Psychology news

• PPE: the Oxford degree with a lot to answer for | Letters

  23-02-2017 20:07
  
  I began studying economics at night school in Leeds in the 1950s and continued, at various institutions, as an external student of London University. Our courses were broadly, but not uncritically, Keynesian. We abjured fancy equations and sprinkled our essays with phrases like “a tendency to” and “pressure towards” this or that as a consequence of some other event. As a teacher I have tried to keep reasonably up to date, and learned in the early 70s, for example, to
  
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• Sugar's 'tipping point' link to Alzheimer's disease revealed

  23-02-2017 18:42
  For the first time a molecular 'tipping point' has been demonstrated in Alzheimer's, linking high blood sugar with this debilitating disease.
  
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• Playing favorites: Brain cells prefer one parent's gene over the other's

  23-02-2017 18:42
  It has long been thought that each copy of our DNA instructions -- one inherited from mom and one from dad -- is treated the same. A new study shows that it is not uncommon for cells in the brain to preferentially activate one copy over the other. The finding breaks basic tenets of classic genetics and suggests new ways in which genetic mutations might cause brain disorders.
  
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• Sons of cocaine-using fathers have profound memory impairments

  23-02-2017 17:48
  Fathers who use cocaine at the time of conceiving a child may be putting their sons at risk of learning disabilities and memory loss. The researchers say the findings reveal that drug abuse by fathers -- separate from the well-established effects of cocaine use in mothers -- may negatively impact cognitive development in their male offspring.
  
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• Fructose is generated in the human brain

  23-02-2017 17:48
  Fructose, a form of sugar linked to obesity and diabetes, is converted in the human brain from glucose, according to a new study. The finding raises questions about fructose's effects on the brain and eating behavior.
  
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• Studies show that the cerebellum is crucial to understanding vulnerability to drug addiction

  23-02-2017 16:20
  The cerebellum, contrary to what was thought, fulfils functions that go beyond the motor sphere and can be co-responsible for the brain alterations associated with addictive consumption of drugs, research shows. The findings would represent a step forward towards the design of new therapies for the future, say the investigators.
  
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• Autism diagnosis by brain scan? It’s time for a reality check

  23-02-2017 15:47
  
  Recent reports that it might be possible to use MRI to identify at-risk children are exciting, but we are still a long way from autism diagnosis by brain scanWhat if I told you that we can now identify babies who are going to develop autism based on a simple brain scan? This, in essence, is the seductive pitch for a study published last week in the journal Nature, and making headlines around the world. Early identification and diagnosis is one of the major goals of autism research. By definition
  
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• Tired teens 4.5 times more likely to commit crimes as adults

  23-02-2017 15:21
  Teenagers who experience sleep problems and exhibit anti-social behavior are more likely to commit violent crimes as adults, new research concludes.
  
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• Top students more likely to smoke pot, drink alcohol

  23-02-2017 03:50 via cnn.com
  
  Academically gifted teens are more likely to drink alcohol and smoke pot compared with teens with lower test scores.
  
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• Bad hospital design is making us sicker

  23-02-2017 03:49 via nytimes.com
  Research supports an urgent need to change the way we build, maintain and work in hospitals, and many facilities could do more to promote rest and healing while preventing stress and infection.
  
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