-01-2017 17:08
  Concussions accelerate Alzheimer's disease-related brain atrophy and cognitive decline in people who are at genetic risk for the condition, research has found. The findings show promise for detecting the influence of concussion on neurodegeneration.
  
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• From Split to Psycho: why cinema fails dissociative identity disorder

  12-01-2017 17:01
  
  M Night Shyamalan’s new movie, Split, stars James McAvoy as a character with 23 different personalities. And, like most screen portrayals of the disorder, it is seen as dangerous and violent. But what’s the truth behind the stigma?Tom Hanks played six different characters in Cloud Atlas, Eddie Murphy played seven in The Nutty Professor and Alec Guinness notched up eight in Kind Hearts and Coronets. But James McAvoy sets a new benchmark with his new movie, Split. He plays Kevin, a man
  
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• Research on the Advantages of Adult Playfulness

  12-01-2017 10:18 via feeds.socialpsychology.org
  Source: ScienceDailyAdults can positively utilise their inclination towards playfulness in many situations. They are good at observing, can easily see things from new perspectives, and can turn monotonous tasks into something interesting. At the same time, playfulness should not be equated with humor. Instead we need a new vocabulary to describe it, write psychologists.
  
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• Marijuana Users Risk Schizophrenia, But Drug Eases Pain

  12-01-2017 10:18 via feeds.socialpsychology.org
  
  Source: MSNBC - Health NewsMarijuana can help ease chronic pain but it can raise the risk of severe mental illness, including schizophrenia, a new report found.
  
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• Anger at Russian Move to Soften Domestic Violence Law

  12-01-2017 10:18 via feeds.socialpsychology.org
  
  Source: BBC News - EuropeThe female MP behind the bill said people shouldn't be jailed and labelled a criminal "for a slap".
  
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• Trudeau Promises to House Trans Inmates Based on Gender Identity

  12-01-2017 10:13 via feeds.socialpsychology.org
  
  Source: Canadian Broadcasting Company - Top Stories NewsPrime Minister Justin Trudeau promised Thursday to ensure transgender inmates can serve their sentences in prisons based on their gender identity, just as a new Correctional Service Canada policy bars the practice.
  
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• Toddlers Born by Reproductive Treatments Develop Normally

  12-01-2017 10:13 via feeds.socialpsychology.org
  
  Source: Yahoo News - HealthChildren born through assisted reproductive technologies have similar cognitive, motor and language development at age two as those born through natural conception, according to a new Canadian study. Researchers saw no differences in skills such as movement, memory, exploration, vocabulary, word combination, and sensory and motor development. “Studies have shown that assisted reproductive technology use is increasing the risk of prematurity...
  
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• The Human Side of Animal Hoarding

  12-01-2017 10:12 via feeds.socialpsychology.org
  Source: U.S. News and World ReportPast trauma contributes to this mental health disorder.
  
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• No New Antidepressants Soon Despite Growing Need, Experts Warn

  12-01-2017 10:12 via feeds.socialpsychology.org
  
  Source: Yahoo News - HealthIt is likely to be at least 10 years before any new generation of antidepressants comes to market, despite evidence that depression and anxiety rates are increasing across the world, specialists said on Wednesday.
  
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• Stress, heart health, and the amygdala: Links explained

  12-01-2017 09:00
  
  Although it is common knowledge that stress impacts cardiovascular health, the mechanisms at work have remained a mystery. New research gives fresh clues.
  
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• Difficulty in noticing that white people are white, new study finds

  12-01-2017 09:00
  
  A new study published in Journal of Experimental Psychology: General has found that people fail to notice that white people are white.
  
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• Antidepressant use increases hip fracture risk among elderly

  12-01-2017 09:00
  
  Antidepressant use nearly doubles the risk of hip fracture among community-dwelling persons with Alzheimer's disease, according to a new study from the University of Eastern Finland.
  
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• How stress may increase risk of heart disease and stroke

  12-01-2017 03:36
  Heightened activity in the amygdala -- a region of the brain involved in stress -- is associated with a greater risk of heart disease and stroke, according to a study that provides new insights into the possible mechanism by which stress can lead to cardiovascular disease in humans.
  
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• New guideline on how to map brain prior to epilepsy surgery

  12-01-2017 00:41
  Before epilepsy surgery, doctors may consider using brain imaging to locate language and memory functions in the brain instead of the more invasive procedure that is commonly used, according to a guideline. It is the first evidence-based guideline that systematically reviewed all evidence for such an evaluation.
  
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• Study unveils how stress may increase risk of heart disease and stroke

  12-01-2017 00:39
  Heightened activity in the amygdala - a region of the brain involved in stress - is associated with a greater risk of heart disease and stroke, according to a new study.
  
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