ScienceDaily: Mind & Brain News

How 'spontaneous' social norms emerge Posted: 02 Feb 2015 01:07 PM PST A scientific explanation has been provided by researchers for how social conventions -- everything from acceptable baby names to standards of professional conduct -- can emerge suddenly, seemingly out of nowhere, with no external forces driving their creation.

Simple intervention can make your brain more receptive to health advice Posted: 02 Feb 2015 01:06 PM PST A new discovery shows how a simple intervention -- self-affirmation -- can open our brains to accept advice that is hard to hear. Psychologists have used self-affirmation as a technique to improve outcomes ranging from health behaviors in high risk patients to increasing academic performance in at risk youth, suggesting that the findings may be applicable across a wide range of interventions.

FDA approves new drug for binge eating disorder (BED) Posted: 02 Feb 2015 12:12 PM PST The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently approved lisdexamfetamine dimesylate, under the brand name Vyvanse, to treat moderate to severe binge eating disorder (BED) in adults, a first of its kind prescription drug specifically indicated for BED. Experts say that understanding the differences between obesity and BED is important for clinicians, as BED is an eating disorder that affects only a portion of those with the medical disease obesity.

More evidence that musical training protects the brain Posted: 02 Feb 2015 10:26 AM PST Scientists have found some of the strongest evidence yet that musical training in younger years can prevent the decay in speech listening skills in later life. "Musical activities are an engaging form of cognitive brain training and we are now seeing robust evidence of brain plasticity from musical training not just in younger brains, but in older brains too," said the study's leader.

Expert panel recommends new sleep durations Posted: 02 Feb 2015 09:37 AM PST The National Sleep Foundation, along with a multi-disciplinary expert panel, issued its new recommendations for appropriate sleep durations. The NSF convened experts from sleep, anatomy and physiology, as well as pediatrics, neurology, gerontology and gynecology to reach a consensus from the broadest range of scientific disciplines. The report recommends wider appropriate sleep ranges for most age groups.

Risk for autism increases for abandoned children placed in institutions Posted: 02 Feb 2015 09:37 AM PST Children who were abandoned to institutional care have an increased risk for behaviors similar to those seen in children with autism, including impaired social communication, research shows. When these children were moved into child-centered foster family care at a young age, their social behaviors improved.

Break on through to the other side: How HIV penetrates the blood-brain barrier Posted: 02 Feb 2015 09:36 AM PST A new research report solves the mystery of how HIV penetrates the blood-brain barrier by showing that the virus relies on proteins expressed by a type of immune cell, called 'mature monocytes,' to enter the brain. These proteins are a likely drug target for preventing HIV from reaching brain cells.

Laying a foundation for treating ALS, spinal cord injury Posted: 02 Feb 2015 09:32 AM PST A unique model for learning more about the role of human astrocytes has been published by researchers. The findings may lay a foundation for the treatment of a number of neurodegenerative diseases, including ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis) and debilitating spinal cord injuries.

Cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia reduces suicidal thoughts in veterans Posted: 02 Feb 2015 08:46 AM PST The treatment of insomnia in veterans is associated with a significant reduction in suicidal ideation, researchers say. Results show that suicidal ideation decreased by 33 percent following up to six sessions of cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I). Further analysis found that the reduction in insomnia severity achieved during CBT-I was associated with a concurrent decrease in the odds of suicidal ideation. This relationship remained significant after controlling for potential confounders such as change in depression severity.

You can be a coward or a fighter -- just pick one and stick with it, says study Posted: 02 Feb 2015 08:45 AM PST When the chips are down, having a strong personality may be the difference between thriving and failing, according to new research that studied how aphids reacted when faced with predatory ladybirds. The study suggests that committing to a consistent behavioural type in times of crisis results in the best overall outcome in terms of fitness and reproductive success.

Actions, beliefs behind climate change stance Posted: 02 Feb 2015 08:45 AM PST Strategies for building support for climate change mitigation policies should go beyond attempts to improve the public's understanding of science according to new research. Using an online survey of climate change sceptics and believers living in the US, researchers measured differences between the two groups in terms of environmental behaviours, emotional responses, national and global identification and a number of other variables.

Review of nonmedicinal interventions for delirium in older patients Posted: 02 Feb 2015 08:44 AM PST Interventions to prevent delirium that do not involve prescription drugs and have multiple components appeared to be effective at reducing delirium and preventing falls in hospitalized older patients, according to an article.

