Psydir News | Published News

Federal Stimulus Grants Will Accelerate Health Research, Create Jobs

admin — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 14:00:13 EET

Academic Health Center scientists, physicians, and research centers have attracted 128 grants totaling nearly $35 million in federal stimulus money (as of Nov. 10) since the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act was approved in February 2009. This will result in a total economic impact of more than $105 million; according to the National Institutes of Health, $1 of research funding multiplies to

9 Vote(s)

The dual-tasking meditation master

admin — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 11:00:17 EET

I recently read an article in the latest Scientific American Mind magazine discussing the cell mechanisms underlying meditative states. The author briefly mentioned the fact that expert meditators were able to avoid the attentional blink that lay people are prone to experiencing when barraged with rapidly presented visual stimuli.This brought up a question for me. Would expert meditators perform

9 Vote(s)

Women More Likely Than Men To Suffer Depression After Stroke

admin — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 06:00:21 EET

Depression occurs in as many as one-third of patients after a stroke, and women are at somewhat higher risk, according to a large new review of studies. Post-stroke depression is associated with greater disability, reduced quality of life and an increased risk of death. The systematic review appears in the November-December issue of the journal Psychosomatics. Brittany Poynter, M.D.

7 Vote(s)

The Madame Butterfly Effect

admin — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 06:00:15 EET

I've just found a curious study on whether opera fans are more accepting of suicide in the case of dishonor to one's family in real life, in light of the fact that this is a common theme in several well known stage masterpieces.It turns out that they are, and the researchers label the phenomenon the 'Madame Butterfly effect' after the famous opera of the same name where one of the lead characters

9 Vote(s)

All tied up

admin — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 06:00:14 EET

If you're attending one of those high class neuroscience events, you probably need a stylish neuron tie to set off your lounge jacket and flannel slacks.I'm assuming, of course, that you get invited to high class neuroscience events. I tend not to get many invitations these days on account of that unfortunate Rocky Horror / Royal Society mix up.If you've managed to avoid such embarrassing mistake

16 Vote(s)

Perception Of Pain Affected By Emotions

admin — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 04:00:22 EET

Getting a flu shot this fall? Canadians scientists have found that focusing on a pretty image could alleviate the sting of that vaccine. According to a new UniversitÃ© de MontrÃ©al study, published in the latest edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), negative and positive emotions have a direct impact on pain.

8 Vote(s)

Victims Of Bullying Helped By FearNot! A Virtual Reality Game

admin — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 02:00:11 EET

Virtual reality games could help children to escape victimisation and bullying at school, according to researchers at the University of Warwick. Children who took part in a three-week anti-bullying virtual learning intervention in schools in the UK and Germany showed a 26% decrease in victimisation.

10 Vote(s)

"Voodoo" Comments Have Relevance Beyond fMRI Studies

admin — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 00:00:13 EET

Despite the lively debate surrounding Vul's notorious "Voodoo"-Study, I feel that a thorough blog treatment of the commentaries accompanying Vul’s paper has fallen a little by the way side...... Yarkoni, T. (2009) Big Correlations in Little Studies: Inflated fMRI Correlations Reflect Low Statistical Power-Commentary on Vul et al. (2009). Perspectives on Psychological

6 Vote(s)

Brief Training In Meditation May Help In Pain Management

admin — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 00:00:12 EET

Living with pain is stressful, but a surprisingly short investment of time in mental training can help you cope. A new study examining the perception of pain and the effects of various mental training techniques has found that relatively short and simple mindfulness meditation training can have a significant positive effect on pain management.

10 Vote(s)

Veterans Day: Discussing the mental health care needs of soldiers

admin — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 23:00:13 EET

by Michael D. Anestis, M.S. Today is a day to honor those who have chosen to serve their country through military service. The mental health care needs of military personnel have become a very prominent interest of mine in recent...

15 Vote(s)

"Veterans' Children" Validates Trans-Generational Trauma Of War

admin — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 22:00:20 EET

Since the Vietnam Era, the American psychiatric community has recognized the returning war veterans' affliction of what is now commonly known as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). While there has been much research and advancements in the treatment of PTSD, the focus has always been on the veterans themselves. What has never been addressed or understood, until now, is how the stress from di

8 Vote(s)

Give An Hour

admin — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 20:00:22 EET

Volunteering has long been known to have significant mental and physical health benefits for the volunteer. But did you know that recent research indicates how volunteering in your community produces "neighborhood well-being"?... Mellor, D., Hayashi, Y., Stokes, M., Firth, L., Lake, L., Staples, M., Chambers, S., & Cummins, R. (2007) Volunteering and Its Relationship With Person

8 Vote(s)

Shedding Light On Brain's Response To Distress, Unexpected Events

admin — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 20:00:21 EET

In a new study, psychologists at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) are able to see in detail for the first time how various regions of the human brain respond when people experience an unexpected or traumatic event. The study could lead to the creation of biological measures that could identify people with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) or identify PTSD sufferers who would bene

