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News:
Psychology
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November 2005
November 9
The
Neurobiology of the Self
How does the brain's activity give rise to a constant sense of being oneself?
Biologists are slowly teasing out an answer.
September 2005
September 20
Brain
Serotonin Could Link Anxiety, Anorexia
Women with a certain type of anorexia nervosa show altered serotonin activity
in their brains, a finding doctors believe could link the eating disorder
to anxiety levels.
Battle
in the brain predicts risky behaviour
Pleasure and anxiety centres decide when a safe bet beats a dicey one.
NIMH
Study To Guide Treatment Choices For Schizophrenia
A large study for the first time provides detailed information comparing
the effectiveness and side effects of five medications -- both new and older
medications -- that are currently used.
August 2005
August 2
Medication
Eases Obsessive-compulsive Symptoms
A medication used to ease symptoms of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or
Lou Gehrig's disease, also is helpful in treating people with treatment-resistant
obsessive-compulsive.
Stress
Slows Wound Healing; Oxygen Helps
Wound healing is slow when an animal is stressed, but supplying oxygen almost
completely reverses the effect, according to researchers at the University
of Illinois.
July 2005
July 20
Self Tests
A fascinating collection of tests that are as fun to share as they are to
take.
Emotional
Eating
Why do we eat junk food when we're stressed?
July 6
Psyching
Out Evolutionary Psychology: Interview with David J. Buller
Philosopher of science David Buller has a bone to pick with evolutionary
psychology, the idea that some important human behaviors are best explained
as evolutionary adaptations to the struggles we faced tens to hundreds of
thousands of years ago as hunter-gatherers.
Scans
Show How Hypnosis Affects Brain Activity
The word "hypnosis" tends to conjure up images of subjects partaking
in silly activities they might not otherwise agree to. But over the past
few decades, scientific study of hypnosis has begun to identify how the
approach can work to alter processes such as memory and pain perception.
According to a new report, hypnotic suggestions regulate activity in certain
regions of the brain and can help it manage cognitive conflicts.
Training
the Brain
Cognitive therapy as an alternative to ADHD drugs.
Women
Feel More Pain Than Men, Research Shows
Women feel pain more than men despite the popular notion that the opposite
is true, according to research by the University of Bath, in England. Scientists
investigating gender differences.
May 2005
May 30
Learning
Software Developed By Rutgers-Newark Scientist Helps 450,000 Students With
Reading
About 450,000 American schoolchildren all have used educational Fast ForWord
software products developed from research that began in the lab of Rutgers-Newark
professor of neuroscience Paula Tallal.
May 16
Alcohol
may hit women's brains harder
Do women pay a higher price for alcohol abuse than men?
Angry
heart flutters prove most dangerous
Heightened emotion linked to premature cardiac contractions.
Pheromone attracts straight women and gay men
April 2005
April 11
Exploding the Self-Esteem Myth
TV may turn
four-year-olds into bullies
New research suggests this age group is particularly influenced by the violence
in kids' TV - the more they watch, the higher the risks.
How
Animals Do Business
Humans and other animals share a heritage of economic tendencies, including
cooperation, repayment of favors and resentment of unfair pay.
March 2005
March 29
Genes contribute
to religious inclination
Genes play a key role in long-term religious behaviour, a new twins study
suggests, and the effects of a religious upbringing may fade with time.
What
is . . . neurotheology?
Neurotheology is the scientific study of what happens to brain activity
during religious or spiritual experiences. It is a recent development, made
possible because of advances in brain-imaging. The idea is to use the latest
tools available within psychology and neuroscience to detect which parts
of the brain are active during spiritual experiences. (Times, London)
February 2005
February 21
Exploding
the Self-Esteem Myth
Boosting people's sense of self-worth has become a national preoccupation.
Yet surprisingly, research shows that such efforts are of little value in
fostering academic progress or preventing undesirable behavior.
Study
Shows Like Personalities Lead to Marriage Satisfaction
If you're wondering whether a new mate is marriage material, the results
of a new study hint that you're better off looking for a bird of the same
feather instead of waiting for an opposite to attract.
January 2005
January 23
Family
First
Dr. Phil’s new book Family First has one feature that sets it
apart from the crowded shelves of family self-help books: his chapter on
divorced and blended families. He has seen first hand that the official
line we’ve been given about divorce and remarriage is misleading at
best and down-right false at worst. The happy talk we have been given that
“children of divorce do just fine” is simply untrue. Dr. Phil
might help these struggling couples see that divorce won’t necessarily
solve every problem they now face. As parents, they will still have to interact
with each other, even after divorce. Sometimes, brand new problems emerge
while old problems are simply transferred to a different arena. "Marriage
is hard, but divorce is harder." Comments by Dr. Jennifer Roback Morse.
First biological
test for ADHD unveiled
The 10-minute test for attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder claims a
high accuracy and could one day predict which cases will respond to drugs.
Controversial
Drug Shown To Act On Brain Protein To Cut Alcohol Use
A naturally occurring hallucinogen advocated by some clinicians as a potent
anti-addiction drug has been rigorously studied for the first time, confirming
its ability to block alcohol craving in rodents, and clarifying how it works
in the brain. The new research findings about the drug Ibogaine open the
way for development of other drugs to reverse addiction without Ibogaine's
side effects, potentially adding to the small arsenal of drugs that effectively
combat addiction.