ScienceDaily: Mind & Brain News

Oxytocin nasal spray causes men to eat fewer calories Posted: 05 Mar 2015 10:30 AM PST A synthetic nasal formulation of the hormone oxytocin reduced caloric intake in healthy men, particularly consumption of fatty foods, after a single treatment, a new study finds. The results confirm those of animal studies showing oxytocin reduces food intake.

Abnormal brain rhythms tied to problems with thinking in schizophrenia Posted: 05 Mar 2015 09:56 AM PST By studying specially bred mice with specific developmental and cognitive traits resembling those seen in schizophrenia, researchers have provided new evidence that abnormal rhythmic activity in particular brain cells contributes to problems with learning, attention, and decision-making in individuals with that disorder.

Drug to control appetite could also fight anxiety Posted: 05 Mar 2015 09:56 AM PST Did you know that our body produces its own marijuana-like compound to protect us against anxiety? A study reveals a new biological pathway that regulates this system and suggests that a drug currently in clinical trials to treat obesity might also provide an attractive way to combat anxiety disorders.

From chick to bedside: Removing the Wnt barrier Posted: 05 Mar 2015 09:55 AM PST Kick starting a process that might repair the damage done in cerebral palsy and multiple sclerosis could begin with disabling a driver that helps block regeneration, say researchers.

Mutation in APC2 gene causes Sotos features Posted: 05 Mar 2015 09:54 AM PST Sotos syndrome is a congenital syndrome that is characterized by varying degrees of mental retardation and a large head circumference etc. It is known that 90 percent of Sotos syndrome patients have mutations in the NSD1 gene. This time, an international research group has revealed that mutation in the APC2 gene causes symptoms of Sotos syndrome related to the nervous system, from analyses of the Apc2-knockout mouse.

Seven strategies to advance women in science Posted: 05 Mar 2015 09:54 AM PST The Initiative on Women in Science and Engineering Working Group, a collection of more than 30 academic and business leaders, present seven strategies to advance women in science, engineering, and medicine in the modern landscape.

Autistic features linked to prenatal exposure to commonly found fire retardants, phthalates Posted: 05 Mar 2015 09:51 AM PST Exposure during pregnancy to a combination of fire retardant chemicals and phthalate chemicals -- both present in the average home -- can contribute to autistic-like behaviors in the offspring, according to an animal study.

Exposure to endocrine disruptors during pregnancy affects the brain two generations later, rat study shows Posted: 05 Mar 2015 09:51 AM PST Prenatal exposure to low doses of the environmental contaminants polychlorinated biphenyls, or PCBs, change the developing brain in an area involved in metabolism, and some effects are apparent even two generations later, a new study finds. Hereditary effects included increased body weight, but only in descendants of females -- and not males -- exposed to PCBs in the womb.

Family interventions reduce smoking rates in children, adolescents Posted: 05 Mar 2015 08:06 AM PST A global review into the effectiveness of family-based programs has found these programs can be highly effective in stopping children from taking up smoking. "Preventing children from starting to smoke is important to avoid a lifetime of addiction, poor health, and social and economic consequences," said one expert and investigator.

Reliance on smartphones linked to lazy thinking Posted: 05 Mar 2015 08:05 AM PST Our smartphones help us find a phone number quickly, provide us with instant directions and recommend restaurants, but new research indicates that this convenience at our fingertips is making it easy for us to avoid thinking for ourselves.

Neuropathy: Relief for diabetics with painful condition Posted: 05 Mar 2015 08:05 AM PST Those with painful diabetic neuropathy who received two low dose rounds of a non-viral gene therapy called VM202 had significant improvement of their pain that lasted for months, researchers report. "Right now there is no medication that can reverse neuropathy," the study's first author said. "Our goal is to develop a treatment. If we can show with more patients that this is a very real phenomenon, then we can show we have not only improved the symptoms of the disease, namely the pain, but we have actually improved function."

Little evidence that executive function interventions boost student achievement Posted: 05 Mar 2015 08:04 AM PST Despite growing enthusiasm among educators and scholars about the potential of school-based executive function interventions to significantly increase student achievement, a federally funded meta-analysis of 25 years' worth of research finds no conclusive evidence that developing students' executive function skills leads to better academic performance, according to a new study.

Human brains age less than previously thought Posted: 05 Mar 2015 08:04 AM PST Older brains may be more similar to younger brains than previously thought. In a new paper, researchers demonstrate that previously reported changes in the aging brain using functional magnetic resonance imaging may be due to vascular (or blood vessels) changes, rather than changes in neuronal activity itself.

Neuroscientists perform important step towards cell therapy for diseases of the cerebral cortex Posted: 05 Mar 2015 08:03 AM PST Researchers at the ULB – IRIBHM and ULB Neuroscience Institute – have tested the therapeutic potential of cortical neurons generated at the laboratory, by transplantation in the brains of adult mice. Their research is published in the journal Neuron1.

Simple sideline test shown effective in diagnosing concussion in student athletes as young as 5 years old Posted: 05 Mar 2015 08:02 AM PST An easy-to-administer vision test has shown effective in diagnosing concussion in student athletes as young as 5 years old, researchers report.

Study simulates changes to admissions criteria for NYC’s specialized high schools Posted: 05 Mar 2015 08:02 AM PST A new report examines students' pathways from middle school to matriculation at a specialized high school, and simulates the effects of various admissions criteria that have been proposed as alternatives to the current policy -- which uses students' performance on the Specialized High School Admissions Test (SHSAT) as the sole determinant of admission.

Poverty, not the 'teenage brain,' accounts for high rates of teen crime Posted: 05 Mar 2015 05:17 AM PST While many blame the 'teenage brain' for high rates of teen crime, violence, and driving incidents, an important factor has been ignored: teenagers as a group suffer much higher average poverty rates than do older adults. A new study finds that teenagers are no more naturally crime-prone than any other group with high poverty rates.

Antibodies to brain proteins may trigger psychosis Posted: 05 Mar 2015 05:13 AM PST Antibodies defend the body against bacterial, viral, and other invaders. But sometimes the body makes antibodies that attack healthy cells. In these cases, autoimmune disorders develop. Immune abnormalities in patients with psychosis have been recognized for over a century, but it has been only relatively recently that scientists have identified specific immune mechanisms that seem to directly produce symptoms of psychosis, including hallucinations and delusions.

Male images seen by left side of the brain Posted: 04 Mar 2015 06:27 PM PST A new study has found that people are quicker to categorize a face as being male when it is shown to the left side of the brain.

Stigma of mental illness in India linked to poverty Posted: 04 Mar 2015 06:25 PM PST The stigma surrounding people with severe mental illness in India leads to increased poverty among them, especially women, according to new research. "Mental health professionals must incorporate an understanding of multidimensional poverty stressors as well as address family and community dynamics," authors. "Our findings go beyond medical and public health and link mental health to international development."