7 Vote(s)

Terrorism, society and psychology

admin — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 20:00:14 EET

The latest edition of Monitor on Psychology has an excellent article on the psychology of terrorism, looking at both what motivates people to join terrorist organisations and what influences attitudes to terrorist groups.Being an article in the publication of the American Psychological Association, it's a round-up of American research on terrorism, however, there are two findings on terrorism whi

15 Vote(s)

Some Lessons Taught by Informal Sports, Not Taught by Formal Sports

admin — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 20:00:08 EET

Imagine an old-fashioned sandlot game of baseball. A bunch of kids of various ages show up at the vacant lot. They've come on foot or by bicycle. Someone brought a bat, someone brought a ball (which may or may not be an actual baseball), and several came with fielders' gloves. They decide to play a game. The two reputably best players serve as captains, and they choose up sides. They lay out the

15 Vote(s)

Survey Reveals Big Gap In Understanding Of Depression

admin — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 18:00:16 EET

Americans do not believe they know much about depression , but are highly aware of the risks of not receiving care, according to a survey released today by the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI). See full survey results at http://www.nami.org/depression.

7 Vote(s)

Men Leave: Separation And Divorce Far More Common When The Wife Is The Patient

admin — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 16:00:16 EET

A woman is six times more likely to be separated or divorced soon after a diagnosis of cancer or multiple sclerosis than if a man in the relationship is the patient, according to a study that examined the role gender played in so-called "partner abandonment." The study also found that the longer the marriage the more likely it would remain intact. The study confirmed earlier research that put t

10 Vote(s)

Do newborns learn language or do they show musical skill?

admin — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 14:00:10 EET

This week an interesting study appeared in Current Biology. The research suggests that newborns don't just cry randomly, but that - when studying the audio signal of their crying - one can distinguish French crying from German crying babies. The German babies - only three days old - cry in a downward fashion, their French contemporaries showed an increasing swelling of the cry and stop abruptly (

7 Vote(s)

Forgetting Traumatic Memories

admin — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 14:00:08 EET

It is well known that fear memories are permanent. However, a recent paper in Science, evaluated by three Faculty Members for F1000, reports an extraordinary finding that supports the use of a drug to control recollections of traumatic incidents. The researchers demonstrated that, in mice, proteins known as extracellular matrix chondroitin sulfate proteoglycans form 'neural nets' in the brain

10 Vote(s)

‘What do I do when I’ve had enough’: The Effect of Emotions on Self-regulation & Chronic Pain

admin — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 10:00:22 EET

As soon as read the first paragraph of the paper I’ve used as the basis for this post, I knew I was onto something that resonated with my original occupational therapy values. It says this:‘Living with chronic pain is a balancing act. People with chronic pain are required to make daily decisions [...]... Hamilton, N., Karoly, P., & Kitzman, H. (2004) Self-Regulation and Chr

8 Vote(s)

Having Mental Illness Does Not Make People More Accepting, Research Shows

admin — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 10:00:19 EET

Having a mental illness does not make people more accepting of others with a similar problem, research says. Amy Klassen asked 1073 people in Alberta, Canada, about their attitudes generally toward people who had a mental illness. She found that those among the 1073 who had themselves been treated for a mental illness were no more accepting of others who have a mental illness.

8 Vote(s)

Seattle Residents Continue To Report High Levels Of Stress

admin — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 08:00:13 EET

Work is causing stress for more Seattleites this year according to the American Psychological Association's (APA) Stress in America survey, while the number reporting money or the economy as significant stressors has dropped since last year. More than 50 percent of city residents remain stressed by one or more of these three sources, a cause of concern for psychologists who worry about the effect

5 Vote(s)

Holidays Beckon: What's An Overshopper To Do?

admin — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 08:00:08 EET

Consciousness is the watchword for problem shoppers, particularly as the holiday season approaches, and most particularly amidst all the over-optimistic talk of economic recovery. Consciousness means not allowing yourself to shop as a way of trying to satisfy emotional needs. It means becoming aware of what triggers your shopping urges and genuinely acknowledging their consequences: financial,

7 Vote(s)

Experts Available To Discuss Psychological Needs In The Military

admin — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 06:00:14 EET

With the tragic events at Fort Hood in Texas fresh in our minds, this week's observance of Veterans Day, and President Obama's pending decision on future troop levels in Afghanistan, the nation's attention is firmly focused on the physical and psychological well being of those who serve in America's armed forces.

10 Vote(s)

Avatars Can Surreptitiously And Negatively Affect User In Video Games, Virtual Worlds

admin — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 06:00:12 EET

Although often seen as an inconsequential feature of digital technologies, one's self-representation, or avatar, in a virtual environment can affect the user's thoughts, according to new research.

