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Psychology

Cocaine with a needles and a razor blade are shown.

Featured Neurology Neuroscience Abstracts

·October 15, 2012·4 min read

Does Motherhood Dampen Cocaine’s Effects?

Mother rats respond much differently to cocaine than female rats that have never given birth, according to new University of Michigan research that looks at both behavior and brain chemistry.

Psychology

·October 15, 2012·3 min read

Language is Shaped by Brain’s Desire for Clarity and Ease

Using an artificial language in a carefully controlled laboratory experiment, researchers found that many changes to language are simply the brain's way of ensuring that communication is as precise and concise as possible.

A statue of a child playing an accordion is shown.

Featured Neuroscience

·October 9, 2012·2 min read

Neuroscientists Launch 5 Year Study of Music Education and Child Brain Development

Researchers at USC Brain and Creativity Institute will explore the effects of intense music training on cognitive development in LA Phil's YOLA at HOLA program. The five-year research project will offer researchers an opportunity to provide new insights and add data about the role of early music engagement in learning and brain function.

Featured Genetics

·October 9, 2012·2 min read

Rare Genetic Disorder Points to Molecules that May Play Role in Schizophrenia

Scientists studying a rare genetic disorder have identified a molecular pathway that may play a role in schizophrenia, according to new research. The findings may one day guide researchers to new treatment options for people with schizophrenia - a devastating disease that affects approximately 1 percent of the world's population.

Schizophrenia fMRI brain scans are shown.

Featured Genetics Psychology

·October 3, 2012·4 min read

New de novo Genetic Mutations in Schizophrenia Identified

Columbia University Medical Center (CUMC) researchers have identified dozens of new spontaneous genetic mutations that play a significant role in the development of schizophrenia, adding to the growing list of genetic variants that can contribute to the disease. The schizophrenia study was the largest and most comprehensive of its kind.

Drawing of a human head with gears and computer parts on it.

Featured Genetics Psychology

·October 2, 2012·2 min read

Intelligence Is in the Genes, but Where?

A new study reveals that most of the specific genes long thought to be linked to intelligence probably have no bearing on one’s IQ. And it may be some time before researchers can identify intelligence’s specific genetic roots.

Two pictures of a man from different distances are side by side.

Featured Open Neuroscience Articles Psychology

·September 26, 2012·3 min read

Ready for Your Close-Up?

Caltech study shows that the distance at which facial photos are taken influences perception.

Featured Psychology

·September 20, 2012·2 min read

Fear Can Be Erased from the Brain

Newly formed emotional memories can be erased from the human brain.The findings may represent a breakthrough in research on memory and fear. This is shown by researchers from Uppsala University in a study being published by Science.

Featured Psychology

·September 20, 2012·2 min read

‘Psychopaths’ Have An Impaired Sense of Smell

People with psychopathic tendencies have an impaired sense of smell, which points to inefficient processing in the front part of the brain (orbitofrontal cortex) according to a new study.

Featured Neuroscience

·September 20, 2012·2 min read

Brain Study Reveals the Roots of Chocolate Temptations

Researchers have new evidence in rats to explain how it is that chocolate candies can be so completely irresistible. The urge to overeat such deliciously sweet and fatty treats traces to an unexpected part of the brain and its production of a natural, opium-like chemical.

Featured Open Neuroscience Articles Psychology

·September 18, 2012·3 min read

Theory: Music Underlies Language Acquisition

Contrary to the prevailing theories that music and language are cognitively separate or that music is a byproduct of language, theorists at Rice University’s Shepherd School of Music and the University of Maryland, College Park (UMCP) advocate that music underlies the ability to acquire language.

Featured Psychology

·September 13, 2012·3 min read

How Early Social Deprivation Impairs Long-Term Cognitive Function

A study shows social isolation during early life prevents the cells that make up the brain's white matter from maturing and producing the right amount of myelin, the fatty "insulation" on nerve fibers that helps them transmit long-distance messages within the brain.