ScienceDaily: Mind & Brain News

Safety concerns over lack of support for Prison Officers' mental health Posted: 06 Jan 2015 05:30 PM PST People working in prisons and in secure hospitals in the UK are at considerable risk of work-related stress, exhaustion and depression. This raises serious concerns for safety, researchers suggest.

Children's vulnerability reflected in genes: Some children more sensitive to their environments, for better and worse Posted: 06 Jan 2015 05:30 PM PST Some children are more sensitive to their environments, for better and for worse. Now researchers have identified a gene variant that may serve as a marker for these children, who are among society's most vulnerable. The study found that children from high-risk backgrounds who carried a common gene variant were very likely to develop serious problems as adults, but were also more responsive to treatment.

Women in prison need and want treatment for physical, sexual abuse Posted: 06 Jan 2015 05:30 PM PST Women in prison want and need specific treatment for traumas such as physical and sexual abuse, a new research paper says. The need is especially great for aboriginal woman who are "grossly over-represented" in the prison population, said a Canadian researcher.

Corporate philanthropy increases workers' productivity Posted: 06 Jan 2015 05:30 PM PST Working to benefit a good cause increases productivity by up to 30 percent, according to the findings of a new study. When workers are given a social incentive such as a charitable donation linked to their job, performance increases by an average of 13 per cent, rising to 30 per cent amongst those who are initially the least productive, the researchers say.

Drug overdose epidemic to recede soon, experts say Posted: 06 Jan 2015 01:19 PM PST The drug overdose epidemic will peak at about 50,000 annual deaths in 2017 before declining to a non-epidemic state of approximately 6,000 deaths in the year 2035 -- at roughly the same rate seen before the start of the epidemic, researchers predict.

Computer model explains how animals select actions with rewarding outcomes Posted: 06 Jan 2015 11:07 AM PST A computer model charting what happens in the brain when an action is chosen that leads to a reward has been developed by researchers. The model could provide new insights into the mechanisms behind motor disorders such as Parkinson's Disease. It may also shed light on conditions involving abnormal learning, such as addiction.

Study quantifies effect of depressive thoughts on memory Posted: 06 Jan 2015 10:05 AM PST For people with depressed mood, memory and concentration difficulties are often a day-to-day reality. While those with the disorder report that these cognitive problems are some of the most deeply troubling, previous studies have been unable to observe this phenomenon in a laboratory setting. In a new study, researchers are the first to substantiate these memory deficits.

HPV vaccination not associated with increased risk of multiple sclerosis Posted: 06 Jan 2015 09:14 AM PST Although some reports have suggested a link between human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination and development of multiple sclerosis or other demyelinating diseases -- a group of central nervous system disorders -- a follow-up of girls and women in Denmark and Sweden who received this vaccination found no increased risk for these disorders, according to a study.

Positive personality traits may protect police at high risk for PTSD Posted: 06 Jan 2015 07:41 AM PST A new study looked at police officers in the New Orleans area during and after Hurricane Katrina. The results suggested that they were shielded from PTSD by the protective qualities not only in the immediate aftermath of the hurricane, but years later as well.

Researchers map direct gut-brain connection Posted: 06 Jan 2015 06:51 AM PST Scientists have mapped a cell-to-cell connection between the gut and the nervous system that may be a more direct route to signaling satiety than the release of hormones in the blood. The new system may change researchers' understanding of how we sense being full, and how that sensation might be affected by gastric bypass surgery.

International research effort gives neuroscientists better feeling about sense of touch Posted: 06 Jan 2015 06:50 AM PST Our sense of touch is one we often take for granted, until our leg falls asleep and we aren't able to stand, or when we experience acute pain. The sense of touch also has been taken for granted in neuroscience, where it's the sense scientists know the least about. For the first time, researchers have linked a group of neurons to a specific type of somatosensation, a finding that can open the door for a heightened understanding about our sense of touch.

New drug design enhances brain signaling by a factor of 1,000 Posted: 06 Jan 2015 06:17 AM PST Chemical-biological research sheds light on important communication processes in the brain by means of new effective molecules that improve the starting point provided by nature by more than 1,000 times. In the long term, this new knowledge may lead to psychopharmacological drugs with fewer side effects, researchers say.

Blind students learn to think like scientists with revolutionary traveling toolboxes Posted: 06 Jan 2015 05:16 AM PST Hands-on, innovative educational material is being developed to help blind students learn about evolution.

Major depression in the national comorbidity survey Posted: 06 Jan 2015 05:15 AM PST A recent study underscores the important public health significance of depression among U.S. adolescents. Mental disorders are the leading cause of years lived with disability worldwide with 40.5% of this burden attributable to major depression. In adolescence, rates of depression increase substantially between 13 and 18 years of age, and the estimated cumulative incidence in this population approximates the adult lifetime prevalence rate, experts report.

Despite resolutions, people buy more food after new year Posted: 06 Jan 2015 05:12 AM PST Despite resolutions to eat better, people buy the greatest amount of food after New Year. Shoppers continue buying elevated holiday-levels of junk food, and then start adding healthier items on top. As a result, people take home 9 percent more calories after New Year than they do over the heavy-eating holidays.

Bipolar disorder: New MRI imaging provides new picture, new insight Posted: 06 Jan 2015 05:12 AM PST Using a different type of MRI imaging, researchers have discovered previously unrecognized differences in the brains of patients with bipolar disorder. In particular, the study revealed differences in the white matter of patients' brains and in the cerebellum, an area of the brain not previously linked with the disorder.

Ischemic micro-lesions associated with flow-diverting stents for aneurysms Posted: 06 Jan 2015 05:12 AM PST The use of flow-diverting stents to treat intracranial aneurysms appears safe and highly successful. Ischemic complications occur in brain territories supplied by the parent artery in which the stent is placed and in brain regions fed by small arterial branches whose ostia are covered by the stent. Most of these complications are asymptomatic.

Exploring the significance of 'sacred moments' in therapy Posted: 05 Jan 2015 02:02 PM PST "My client said I was different than all other therapists in the sense that I was genuinely caring about him and paying attention to what he was saying and also to what he was not saying. It was like time had stopped and we were two vulnerable human beings connected at a very deep level--a 'sacred' moment." New new research shows that these kinds of "sacred moments" between therapists and their clients lead to improved well- being for both sides, demonstrating the value of paying close attention to the spiritual dimension between providers and their patients. New research shows that these kinds of "sacred moments" between therapists and their clients lead to improved well- being for both sides, demonstrating the value of paying close attention to the spiritual dimension between providers and their patients.

Alcohol taxes protective against binge drinking, study shows Posted: 05 Jan 2015 11:17 AM PST Higher alcohol taxes strongly protect against binge drinking, according to a new study. “This is really significant for public health,” said the study's lead author, explaining that binge drinking causes more than half of nearly 90,000 alcohol-attributable deaths in the U.S. each year, and accounts for three-quarters of the $224 billion in annual economic costs.