10 Vote(s)

Emulating the brain on a chip

admin — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 05:00:14 EET

Discover Magazine has an article on an innovative project to create silicon chips which work like neurons. If you're thinking these are standard digital chips that run neural network software you'd be wrong, they're part-analogue devices that are specifically built to emulate the physical operation of brain cells.The article riffs on the work of neuroscientist Kwabena Boahen who leads the 'Brains

10 Vote(s)

The wall in the heads

admin — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 05:00:12 EET

Looking back on the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall, Somatosphere discusses how the wall became incorporated into German psychological theories as a diagnosis, a metaphor and a social force.Apparently, an East German psychiatrist even went as far as suggesting a specific diagnosis of 'the wall disorder':"...the book Die Berliner Mauerkrankheit (The Berlin wall disease) written by

12 Vote(s)

The Importance Of Language Support For Children With Autism

admin — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 04:00:19 EET

Teachers and parents must be vigilant in observing difficulties with language comprehension, reading and spelling in children and young people with autism, Asperger's syndrome and ADHD. "It is important that pupils are offered the support to which they are entitled", says Jakob Asberg in a new thesis at the University of Gothenburg. "Pupils with these neuropsychiatric disorders are often repo

8 Vote(s)

Do chimps understand what Jon Stewart (or another chimp) believes?

admin — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 02:00:12 EET

Take a look at this video from last night's episode of Jon Stewart's "The Daily Show."If you'd like, you can skip past all the political snark to the 4:47 mark to watch Jon bring cognitive psychology into prime time (or at least latenight cable)! That's right; you saw it: Jon Stewart mentioned the psychological concept of "object permanence" on national TV. Object permanence was introduced by Jea

10 Vote(s)

Religion causes inequality (or is it the other way around?)

admin — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 02:00:05 EET

In the previous post I wrote about new research linking income inequality to religious attendance. The supposition is that the stresses and bad social conditions that are often found in nations with high inequality goad people into church. It also seems to make them generally more religious.But hang on! Perhaps that's back to front. Perhaps, in fact, religion causes inequality. Plenty of people t

12 Vote(s)

The fate of Asperger's syndrome in DSM-V: A follow-up to last week's article

admin — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 23:00:15 EET

by Michael D. Anestis, M.S. Last week, I wrote an article discussing some of the proposed changes to the autism spectrum in the upcoming DSM-V. The article was based upon a review in the New York Times (NYT) - an...

20 Vote(s)

Some PBB press - Maudsley Parents names PBB their website of the month

admin — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 23:00:14 EET

We want to extend a warm thank you to MaudsleyParents.org for naming PBB their website of the month. We highly recommend that readers check out their website and newsletter, both of which are great resources for information on family-based treatment....

7 Vote(s)

Identifying PTSD: Light Shed On Brain's Response To Distress, Unexpected Events

admin — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 23:00:11 EET

In a new study, psychologists are able to see in detail for the first time how various regions of the human brain respond when people experience an unexpected or traumatic event. The study could lead to the creation of biological measures that could identify people with post-traumatic stress disorder or identify PTSD sufferers who would benefit from specific treatments.

10 Vote(s)

Anger in Marriage II: Fear of Compassion

admin — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 23:00:04 EET

One of the clichés of pop psychology is that anger is the most complex emotion. Actually, anger isn't that complicated. Although we've developed convoluted ways of thinking about it, it's really a simple response to a perception of vulnerability, threat, and entitlement. Compassion, on the other hand, can get really complicated, which is why it is so misunderstood.As I described in the first part

5 Vote(s)

Scientists Decipher The Formation Of Lasting Memories

admin — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 22:00:15 EET

Researchers have discovered a mechanism that controls the brain's ability to create lasting memories. In experiments on genetically manipulated mice, they were able to switch on and off the animals' ability to form lasting memories by adding a substance to their drinking water. The findings are of potential significance to the future treatment of Alzheimer's and stroke.

8 Vote(s)

Ten statisticians every psychologist should know about

admin — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 21:00:14 EET

As psychology students past and present will be only too aware, statistics are a key part of every psychology undergrad course and they also appear in nearly every published journal article. And yet have we ever stopped to recognise the statisticians who have brought us these wonderful mathematical tools? As psychologist Daniel Wright puts it: "Statistical techniques are often taught as if they w

11 Vote(s)

Emotions Increase Or Decrease Pain, Say Researchers

admin — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 21:00:12 EET

Getting a flu shot this fall? Canadians scientists have found that focusing on a pretty image could alleviate the sting of that vaccine. According to a new study, negative and positive emotions have a direct impact on pain.

15 Vote(s)

Virtual Reality Games Could Help Bullying Victims

admin — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 20:00:09 EET

Virtual reality games could help children to escape victimization and bullying at school, according to researchers in the UK.

14 Vote(s)

Reduced Muscle Strength Associated With Risk For Alzheimer's

admin — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 19:00:14 EET

Individuals with weaker muscles appear to have a higher risk for Alzheimer's disease and declines in cognitive function over time, according to a new report.

6 Vote(s)

Military And VA Struggle With Mental Health And Other Health Care Issuesv

admin — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 18:00:11 EET

The events at Fort Hood highlight the military's struggle to provide mental health care for soldiers, veterans and the therapists who treat them. The

9 Vote(s)