Psychology news

• Key signaling protein associated with addiction controls the actions of oxycodone in pain-free, chronic pain states

  17-01-2017 22:39
  RGS9-2, a key signaling protein in the brain known to play a critical role in the development of addiction-related behaviors, acts as a positive modulator of oxycodone reward in both pain-free and chronic pain states
  
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• First cell culture of live adult human neurons shows potential of brain cell types

  17-01-2017 20:11
  Studying brain disorders in people and developing drugs to treat them has been slowed by the inability to investigate single living cells from adult patients. In a first-of-its-kind study, researchers were able to grow adult human neurons donated from patients who had undergone surgery. From these cell cultures, they identified more than five brain cell types and the potential proteins each cell could make.
  
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• Scientists find sensor that makes synapses fast

  17-01-2017 20:01
  Synapses, the connections between neurons, come in different flavors, depending on the chemical they use as transmitter. The type of synapses that use a signal transmitter called GABA stand out because of their speed and precision. But the secret behind their speed was not fully known until now, and neither was the sensor they use to detect the inflowing calcium.
  
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• Opioids produce analgesia via immune cells

  17-01-2017 20:00
  Opioids are the most powerful painkillers. Researchers have now found that the analgesic effects of opioids are not exclusively mediated by opioid receptors in the brain, but can also be mediated via the activation of receptors in immune cells.
  
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• Mounting challenge to brain sex differences

  17-01-2017 19:59
  A meta-analysis of human amygdala volumes reveals no significant difference between the sexes. The study strengthens the case for gender similarity in the human brain and psychological abilities.
  
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• Listen with your eyes: one in five of us may 'hear' flashes of light

  17-01-2017 18:13
  
  A surprising number of people experience a form of sensory cross wiring in which light flashes and visual movements are ‘heard’, research findsOne in five people is affected by a synaesthesia-like phenomenon in which visual movements or flashes of light are “heard” as faint sounds, according to scientists.The findings suggest that far more people than initially thought experience some form of sensory cross-wiring – which could explain the appeal of flashing musical
  
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• Talking therapy changes the brain's wiring, study reveals for first time

  17-01-2017 16:14
  For the first time, research shows that cognitive behavior therapy (CBT) strengthens specific connections in the brains of people with psychosis, and that these stronger connections are associated with long-term reduction in symptoms and recovery eight years later.
  
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• Genetic discovery provides new insight into cognitive disorders

  17-01-2017 14:40
  An international team of scientists has unlocked some of the genes responsible for cognitive ability.The findings bring scientists a step closer to developing new -- and potentially better -- treatments for cognitive disorders of the brain, such as schizophrenia and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).
  
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• Age-related GABA decline is associated with poor cognition

  17-01-2017 14:33
  Diminishing levels of GABA, the primary inhibitory neurotransmitter in the brain, may play a role in cognitive decline as we age, according to a new study. The study shows an association between higher GABA concentrations in the frontal lobe, a brain region important for complex cognitive functioning, and superior performance on a cognitive test in healthy older adults.
  
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• Treatment strategy provides mental health benefits to war trauma survivors

  17-01-2017 09:00
  
  A study shows that a certain intervention called testimony therapy plus ceremony reduced symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder, anxiety, and depression among Khmer Rouge torture survivors from...
  
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• Children gain more weight when parents see them as 'overweight'

  17-01-2017 09:00
  
  Children whose parents considered them to be 'overweight' tended to gain more weight over the following decade compared with children whose parents thought they were a 'normal' weight, according to...
  
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• Maternal Micronutrients Boost Child Development

  17-01-2017 06:40 via feeds.socialpsychology.org
  Source: ScienceDailyA new study offers a recipe for parents who want smarter kids: maternal micronutrient supplements during pregnancy, early life nurturing, happy moms, and educated parents.
  
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• U.S. Supreme Court to Hear Case on Offensive Trademarks

  17-01-2017 06:39 via feeds.socialpsychology.org
  
  Source: Canadian Broadcasting Company - Top Stories NewsThe Slants aren't exactly a household name when it comes to music, but the Asian-American rock band has certainly made its mark in the legal world.
  
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• The Successful Women Embracing "Girl Power"

  17-01-2017 06:39 via feeds.socialpsychology.org
  
  Source: BBCNews - BusinessCould a club for “girly girls” really help improve female equality in the workplace?
  
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• Personality May Change After Therapy, Study Finds

  17-01-2017 06:39 via feeds.socialpsychology.org
  
  Source: Yahoo News - SciencePersonality, once thought to be fundamental and resistant to change, can shift in response to therapy, new research finds. The study synthesizes data from 207 published research papers that measured personality traits as one outcome of various psychotherapies. But that doesn't mean that personality change is easy, warned study researcher Brent Roberts, a social and personality psychologist at the University of Illinois.
  
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• Young Royals Urge Britons to Talk More About Mental Health Issues

  17-01-2017 06:38 via feeds.socialpsychology.org
  
  Source: Yahoo News - HealthBritain's Prince William, his wife Catherine and his brother Harry urged Britons on Tuesday to talk more openly about mental health issues, saying too many people suffer in silence. Long-standing supporters of mental health initiatives, they launched the "Heads Together" campaign in 2016, which works with charities to help tackle the stigma around mental health. "There are times when whoever we are, it is hard to cope with...
  
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• Eating Disorders Can Strike in Mid-Life

  17-01-2017 06:38 via feeds.socialpsychology.org
  
  Source: BBC News - HealthEating disorders, including anorexia and bulimia, affect a small but substantial number of women in their 40s and 50s, UK research suggests.
  
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• Assessing Global Toll of Drinking During Pregnancy

  17-01-2017 06:37 via feeds.socialpsychology.org
  
  Source: Psych CentralA new report by the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) in Canada provides the first-ever global estimates of the percentage of women who drink during pregnancy as well as estimates of Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) by country.
  
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• Getting older, sleeping less

  17-01-2017 05:26 via nytimes.com
  Insomnia robs millions — especially those older than 60 — of much-needed restorative sleep.
  
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• When the brain scrambles names, it's because you love them

  17-01-2017 05:24 via npr.org
  
  Mixing up family names is not related to a bad memory or to aging, but rather to how the brain categorizes names.
  
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• Babies born addicted to opiates perform poorly in school

  17-01-2017 05:24 via cnn.com
  
  Test scores of children born addicted to opiates get worse as they age, study finds.
  
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• Maternal micronutrients, nurturing environment boost child development

  17-01-2017 01:04
  A new study offers a recipe for parents who want smarter kids: maternal micronutrient supplements during pregnancy, early life nurturing, happy moms, and educated parents.
  
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