ScienceDaily: Mind & Brain News

Scandals not bad for business in the long term, study finds Posted: 06 Feb 2015 09:52 AM PST Scandals involving bosses of major firms have no long-term negative impact on share prices and can even lead to better performance, new research has found.

Settling for 'Mr. Right Now' better than waiting for 'Mr. Right', shows model of digital organisms Posted: 06 Feb 2015 08:16 AM PST Evolutionary researchers have determined that settling for 'Mr. Okay' is a better evolutionary strategy than waiting for 'Mr. Perfect.' When studying the evolution of risk aversion using a computational model of digital organisms, researchers found that it is in our nature -- traced back to the earliest humans -- to take the safe bet when stakes are high, such as whether or not we will mate.

Novel form of experience-dependent plasticity in the adult brain revealed Posted: 06 Feb 2015 05:37 AM PST Scientists have shown an unprecedented degree of connectivity reorganization in newly-generated hippocampal neurons in response to experience, suggesting their direct contribution to the processing of complex information in the adult brain.

Youth hockey brain imaging study suggests early marker for concussion damage Posted: 05 Feb 2015 08:18 AM PST As a pediatric neuropsychiatrist Dr. James Hudziak believes in the benefits of ice hockey and other sports for kids. Athletic activities help build organizational skills, improve motor and emotional control, reduce anxiety and boost confidence. Now, though, he is looking into the potential dangers of ice hockey for young athletes.

Acute psychological stress reduces ability to withstand physical pain Posted: 05 Feb 2015 08:18 AM PST A new study finds that acute psychosocial stress has a dramatically deleterious effect on the body's ability to modulate pain. The researchers found that although pain thresholds and pain tolerance seemed unaffected by stress, there was a significant increase in pain intensification and a decrease in pain inhibition capabilities.