http://www.sciencedaily.com/news/mind_brain/ Psychology news from leading research institutes around the world. Research on relationships, new treatments for mental health conditions, and more. Updated daily. en-us Sun, 08 Nov 2009 13:05:01 EST Sun, 08 Nov 2009 13:05:01 EST 60 http://www.sciencedaily.com/images/logosmall.gif http://www.sciencedaily.com/news/mind_brain/ For more science articles, visit ScienceDaily. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091102172249.htm New research provides a comprehensive comparative functional anatomy study in human and monkey brains which reveals highly similar brain networks preserved across evolution. Scientists examined patterns of connectivity to show that the precuneus, long thought to be a single structure, is actually divided into four distinct functional regions. Sun, 08 Nov 2009 17:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091102172249.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091106145304.htm Depression and other emotional symptoms in survivors of torture and other traumatic experiences may be exacerbated by the effects of head injuries, according to a new study. The researchers found structural changes in the brains of former South Vietnamese political detainees who had suffered head injuries and clearly linked those changes to psychiatric symptoms often seen in survivors of torture. Sun, 08 Nov 2009 11:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091106145304.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091104123039.htm Racial discrimination is a major threat to African American women's mental health. It undermines their view of themselves as masters of their own life circumstances and makes them less psychologically resilient and more prone to depression, according to new findings. Sun, 08 Nov 2009 05:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091104123039.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091103121618.htm Drunken fruit flies have helped researchers identify networks of genes -- also present in humans -- that play a key role in alcohol drinking behavior. This discovery provides an indication of why some people seem to tolerate alcohol better than others, and points toward a potential target for drugs aimed at preventing or eliminating alcoholism. Sat, 07 Nov 2009 17:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091103121618.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091105121046.htm Rush University Medical Center has opened the Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) Clinic to offer patients suffering from major depression a safe, effective, non-drug treatment. TMS therapy is the first FDA-approved, non-invasive antidepressant device-based treatment clinically proven for treatment of depression. Psychiatrists at Rush University Medical Center were among the first to test the technique and Dr. Philip Janicak, professor of psychiatry and lead investigator at Rush for the clinical trials of TMS, helped to develop this therapy. Sat, 07 Nov 2009 17:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091105121046.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091104101553.htm Research in the UK into the finger length of primate species has revealed that cooperative behavior is linked to exposure to hormone levels in the womb. Sat, 07 Nov 2009 05:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091104101553.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091027132255.htm Scientists are working to find a genetic marker to determine the effectiveness of Prozac and other SSRIs before they are prescribed. Sat, 07 Nov 2009 05:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091027132255.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091027103113.htm Many people perceive gambling to be a harmless recreational activity. However, it is estimated that six to eight million people in the United States personally suffer from a gambling related problem. This problem seems to grow tentacles, extending out to wreak havoc and can profoundly impact the physical, emotional and financial health of the family. Sat, 07 Nov 2009 05:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091027103113.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091105121220.htm A professor of library and information science says that comic books are just as sophisticated as other forms of literature, and children benefit from reading them at least as much as they do from reading other types of books. Fri, 06 Nov 2009 20:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091105121220.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091105132448.htm Common experience tells us that particular scents of childhood can leave quite an impression, for better or for worse. Now, researchers reporting the results of a brain imaging study show that first scents really do enjoy a "privileged" status in the brain. Fri, 06 Nov 2009 17:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091105132448.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091105201441.htm Parents who dress their children in inappropriate clothing could be inadvertently hampering their child's physical activity in childcare settings. The study suggests that inadequate or inappropriate clothing could restrict children's outdoor play. Fri, 06 Nov 2009 17:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091105201441.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091104101551.htm One of the many mysteries of Alzheimer's disease is how protein-like snippets called amyloid-beta peptides, which clump together to form plaques in the brain, may cause cell death, leading to the disease's devastating symptoms of memory loss and other mental difficulties. In order to answer that key question and develop new approaches to preventing the damage, scientists must first understand how amyloid-beta forms the telltale clumps. Researchers have now developed new molecular tools that can be used to investigate the process. Fri, 06 Nov 2009 11:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091104101551.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091105121217.htm Real-time observation sheds new light on multiple sclerosis. Fri, 06 Nov 2009 08:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091105121217.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091103215835.htm Treating a common brain tumor with multiple sessions of radiation appears to result in less brain swelling than treating the tumor once with a high dose of radiation, say researchers. Fri, 06 Nov 2009 05:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091103215835.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091105132456.htm School-based physical education plays a key role in curbing obesity and improving fitness among adolescents from low-income communities, according to a new study. Fri, 06 Nov 2009 05:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091105132456.