ScienceDaily: Mind & Brain News

A lower IQ has been linked to greater and riskier drinking among young adult men Posted: 20 Feb 2015 04:07 PM PST Previous research has suggested a link between intelligence and various health outcomes. New findings show a link between a lower IQ and greater and riskier drinking among young adult men.The poor IQ-test results may also be linked to other disadvantages such as lower socio-economic standing.

Growth hormone treatment improves social impairments in patients with genetic disorder known to cause autism Posted: 19 Feb 2015 10:30 AM PST A growth hormone can significantly improve the social impairment associated with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in patients with a related genetic syndrome, researchers report. The study results focus specifically on the use of insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) to treat Phelan-McDermid syndrome (PMS), a disorder caused by a deletion or mutation of the SHANK3 gene on chromosome 22. Along with facing developmental and language delays and motor skill deficits, most people with PMS also have autism spectrum disorder.

Better concussion prevention in youth sports needed, experts say Posted: 19 Feb 2015 08:57 AM PST With mandated provisions in youth sports concussion laws high among Rhode Island Interscholastic League high schools, compliance with recommended concussion protocols was very limited, researchers have found. The study suggests that more concussion related standards and protocols should be written into law in order to raise compliance rates among youth sports groups.

Words used in Chinese books illuminate how a nation's values changed during reforms Posted: 19 Feb 2015 07:17 AM PST Individualistic values have been rising in China as the country has undergone rapid economic and social change, researchers report. The researchers chose 16 words that they determined represent a cross-section of values in Chinese culture, and then used the Google Ngram Viewer, a free online tool, to determine how frequently they were included in the texts.

Understanding anorexia Posted: 19 Feb 2015 07:13 AM PST An expert discusses triggers, treatments and the prevalence of anorexia, the deadliest eating disorder. Anorexia nervosa is associated with the highest mortality and suicide rates; compared to healthy peers, women with anorexia are up to 12 times more likely to die of any cause, and approximately 57 times more likely to die from suicide, over the same period of time.

New insights into underlying cellular mechanisms of information processing in the brain Posted: 18 Feb 2015 04:19 PM PST Synapses transmit information from one neuron to another in the form of synaptic vesicles containing neurotransmitters. Continuous release of neurotransmitters is essential to maintain communication between neurons. To better understand a number of neurological disorders, we need a better understanding of how synapses continuously relay information between neurons. A new study has discovered a key factor in regulating this continual communication is the proximity of synaptic vesicles next to voltage gated calcium channels within synapses.

Stroke researchers report uniqueness of KF-NAP for assessing spatial neglect after stroke Posted: 18 Feb 2015 01:58 PM PST Stroke researchers have determined that the Kessler Foundation Neglect Assessment Process (KF-NAP) measures severity of spatial neglect during activities of daily living. Spatial neglect is a complication of stroke that contributes to poor rehabilitation outcomes, prolonged hospital stays, and increased risk for accidents.

New hope in the fight against pain: Analgesic drugs could be used to treat patients with neuropathic pain Posted: 18 Feb 2015 11:51 AM PST Drugs that selectively target the melatonin MT2 receptor represent a novel class of analgesic drugs that could be used to treat patients with neuropathic pain, an international study reports, for the first time.

How stress can lead to inequality Posted: 18 Feb 2015 11:13 AM PST How does stress affect our self-confidence when we compete? A new study shows how stress could actually be both a consequence and a cause of social and economic inequality, affecting our ability to compete and make financial decisions.

Challenges of soldier rehabilitation, reintegration need closer attention Posted: 18 Feb 2015 09:37 AM PST Veterans returning from combat often face a multitude of challenges that can create a situation in which veterans are unable to reintegrate into civilian life as they had planned and hoped. Now a group of authors, many of whom are veterans themselves, present a wide-ranging view of the environment and treatment options for returning soldiers.

When it comes to an opening number, sometimes the best bargaining move is to offer two Posted: 18 Feb 2015 09:37 AM PST Social psychologists conducted five studies to explore the effects of different kinds of opening offers in negotiations. "For years, we taught students to avoid making range offers in negotiations, assuming that counterparts receiving those offers would have selective attention, hearing only the end of the range that was attractive to them," said a co-author. "Our results surprised us, up-ending how we teach the topic. We can't say that range offers work 100% of the time, but they definitely deserve a place in the negotiator's toolkit."

In higher doses, over longer periods, painkillers for chronic pain raise overdose risk Posted: 18 Feb 2015 09:36 AM PST Two new studies bring fresh insights about the risks faced by patients taking cocktails of medications for non-cancer chronic pain. "People with chronic pain don't mean to end their lives," the lead author said. "But they're taking a lot of drugs with substantial risks."

E-cigarettes: Consumers increasingly face companies' creative smoke and mirrors, study finds Posted: 18 Feb 2015 09:21 AM PST Heavily marketed as a safer, healthful alternative to smoking, electronic cigarettes are under fire from California health officials who have declared “vaping” a public health threat, hoping to head off the type of deceptive manipulation that tobacco companies succeeded with for decades, according to researchers.