Scientists view effect of whisker tickling on mouse brains Posted: 02 Feb 2015 08:41 AM PST Researchers have succeeded in peering into the brains of live mice with such precision that they were able to see how the position of specific proteins changed as memories were forged.

New reset button discovered for circadian clock Posted: 02 Feb 2015 08:41 AM PST A team of biologists has found a way to use a laser and an optical fiber to reset an animal's master biological clock: A discovery that could in principle be used therapeutically to treat conditions like seasonal affect disorder, reduce the adverse health effects of night shift work and possibly even cure jet lag.

Illusion aids understanding of autism Posted: 02 Feb 2015 07:57 AM PST New research could lead to a better understanding of how the brain works in people with autism. Using the 'rubber-hand' illusion, the researchers examined how adults with autism experienced 'ownership' of a fake prosthetic hand. In the 'rubber-hand' illusion, one of the subject's hands is placed out of sight, while a rubber hand sits in front of them. By stroking the fake hand at the same time as the visible real one, the subject can be convinced the fake hand is theirs. The results of this experiment showed differences between those with autism and those without.

Confidence in government linked to willingness to vaccinate Posted: 02 Feb 2015 07:55 AM PST Confidence in government may play a key role in the public's willingness to get at least some vaccines, a new study suggests. The study found that people trusting the government's ability to deal with an epidemic were almost three times more likely to take the vaccine than were others.

Keep your enemies close? Study finds greater proximity to opponents leads to more polarization Posted: 02 Feb 2015 07:54 AM PST Encouraging adversaries to have more interpersonal contact to find common ground may work on occasion, but not necessarily in the U.S. Senate, according to new research.

Potential health risks of hookah smoking are being overlooked by users, concerning toxicologists Posted: 02 Feb 2015 07:53 AM PST Toxicologists are concerned about the public perception that hookah smoking is a safer alternative to other forms of tobacco use. Hookah smoking can produce carcinogens and other chemicals associated with ill health at levels similar to or higher than cigarette smoking.

Many universities undercount sexual assaults on campus, research finds Posted: 02 Feb 2015 07:53 AM PST A pattern of underreporting of on-campus sexual assaults by universities and colleges across the United States has been uncovered by researchers. Some schools have continued to underreport even after being fined for violations of federal law, according to a study.

Babies can follow complex social situations Posted: 02 Feb 2015 05:19 AM PST Infants can make sense of complex social situations, taking into account who knows what about whom, according to new research.

Stress balls, DVDs and conversation ease pain, anxiety during surgery Posted: 30 Jan 2015 06:13 PM PST Being conscious during an operation can make patients feel anxious and is often painful. However, new research has found that simple distraction techniques, such as talking to a nurse, watching a DVD or using stress balls, can help patients to relax during varicose vein surgery and reduce their pain.

Minimally invasive treatment based on electrical muscle stimulation corrects spinal curvature in children Posted: 30 Jan 2015 05:15 AM PST Adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS) affects 2-3% of children aged between 10 and 16. It is more common in girls than in boys (with a ratio of 10-1). Besides the obvious physical signs derived from the visible spinal deformity, AIS can cause psychological and emotional problems (low self-esteem, poor self-image body, etc.) that significantly reduces patients’ quality of life. Now researchers say that a treatment based on electrical muscle stimulation may correct the problem.

Kidney-brain connection may help drive chronic kidney disease Posted: 29 Jan 2015 03:50 PM PST Salt intake accelerated kidney scarring in rats with chronic kidney disease by activating a brain-kidney connection called the renin-angiotensin axis that interlinks the damaged kidney and brain by afferent and efferent sympathetic nerves, scientists report. Targeting these nerves reduced salt-induced kidney scarring, they add.

Researchers provide insights for reducing drug overdoses through community education Posted: 29 Jan 2015 09:55 AM PST Participants in drug overdose education programs tend to be parents (mostly mothers) who provide financial support for their son/daughter, have daily contact with their loved one, have applied for court-mandated treatment and have witnessed an overdose, a new study shows. Opioid use is a growing problem in the United States. Currently, more than 20 million Americans are illicit opioid users, misusing prescription opioids or using street opioids such as heroin.

Mental health monitoring through 'selfie' videos, social media tracking Posted: 29 Jan 2015 06:44 AM PST An innovative approach to turn any computer or smartphone with a camera into a personal mental health monitoring device has been created by researchers. The computer program can analyze "selfie" videos recorded by a webcam as the person engages with social media, to extract a number of "clues," such as heart rate, blinking rate, eye pupil radius, and head movement rate.