ScienceDaily: Mind & Brain News

Treatment restores sociability in autism mouse model Posted: 22 Jan 2015 12:48 PM PST Researchers have treated mice that mimic human autism with a neuropeptide called oxytocin, and have found that it restores normal social behavior. In addition, the findings suggest that giving oxytocin as early as possible in the animal's life leads to more lasting effects in adults and adolescents.

Infants can learn to communicate from videos, study shows Posted: 22 Jan 2015 10:32 AM PST Children under two years old can learn certain communication skills from a video, such as how to use signs in sign language, and perform similarly in tests when compared to babies taught by their parents, according to a new paper. The study is the first to isolate the effects of purportedly educational commercial videos on infant learning.

Parents' reliance on welfare leads to more welfare use by their children, study finds Posted: 22 Jan 2015 10:28 AM PST Family welfare cultures have been explored through a new study in the context of Norway's Disability Insurance System. From 14,722 parent-child observations, researchers have found strong empirical evidence that reliance on welfare in one generation is likely to cause greater welfare use in the next generation.

Blame it on your brain: Salt and hypertension Posted: 22 Jan 2015 10:27 AM PST Excessive salt intake "reprograms" the brain, interfering with a natural safety mechanism that normally prevents the body's arterial blood pressure from rising, researchers have discovered.

Trust your gut: E. coli may hold one of the keys to treating Parkinson's Posted: 22 Jan 2015 10:27 AM PST E. coli usually brings to mind food poisoning and beach closures, but researchers recently discovered a protein in E. coli that inhibits the accumulation of potentially toxic amyloids—a hallmark of diseases such as Parkinson's, scientists say.

Head and neck cancers in young adults are more likely to be a result of inherited factors Posted: 22 Jan 2015 08:45 AM PST A new study pools data from 25 case-control studies and conducts separate analyses to show that head and neck cancers in young adults are more likely to be as a result of inherited factors, rather than lifestyle factors such as smoking or drinking alcohol.

American liberals and conservatives think as if from different cultures Posted: 22 Jan 2015 08:44 AM PST American conservatives think more like Asians, and liberals are the extreme Westerners in thought styles, new research suggests. The so-called "culture war," the lead author said, is an accurate if dramatic way to state that there are clear cultural differences in the thought processes of liberals and conservatives.

Profitable phishing schemes slyly tinker with our heads, then rip us off Posted: 22 Jan 2015 08:43 AM PST Researchers have found evidence that the incredible spread of email phishing scams may be due to phishers' increased use of "information-rich" emails that alter recipients' cognitive processes in a way that facilitates their victimization.

How charter school foes are failing Posted: 22 Jan 2015 07:32 AM PST As charter schools continue to expand, new research indicates liberal opponents are failing to make effective arguments aimed at curbing the education reform movement.

Why protein mutations lead to familial form of Parkinson's disease Posted: 22 Jan 2015 06:22 AM PST For the first time, researchers have shown why protein mutations lead to the familial form of Parkinson's disease. Parkinson's disease is characterized by impairment or deterioration of neurons in an area of the brain known as the substantia nigra. In the familial form of the disorder, a set of mutations in ?syn had been identified but what was unknown was the molecular mechanism by which these mutations caused disease.

Is cheating on the field worse than cheating on a spouse? Some fans think so Posted: 22 Jan 2015 06:22 AM PST Why did fans and sponsors such as Nike drop Lance Armstrong but stay loyal to Tiger Woods? Probably because Armstrong's doping scandal took place on the field, unlike Wood's off-the-field extramarital affairs, according to new studies.

Major discovery on spinal injury reveals unknown immune response Posted: 22 Jan 2015 06:22 AM PST In a discovery that could dramatically affect the treatment of brain and spinal cord injuries, researchers have identified a previously unknown, beneficial immune response that occurs after injury to the central nervous system.

Study detailing axonal death pathway may provide drug targets for neurodegenerative diseases Posted: 22 Jan 2015 06:22 AM PST Axons connect neurons with each other to form the neural networks that underpin the vital functions of perception, motility, cognition, and memory. In many neurodegenerative disorders, from traumatic injury or toxic damage to diseases such as Alzheimer’s or Parkinson’s disease, axonal degeneration represents an essential pathological feature.

Long-term use of hormonal contraceptives is associated with an increased risk of a rare brain tumor, study finds Posted: 22 Jan 2015 05:48 AM PST Taking a hormonal contraceptive for at least five years is associated with a possible increase in a young woman's risk of developing a rare tumor, glioma of the brain, according to a new study of women aged 15-49 years.

Fine motor skills for robotic hands Posted: 22 Jan 2015 05:45 AM PST Tying shoelaces, stirring coffee, writing letters, playing the piano. From the usual daily routine to demanding activities: Our hands are used more frequently than any other body part. Through our highly developed fine motor skills, we are able to perform grasping movements with variable precision and power distribution. This ability is a fundamental characteristic of the hand of primates. Until now, it was unclear how hand movements are planned in the brain. Neuroscientists can now predict grip movements of the hand by measuring brain cell activity.

Not So Obvious: Consumers Don't Just Assume Bundled Products Are a Better Value Posted: 22 Jan 2015 05:43 AM PST Product bundling is a common marketing strategy. According to a new stud, retailers need to draw attention to the value of a package deal since consumers prefer products that are packaged individually.

Marketing a new product? Getting consumers to visualize using it could backfire Posted: 22 Jan 2015 05:43 AM PST Companies often provide detailed information that encourages consumers to visualize using a new product. But does this make consumers more likely to buy it? According to a new study, it depends on whether consumers picture themselves using a new product in the past or in the future.

Does black-and-white advertising help consumers make better decisions? Posted: 22 Jan 2015 05:43 AM PST Black-and-white advertising gets consumers to focus on basic product features while color advertising can influence consumers to pay more for products with unnecessary extras, a new study suggests.

When the price just feels right: Do rounded numbers appeal to our emotions? Posted: 22 Jan 2015 05:43 AM PST Consumers usually look for the lowest price when shopping for a product. But can prices sometimes justfeel right? According to a new study, consumers are drawn to prices with rounded numbers when a purchase is motivated by feelings.

Trying to project an image of success? It could make you dwell on your failures Posted: 22 Jan 2015 05:43 AM PST Life is full of experiences that challenge how we see ourselves and we often compensate by buying products that reinforce our ideal self-image. A new study shows that this type of retail therapy could backfire and lead us to think more about our failures.

Scientists find gene vital to central nervous system development Posted: 22 Jan 2015 05:35 AM PST A gene that helps regulate how well nerves of the central nervous system are insulated has been identified by researchers. Healthy insulation is vital for the speedy propagation of nerve cell signals. The finding, in zebrafish and mice, may have implications for human diseases like multiple sclerosis, in which this insulation is lost.

Sleep tight and stay bright? Invest now, researcher says Posted: 22 Jan 2015 05:35 AM PST Sound sleep in young and middle-aged people helps memory and learning, but as they hit their seventh, eighth and ninth decades — and generally don’t sleep as much or as well — sleep is not linked so much to memory, a researcher says.