Psychology News and Research

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Psychology is the study of human mental functions, behavior and processes.

HIV-related stigma keeps Kenyan pregnant women from having babies in health-care facilities

The fear of being labeled HIV-positive is strong enough to keep mothers in one Kenyan province from having babies in health-care facilities, according to a study published online today in the journal PLOS Medicine. Communities there have come to see clinics and skilled care as mostly for HIV-positive women.

22 Aug 2012

OBI’s Oxycyte improves imaging of penumbra following acute ischemic stroke

Oxygen Biotherapeutics, Inc., announced today that recent research conducted by its partner, Aurum Biosciences, Glasgow, Scotland, has shown that Oxycyte, OBI's proprietary perfluorocarbon-based intravenous emulsion, improves imaging of the penumbra following acute ischemic stroke in a rat model.

22 Aug 2012

Reasoning and behavioral control dependent on different regions of frontal lobes

The frontal lobes are the largest part of the human brain, and thought to be the part that expanded most during human evolution. Damage to the frontal lobes-which are located just behind and above the eyes-can result in profound impairments in higher-level reasoning and decision making. To find out more about what different parts of the frontal lobes do, neuroscientists at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) recently teamed up with researchers at the world's largest registry of brain-lesion patients.

22 Aug 2012

Spirituality often enhances health regardless of a person's faith

Despite differences in rituals and beliefs among the world's major religions, spirituality often enhances health regardless of a person's faith, according to University of Missouri researchers. The MU researchers believe that health care providers could take advantage of this correlation between health - particularly mental health - and spirituality by tailoring treatments and rehabilitation programs to accommodate an individual's spiritual inclinations.

21 Aug 2012

War does not trigger symptoms of PTSD in military personnel

A large-scale survey of the mental condition of military personnel before, during and after their posting to Afghanistan has proved thought-provoking. In total, 746 Danish soldiers took part in the survey. The soldiers completed a questionnaire five times in all - before their posting, during their time in Afghanistan and three times after their return to Denmark.

18 Aug 2012

Pulvinar regulates communication between clusters of brain cells

A mysterious region deep in the human brain could be where we sort through the onslaught of stimuli from the outside world and focus on the information most important to our behavior and survival, Princeton University researchers have found.

18 Aug 2012

Damage to the ventromedial prefrontal cortex increases credulity

Everyone knows the adage: "If something sounds too good to be true, then it probably is." Why, then, do some people fall for scams and why are older folks especially prone to being duped? An answer, it seems, is because a specific area of the brain has deteriorated or is damaged, according to researchers at the University of Iowa.

17 Aug 2012

Curcumin shows promise in fighting devastating viruses

The popular spice turmeric packs more than just flavor - it shows promise in fighting devastating viruses, Mason researchers recently discovered.

17 Aug 2012

Kessler Foundation to present recent findings in spinal cord injury research at ASCIP conference

Scientists from Kessler Foundation are presenting recent findings in spinal cord injury research during Beyond Boundaries: the 2012 Conference of the Academy of Spinal Cord Injury Professionals (ASCIP).

16 Aug 2012

Book provides up-to-date knowledge about mild cognitive impairment

At least one in ten adults over the age of 65 suffers from Mild Cognitive Impairment, or MCI. This condition, a state between the normal decline in cognition associated with aging and the more precipitous drop caused by a deadly dementia like Alzheimer's disease, has only recently begun to be studied; first identified by the Mayo Clinic in 1999, it was only given an official diagnostic code in late 2006.

16 Aug 2012

Couple therapy decreases PTSD symptoms and improves relationship

A North American study led by a researcher at Ryerson University has discovered that treating a person with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and their partner using a specific couple therapy greatly decreases the severity of their symptoms -- and improves their relationship.

15 Aug 2012

Study examines shared traits of cancer cells and bacteria

Experts agree that, more than ever before, modern wars will be fought in the cyber zone, targeting an enemy's communications technology to cause untold damage. Now a Tel Aviv University researcher is suggesting that the same tactics should be employed in the battle against one of the body's deadliest enemies - cancer.

15 Aug 2012

ADHD in girls portends continuing problems, through early adulthood

Girls with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) - and their families - often look forward to the likely decline in visible symptoms such as fidgety or disruptive behavior as they mature into young women.

15 Aug 2012

German children gain weight soon after entering elementary school

Scientists working with Professor Dr. Dr. Perikles Simon, head of the Sports Medicine division of Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (JGU) in Germany, suggest in the light of recent analyses that German children gain weight soon after entering elementary school.

15 Aug 2012

Mindfulness meditation prevents feelings of loneliness

Many elderly people spend their last years alone. Spouses pass and children scatter. But being lonely is much more than a silent house and a lack of companionship. Over time, loneliness not only takes a toll on the psyche but can have a serious physical impact as well.

15 Aug 2012

Bullying linked with borderline personality disorder in children

UK study results suggest that children who are bullied by their peers in primary school have an increased risk for developing borderline personality disorder during childhood.

14 Aug 2012

Scientists discover how pten gene causes brain changes that lead to autism-like behavior

Scientists affiliated with the UC Davis MIND Institute have discovered how a defective gene causes brain changes that lead to the atypical social behavior characteristic of autism. The research offers a potential target for drugs to treat the condition.

13 Aug 2012

Stressed individuals use different brain regions and strategies

Stressed and non-stressed persons use different brain regions and different strategies when learning. This has been reported by the cognitive psychologists PD Dr. Lars Schwabe and Professor Oliver Wolf from the Ruhr-Universit-t Bochum in the Journal of Neuroscience.

9 Aug 2012

Older adults may be better at regulating emotions because of positive looking patterns

Research has shown that older adults display more positive emotions and are quicker to regulate out of negative emotional states than younger adults. Given the declines in cognitive functioning and physical health that tend to come with age, we might expect that age would be associated with worse moods, not better ones.

9 Aug 2012

Thomson Reuters abstracting and indexing services accept Elsevier’s PM&R for coverage

Elsevier, a world-leading publisher of scientific, technical and medical information products and services, is pleased to announce that The Journal of Injury, Function and Rehabilitation (PM&R), the official scientific journal of the American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (AAPM&R), has been accepted for coverage by Thomson Reuters abstracting and indexing services, including the Journal Citation Reports.

8 Aug 2012