Investigating the full spectrum of suicide
Studying self-injury mortality (SIM) allows for the closer study of suicide trends and drug overdose deaths.... Read More...
Psychology
Mothers’ behavior influences bonding hormone oxytocin in babies
Greater maternal involvement upregulates the oxytocin system in their babies.... Read More...
Brain networks more stable in individuals with higher cognitive abilities
Higher intelligence was associated with higher temporal stability of brain network modularity. Brain regions of the dorsal attention network contributed most to the observed effect.... Read More...
Researchers discover potential therapy to treat detrimental effects of marijuana
Prenatal exposure to THC makes dopamine neurons hyperactive and increases the sensitivity to the behavioral effects of the compound during pre-adolescence. This may increase the risk of developing schizophrenia later in life. However, treatment with pregnenolone, a drug under clinical trials for ASD, cannabis use disorder, and schizophrenia, appears to correct the brain abnormalities and behavioral problems associated with prenatal cannabis exposure.... Read More...
Happy, angry or neutral expressions? Eyes react just as fast
The initial reaction of the brain is independent of the facial emotional expression we see. It is only after the eye movement is completed that the brain shows strong responses to the emotional expression of a face.... Read More...
Stress during pregnancy may affect baby’s sex and risk of preterm birth
Stress and depression during pregnancy can affect the fetus' sex and increase the risk of preterm birth. Mothers who experienced physical and psychological stress during pregnancy were less likely to have a baby boy. During pregnancy, the fetuses of stressed mothers had reduced heart rate movement coupling, indicating slower central nervous system development.... Read More...
Introduce standard units for cannabis to improve mental health
Introducing and prescribing standard units for cannabis, which make people aware of the concentrations of THC in the product, could help improve mental health treatments and outcomes.... Read More...
Self-reported suicide attempts rising in black teens as other groups decline
Self-reported suicide attempts rose significantly in African American teens, while they fell in teens of other ethnic backgrounds throughout an almost 20-year study. Researchers report suicide attempts increased at an accelerating rate in African American female teenagers, even as overall female suicide attempts declined.... Read More...
Is bipolar disorder associated with increased risk of Parkinson’s disease?
Study reveals patients with bipolar disorder have a significantly increased risk of developing Parkinson's disease compared with the general population.... Read More...
Researcher uses sweat monitors to predict behavioral issues in adolescents severely affected with autism
Electrodermal activity, which results in an increased level of sweat, was able to determine when an adolescent with server ASD was about to embark on aggressive behavior 60% of the time.... Read More...
‘Sticky’ gene may help Valium calm nerves
A new study challenges existing theories about how benzodiazepines, such as valium, work to calm nerves. Researchers report a 'sticky' gene called Shisa7 plays a critical role in the regulation of inhibitory neural circuits, and the sedative effects benzodiazepines have on circuit activity.... Read More...
Rare sleep disorder common among veterans with PTSD
21% of veterans who experience PTSD or traumatic brain injury suffer from a rare sleep condition that affects less than 1% of the general population. The condition, REM sleep behavior disorder (RBD), is characterized by an impairment of sleep-related muscle paralysis, causing people to act out dreams during REM sleep. The uncontrolled actions often cause harm to the sufferer of their partners. ... Read More...