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Psychology News

These research articles involve many aspects of psychology such as cognitive psychology, depression studies, mental health, stress, happiness and neuropsychology, Scroll below for more specific categories.

Post Partum Depression May Have Genetic Roots

Researchers explore the genetic underpinnings of postpartum depression (PPD). Their results reveal that 14% of PPD variability is due to common genetic factors. The study also found that PPD's genetic architecture significantly aligns with other psychiatric and hormonal conditions. GABAergic neurons, specifically in the thalamus and hypothalamus, were identified as key areas for future PPD research.

Xanax’s Efficacy Questioned

Researchers have discovered discrepancies in the efficacy of alprazolam (Xanax XR), a widely prescribed benzodiazepine sedative, when analyzing both published and unpublished clinical trial data. The study found that only one of the five FDA-reviewed trials showed a clearly positive outcome.

Does Drug Effect or Power of Belief Explain Ketamine’s Antidepressant Effect?

Researchers conducted a unique study to uncover the efficacy of ketamine in treating depression, bypassing its unmistakable psychedelic effects by administering it during surgery. Surprisingly, both the ketamine and placebo groups showed substantial improvement in depression symptoms.

Decoding Schizophrenia: Brain Connectivity’s Role

Researchers have discovered differences in functional brain connectivity in individuals with and without schizophrenia, shedding light on the neural basis of the disorder. The brain’s cortex regulates sensory information, and its disorganization can lead to symptoms like loss of executive control in schizophrenia.

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Spotting Corporate Psychopaths

Research sheds light on how to identify and manage individuals termed 'corporate psychopaths' within the business realm. These individuals, making up roughly 1% of adults, lack emotions such as guilt or empathy but often rise to leadership positions due to their charismatic traits.

Dreams Across Cultures: How Societies Shape Our Dreamscapes

Researchers conducted a study analyzing dreams of individuals across different cultures. By comparing dreams of forager communities in Tanzania and the Democratic Republic of Congo with Western dreams, they found the former often depicted more threatening yet socially-supportive scenarios.

Shyness Skews Child Language Assessments

Shyness can notably impact a child's performance in language assessments, particularly those requiring higher levels of social interaction. The research, encompassing 122 children aged 17-42 months, explored how different levels of social interaction in language tasks affected their performance, revealing shyer children struggled more with verbally intensive tasks.

Indigenous Insights: A New Lens on Consciousness

A new study illuminates the profound depth and adaptability embedded within Indigenous interpretations of consciousness, offering fresh perspectives and adaptive solutions for contemporary scientific discourse. Instead of adhering to a singular, individualistic viewpoint, Indigenous concepts of consciousness often intertwine with environmental, relational, and spiritual facets, providing a holistic perspective that balances individual and global consciousness.

Pregnancy and Body Image Perception

A novel meta-analysis, encapsulating insights from 5,200 pregnant and 4,172 non-pregnant women, uncovers the multifaceted impacts of pregnancy on body image, revealing nuanced individual variations that range from heightened body positivity to intensified dissatisfaction. While average body image dissatisfaction levels paralleled those in the general female populace, individual experiences deviated notably, intertwining with a complex tapestry of personal, psychological, and societal factors.

Rewiring the Brain: The Neural Code of Traumatic Memories

Unveiling the neurological enigma of traumatic memory formation, researchers harnessed innovative optical and machine-learning methodologies to decode the brain’s neuronal networks engaged during trauma memory creation. The team identified a neural population encoding fear memory, revealing the synchronous activation and crucial role of the dorsal part of the medial prefrontal cortex (dmPFC) in associative fear memory retrieval in mice.

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Is Inflammation in Childhood A Mechanistic Link to Neurodevelopmental Disorders?

Scientists unveiled a potentially transformative link between early childhood inflammation and the subsequent development of neurodevelopmental disorders, through a pioneering study that utilizes single-cell genomics. By examining brain tissues of children who experienced severe inflammation, they uncovered that such inflammation impedes the full maturation of specific neurons in the cerebellum, a crucial brain region for motor control and cognitive functionality.

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Hidden Emotions: The Subtle Impact of Facial Color

Researchers explored how facial color affects our subconscious perception of emotions. Using photos with "hybrid emotions," they discovered that reddish facial hues enhanced the friendliness of happy expressions without affecting angry ones.