ScienceDaily: Mind & Brain News

A new study shows benefits to dispatching mental health specialists in nonviolent 911 emergencies

Posted: 08 Jun 2022 11:29 AM PDT

As cities test different approaches to handling 911 calls, a new study shows dispatching mental health specialists for nonviolent emergencies can be beneficial. In Denver, it reduced reports of less serious crimes and lowered response costs.

Pregnant women's drinking correlates with their partner's drinking

Posted: 08 Jun 2022 08:26 AM PDT

Pregnant women's use of alcohol correlates with that of their partner, a new study shows. Paying attention to both parents' use of alcohol may help to prevent drinking during pregnancy, as well as fetal exposure to the adverse effects of alcohol.

First-ever elucidation of a small protein's structure could signal help for those with epilepsy and other disorders

Posted: 08 Jun 2022 08:26 AM PDT

Scientists elucidate, for the first time, the structure of the GABA transporter 1 (GAT-1) protein using cryogenic electron microscopy. The findings could lead to new, better treatments for neurological disorders such as anxiety, autism spectrum disorder, schizophrenia and Parkinson's disease.

Three distinct brain circuits in the thalamus contribute to Parkinson's symptoms

Posted: 08 Jun 2022 08:25 AM PDT

Neuroscientists identified three circuits in the thalamus that influence the development of motor and nonmotor symptoms of Parkinson's disease. And by manipulating these circuits, they could reverse Parkinson's symptoms in mice.

Lessons on how to sleep: What we can learn from worms

Posted: 08 Jun 2022 08:24 AM PDT

Caenorhabditis elegans is a worm that has been used for decades as a model organism. Researchers have found that a specific neuron, called ALA, and the amount of calcium it contains are essential for the homeostatic regulation of sleep in C. elegans. ALA was found to contain more calcium ions when the worms were awake for a long time, and less when they slept. Considering that the molecules involved in sleep regulation are widely conserved, these results may translate to other animals, including humans.

New study shows how having had COVID-19 may negatively impact your performance at work

Posted: 08 Jun 2022 06:14 AM PDT

A new study shows that individuals who had contracted CCOVID-19 reported significantly more cognitive failures at work.

Whole-body learning can boost children's letter sound recognition -- the first step toward reading

Posted: 08 Jun 2022 06:14 AM PDT

Children who move while learning sounds of letters significantly improve their ability to recognize individual letter sounds.

Bad dreams could be early warning of Parkinson's disease

Posted: 07 Jun 2022 04:44 PM PDT

Older adults who start to experience bad dreams or nightmares could be exhibiting the earliest signs of Parkinson's disease, say researchers.

Immune protein may drive alcoholism relapse

Posted: 07 Jun 2022 04:44 PM PDT

Scientists find evidence that the immune protein CSF1 may contribute to feelings of anxiety during alcohol withdrawal.

Rapamycin increases Alzheimer's-associated plaques in mice, study finds

Posted: 07 Jun 2022 10:09 AM PDT

Researchers found that administration of the drug rapamycin in mice was associated with increased beta-amyloid plaques. This is one of the hallmark pathologies of Alzheimer's disease. The study authors caution that rapamycin's effects in beta-amyloid-associated Alzheimer's must be studied more carefully.

New theory of decision-making seeks to explain why humans don't make optimal choices

Posted: 07 Jun 2022 09:10 AM PDT

A new theory of economic decision-making offers an explanation as to why humans, in general, make decisions that are simply adequate, not optimal.

Changing the channel: Study sheds new light on a promising antidepressant

Posted: 07 Jun 2022 09:10 AM PDT

A study reveals new details about how ketamine works, paving the way toward the development of safe, effective treatments for depression.

Intriguing connection between diet, eye health and lifespan uncovered

Posted: 07 Jun 2022 09:09 AM PDT

Researchers have demonstrated a link between diet, circadian rhythms, eye health and lifespan in Drosophila. They additionally and unexpectedly found that processes in the fly eye are actually driving the aging process.

Large study reveals stark changes in brain structure for people with anorexia

Posted: 07 Jun 2022 09:09 AM PDT

New findings highlight clear differences in grey matter for people with anorexia nervosa and point to the importance of early treatment interventions.

How mothers calm their distressed infants with soothing signals

Posted: 07 Jun 2022 09:09 AM PDT

This study demonstrates empirically, for the first time, that synchronized physiology between mothers and babies plays a role in soothing distressed infants, and that treating postpartum depression with cognitive behavioral therapy can improve the synchronicity patterns and thereby augment mothers' ability to soothe their distressed babies.

Study explains molecular basis of long COVID symptoms

Posted: 07 Jun 2022 09:09 AM PDT

A new study in hamsters and human tissue samples provides a better understanding of how the pandemic virus causes depression, anxiety, and the loss of concentration known as 'brain fog' in patients that develop long COVID.

Mouse study shows gene therapy may correct creatine deficiency disorder

Posted: 06 Jun 2022 06:34 PM PDT

A new study in mice finds that a gene therapy appears to correct a rare creatine deficiency disorder that commonly results in intellectual disabilities, problems with speech, involuntary movements and recurrent seizures.

Cannabis products demonstrate short-term reduction in chronic pain, little else, review finds

Posted: 06 Jun 2022 03:12 PM PDT

Evidence behind the effectiveness of cannabis-related products to treat chronic pain is surprisingly thin, according to a new systematic evidence review. Voters in a number of states have legalized medical and recreational marijuana; however, the researchers found many of the products now available at U.S. dispensaries have not been well studied.

Sign languages change, too: The evolution of SELF in ASL

Posted: 06 Jun 2022 03:12 PM PDT

A new study shows that American Sign Language (ASL) is more linguistically complex than previously understood. In particular, new research documents the emergence of the copula --- a word meaning to be (e.g. is, was, are, were) --- in ASL, something that has been overlooked in previous linguistic analyses.

COVID-19 increases risk of psychiatric diagnoses in the months after infection, study finds

Posted: 06 Jun 2022 11:54 AM PDT

A recent study found that COVID-19 patients had a roughly 25% increased risk of developing a psychiatric disorder in the four months following their infection, compared with people who had other types of respiratory tract infections.

Screen time, alcohol, and poor sleep for girls: How the pandemic has impacted teens in Australia

Posted: 06 Jun 2022 07:56 AM PDT

A new study finds that Australian teens had overall improvements in sleep over the two years and some improvements in dietary choices during lockdown, but these were offset by increases in already concerning levels of screen time and worrying trends of alcohol use and poor sleep among girls.

Dependence on benzodiazepines lead physicians to coin new diagnosis

Posted: 03 Jun 2022 09:46 AM PDT

A new publication from physicians published in JAMA Psychiatry establishes and clinically describes complex persistent benzodiazepine dependence, or CPBD.

Broad spectrum of autism depends on spectrum of genetic factors

Posted: 02 Jun 2022 11:08 AM PDT

Researchers report significant progress in understanding how the combined effects of rare mutations and common genetic variation in determining whether a child will develop ASD and its consequential effects.

Graphic warnings on cigarette labels led smokers to hide packs

Posted: 02 Jun 2022 08:42 AM PDT

Graphic warning labels led smokers to hide their packs but not change other smoking behaviors, according to a new study.

Research finds solution to common surgical problem of nerve damage

Posted: 01 Jun 2022 11:28 AM PDT

Researchers have developed a new technology to help surgeons know where a patient's nerves are, lessening the chance of nerve damage.