ScienceDaily: Mind & Brain News

Stress shared by same-sex couples can have unique health impacts Posted: 30 Jan 2015 10:28 AM PST Minority stress -- which results from being stigmatized and disadvantaged in society -- affects same-sex couples' stress levels and overall health, research indicates. Authors of a new study state that the health effects of minority stress shared by a couple can be understood as distinct from individual stress, a new framework in the field.

Fluorescent dyes 'light up' brain cancer cells Posted: 30 Jan 2015 09:16 AM PST Two new fluorescent dyes attracted to cancer cells may help neurosurgeons more accurately localize and completely resect brain tumors, suggests a new study. Removing all visible areas of cancer (gross total resection) significantly improves survival after brain cancer surgery.

Mobile and interactive media use by young children: The good, the bad and the unknown Posted: 30 Jan 2015 07:26 AM PST Mobile devices are everywhere and children are using them more frequently at young ages. The impact these mobile devices are having on the development and behavior of children is still relatively unknown. Researchers review the many types of interactive media available today and raise important questions regarding their use as educational tools, as well as their potential detrimental role in stunting the development of important tools for self-regulation.

Key discovery to preventing blindness, stroke devastation Posted: 30 Jan 2015 07:26 AM PST Gene interactions that determine whether cells live or die in such conditions as age-related macular degeneration and ischemic stroke have been discovered by researchers. These common molecular mechanisms in vision and brain integrity can prevent blindness and also promote recovery from a stroke.

Altered dopamine signaling a clue to autism Posted: 30 Jan 2015 06:29 AM PST Newly discovered genetic variations linked to autism spectrum disorder disrupt the function of the dopamine transporter, suggesting that altered dopamine signaling contributes to this common developmental condition, according to researchers.

Treating Cerebral Malaria: New Molecular Target Identified Posted: 30 Jan 2015 05:21 AM PST A drug already approved for treating other diseases may be useful as a treatment for cerebral malaria, according to researchers who discovered a novel link between food intake during the early stages of infection and the outcome of the disease, identifying two molecular pathways that could serve as new targets for treatment.

Tweeting about sexism could improve a woman's wellbeing Posted: 30 Jan 2015 05:18 AM PST Publically tweeting about sexism could improve a woman's wellbeing as it has the potential to let them to express themselves in ways that feel like they can make a difference, a new report suggests.

New technologies to help patients with Parkinson's disease Posted: 30 Jan 2015 05:15 AM PST New wearable sensor networks and mobile phone applications are being tested for their potential to monitor and manage patients with Parkinson’s disease. The research aim is the usage of low-cost wearable sensors that can continuously collect and process the accelerometry signals to automatically detect and quantify the symptoms of the patient. Once we this is done, the information is sent to hospital to generate a daily report that will alert the doctor in case of any outlier.

Transgender kids show consistent gender identity across measures Posted: 29 Jan 2015 10:29 AM PST A study with 32 transgender children, ages 5 to 12, indicates that the gender identity of these children is deeply held and is not the result of confusion about gender identity or pretense. The study is one of the first to explore gender identity in transgender children using implicit measures that operate outside conscious awareness and are, therefore, less susceptible to modification than self-report measures.

Diversity in developmental trajectories in kids with autism spectrum disorder Posted: 28 Jan 2015 08:38 AM PST Preschool children with autism spectrum disorder differed from each other in symptom severity and adaptive functioning at the time of diagnosis and some of these differences appeared to increase by age 6, according to a study.

No direct link found between rising inequality, reduced trust Posted: 28 Jan 2015 07:06 AM PST Does rising economic inequality causes trust to fall in society and thus endanger social cohesion? Recent academic research appears to support this notion. However, a new study disagrees.

Up to 2 per cent of Germany's population is dependent on hypnotics Posted: 28 Jan 2015 05:20 AM PST Every year, the statutory health insurance companies cover bills for some 230 million daily doses of benzodiazepines. Roughly the same amount again is prescribed in private prescriptions, but this figure is often not taken into consideration. The exact number of persons with benzodiazepine dependency is not known, but an estimated 128,000 to 1.6 million people in Germany are likely to be affected.

Grant to develop therapy to protect against nerve agents Posted: 28 Jan 2015 05:18 AM PST Over two and a half years, researchers will develop a formulation of a molecule called Butyrylcholinesterase (BChE) into an intramuscular injection, and prove its safety, effectiveness and dosing in animal models. They also will demonstrate its ability in dried form to retain activity for at least two years, and produce the substance for other research studies. BChE, which is found in human plasma, is a bioscavenger and when it finds nerve agent in the blood, it deactivates it.

Financial incentives help pregnant women to quit smoking Posted: 27 Jan 2015 06:23 PM PST Offering shopping vouchers to expectant mothers can be cost effective. Smoking in pregnancy is a leading preventable cause of maternal and neonatal illness and death in developed countries.

Sexual offending treatment programs in prisons, hospitals are ineffective Posted: 27 Jan 2015 06:23 PM PST The current rehabilitation program for sexual offenders is not proven to work and leaves the public at risk, experts report. In the UK, in prisons and secure psychiatric hospitals, sexual offenders are offered the Sexual Offender Treatment Programme (SOTP), a psychological talking therapy rolled out across England and Wales since 1991.

Common elements of STEM schools identified Posted: 27 Jan 2015 03:41 PM PST Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics schools vary in many ways, but they share eight major common elements. So finds a nationwide study of 23 STEM schools.

Low-frequency deep brain stimulation improves difficult-to-treat Parkinson's symptoms Posted: 27 Jan 2015 01:48 PM PST Parkinson’s disease patients treated with low-frequency deep brain stimulation show significant improvements in swallowing dysfunction and freezing of gait over typical high-frequency treatment, a study has demonstrated.