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091105121041.htm Recent studies investigating the question of parental control in the west and in east Asian countries suggest that extreme meddling by parents can have negative effects on their children's psychological development in both of those regions, although the effects may not be uniform. Fri, 06 Nov 2009 02:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091105121041.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091106145408.htm Researchers found that a bystander who attempts CPR can quadruple the survival rate to over 50 percent. But they have also found only 30 percent of bystanders in Toronto are willing to help, one of the lowest rates of bystanders helping others in the developed world. Fri, 06 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091106145408.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091106095638.htm Middle-aged women with high levels of a specific amino acid in their blood are twice as likely to suffer from Alzheimer's many years later, reveals new research from Sweden. This discovery this could lead to a new and simple way of determining who is at risk long before there are any signs of the illness. Fri, 06 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091106095638.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091105143706.htm A strategy that combines gene therapy with blood stem cell therapy may be a useful tool for treating a fatal brain disease, French researchers have found. Thu, 05 Nov 2009 23:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091105143706.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091104123025.htm Most weight-control strategies emphasize energy-restricted diets and increased physical activity -- and most are not effective over the long term. In a study of a "weight-acceptance" intervention, researchers found that there could be long-term beneficial effects on certain eating behaviors using a weight-acceptance intervention approach. Thu, 05 Nov 2009 23:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091104123025.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091105132450.htm A gene associated with longevity in roundworms and humans has been shown to affect the function of stem cells that generate new neurons in the adult brain, according to researchers. The study in mice suggests that the gene may play an important role in maintaining cognitive function during aging. Thu, 05 Nov 2009 20:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091105132450.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091104122520.htm What do patients want from their radiation oncologists? The most significant preference is that more than one-third of female cancer patients (37 percent) prefer to have their hands held by their radiation oncologists during important office visits, compared to 12 percent of men, according to a randomized study. Thu, 05 Nov 2009 20:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091104122520.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091105092607.htm From their very first days, newborns' cries already bear the mark of the language their parents speak, reveals a new study. The findings suggest that infants begin picking up elements of what will be their first language in the womb, and certainly long before their first babble or coo. Thu, 05 Nov 2009 17:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091105092607.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091104101547.htm Those oft-maligned, and highly embellished, graphs and charts in newspapers may actually help people understand data more effectively than traditional graphs, according to new research. Thu, 05 Nov 2009 17:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091104101547.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091102171211.htm A new study finds that golfers with obstructive sleep apnea who received nasal positive airway pressure for their disorder improved their daytime sleepiness scores and lowered their golf handicap by as much as three strokes. Thu, 05 Nov 2009 14:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091102171211.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091104181155.htm Childhood obesity in the United States is reaching epidemic proportions. With more than one fourth of advertising on daytime and prime time television devoted to foods and beverages and continuing questions about the role television plays in obesity, a new study examines how food advertising aimed at children might be a large contributor to the problem. Thu, 05 Nov 2009 14:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091104181155.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091104161837.htm Two findings from a new national study reveal the power of mentors, particularly those in the teaching profession: for all teen students, having an adult mentor meant a 50 percent greater likelihood of attending college; for disadvantaged students, mentorship by a teacher nearly doubled the odds of attending college. Thu, 05 Nov 2009 11:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091104161837.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091102171217.htm Researchers have improved an enzyme that degrades dense scar tissue that forms when the central nervous system is damaged -- and developed a new system to deliver it, ultimately enabling spinal cord regeneration. Thu, 05 Nov 2009 08:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091102171217.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091102171215.htm New research shows that Caucasian women may suffer from restless legs syndrome, a sleep disorder characterized by the strong urge to move the legs, up to four times more than African-American women. Thu, 05 Nov 2009 08:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091102171215.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091104132812.htm Researchers have found that readers were better able to understand, remember and emotionally respond to material found through "searching" compared to content found while "surfing." "If, as these data suggest, the cognitive and emotional impact of online content is greatest when acquired by searching, then Web site sponsors might consider increasing their advertising on pages that tend to be accessed via search engines," said one of the researchers. Thu, 05 Nov 2009 08:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091104132812.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091102171407.htm In a comparison of five different smoking cessation medications, a nicotine patch plus a nicotine lozenge appears most effective at helping smokers quit, according to a new report. Thu, 05 Nov 2009 05:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091102171407.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091102171213.htm New research has found that nearly 1 in 4 patients with OSA suffers from nighttime teeth grinding. This seems to be especially more prevalent in men and in Caucasians compared with other ethnic groups. Thu, 05 Nov 2009 05:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091102171213.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091104161902.htm Do pediatric oncologists feel that religion is a bridge or a barrier to their work? Or do they feel it can be either, depending on whether their patients are recovering or deteriorating? A novel study examines these questions in a new study. Thu, 05 Nov 2009 05:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091104161902.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091104152304.htm There are areas in the brain devoted to our arms, legs, and various parts of our bodies. The way these areas are distributed throughout the brain are known as "body maps" and there are some significant differences in these maps between left- and right-handed people. Now there is evidence that these maps may influence how we perceive our physical bodies. Thu, 05 Nov 2009 02:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091104152304.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091104091724.htm Literary Arabic is expressed in the brain of an Arabic speaker as a second language and not as a mother tongue, according to a new study. The research offers an explanation for the objective and day-to-day difficulties that confront Arabic-speaking students when attempting to learn to read the non-spoken language. Thu, 05 Nov 2009 02:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091104091724.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091105143817.htm For the insects called water striders, the pushiest guys don't always get the girls. New research provides support for the theory of multi-level selection and contradicts previous laboratory experiments that suggested that the most aggressive males are the most successful at reproducing. Thu, 05 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091105143817.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091105121052.htm Substances naturally produced by the human body may one day help prevent paralysis following a spinal cord injury, according to researchers. Thu, 05 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091105121052.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091104085230.htm According to a new study, eating a meal quickly, as compared to slowly, curtails the release of hormones in the gut that induce feelings of being full. The decreased release of these hormones, can often lead to overeating. Wed, 04 Nov 2009 23:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091104085230.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091102171207.htm New research shows that frontotemporal dementia -- a rare brain disorder that causes early dementia -- is highly hereditary. Wed, 04 Nov 2009 23:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091102171207.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091103102349.htm One in seven people worldwide will suffer from tinnitus (ringing in the ears) at some point. It is the most common injury arising from the conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq and 75 pecent of 18 to 30 year-olds who go to nightclubs and concerts may experience temporary tinnitus. A research review (150 papers over 25 years) suggests that 94 percent of people are told nothing can be done. But help is at hand. Wed, 04 Nov 2009 20:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091103102349.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091102172441.htm Learning to talk also changes the way speech sounds are heard, according to a new study. The findings could have a major impact on improving speech disorders. Wed, 04 Nov 2009 17:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091102172441.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091104091726.htm Use of cannabinoids (marijuana) could assist in the treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder patients, according to a new study. Wed, 04 Nov 2009 17:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091104091726.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091103112239.htm Night-shift workers should avoid drinking coffee if they wish to improve their sleep, according to recent research. A new study has found the main byproduct of coffee, caffeine, interferes with sleep and this side-effect worsens as people age. Wed, 04 Nov 2009 11:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091103112239.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091103112253.htm First impressions do matter when it comes to communicating personality through appearance, according to new research. Wed, 04 Nov 2009 11:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091103112253.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091103102252.htm By building a tiny microscope small enough to be carried around on a rat's head, scientists in Germany have found a way to study the complex activity of many brain cells simultaneously while animals are free to move around. With this new technology scientists can actually see how the brain cells operate while the animal is behaving naturally, giving rise to immense new insights into the understanding of perception and attention. Wed, 04 Nov 2009 08:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091103102252.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091029161530.htm The relationship between a teacher and class is important for the learning achievement of pupils and their pleasure in learning. A Dutch researcher discovered that these teacher-class relationships are very stable over the course of a school year. Consequently if teachers get off to a bad start, it is almost impossible to put things right. Wed, 04 Nov 2009 08:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091029161530.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091103102359.htm Researchers have found an essential key to possibly cure Parkinson's disease. They have discovered that a novel protein -- known as protein kinase-C -- kills dopamine-producing cells in the brain. Wed, 04 Nov 2009 05:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091103102359.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091103171715.htm A new study shows that a long period of estrogen deprivation can lead to loss of sensitivity and protective effects in the brain and weaken areas normally resistant to stroke damage. Wed, 04 Nov 2009 05:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091103171715.htm