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DATE: July 16, 2024 at 08:22PM
SOURCE: SCIENCE DAILY MIND-BRAIN FEED

TITLE: Youth with conduct disorder show widespread differences in brain structure

URL: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/07/240716202252.htm

The largest neuroimaging study of conduct disorder to date has revealed extensive changes in brain structure among young people with the disorder. The largest difference was a smaller area of the brain's outer layer, known as the cerebral cortex, which is critical for many aspects of behavior, cognition and emotion.

URL: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/07/240716202252.htm

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DATE: July 17, 2024 at 12:37PM
SOURCE: SOCIALPSYCHOLOGY.ORG

TITLE: Brain Differences Found in Kids with Conduct Disorder

URL: http://www.socialpsychology.org/client/redirect.php?from=rss_feed&id=181307&url=https://www.usnews.com/news/health-news/articles/2024-07-17/brain-changes-seen-in-kids-with-conduct-disorder

Source: U.S. News and World Report

Defiance, tantrums, aggression: All signs of a condition called conduct disorder, which Mental Health America says affects up to 16% of boys and 9% of girls. Now, researchers have found differences in the brain structure of youths with the disorder, compared to those without. Specifically, a Lancet Psychiatry study of people aged 7-21 found that individuals with conduct disorder have less cerebral cortex surface area than is typical for others...

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DATE: July 17, 2024 at 12:37PM
SOURCE: SOCIALPSYCHOLOGY.ORG

TITLE: Musk to Move SpaceX and X HQ Over Gender Identity Law

URL: http://www.socialpsychology.org/client/redirect.php?from=rss_feed&id=181306&url=https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c1vd097z7rvo

Source: BBC News - Business

Billionaire Elon Musk has said he will move the headquarters of two of his most high-profile companies, rocket firm SpaceX and social media platform X, from California to Texas. He said the move was due to recent laws passed by the state—in particular, a new law that prevents schools from making rules requiring staff tell parents information about a child's gender identity. A spokesperson for the governor said the law keeps students safe.

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DATE: July 17, 2024 at 11:00AM
SOURCE:
NEW YORK TIMES PSYCHOLOGY AND PSYCHOLOGISTS FEED

TITLE: This Is Literally Your Brain on Drugs

URL: https://www.nytimes.com/2024/07/17/health/psilocybin-psychedelic-mushrooms-brain.html

A small new study shows reactions in the brain in people who were given psilocybin in a controlled setting.

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DATE: July 17, 2024 at 11:00AM
SOURCE:
NEW YORK TIMES PSYCHOLOGY AND PSYCHOLOGISTS FEED

TITLE: Moving In Childhood Contributes to Depression, Study Finds

URL: https://www.nytimes.com/2024/07/17/health/moving-childhood-depression.html

A study of more than a million Danes found that frequent moves in childhood had a bigger effect than poverty on adult mental health risk.

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DATE: July 17, 2024 at 10:03AM
SOURCE: PSYCHIATRIC TIMES

Direct article link at end of text block below.

"Our understanding of the role of trauma in mental health has evolved exponentially over time with clinical research."

Don't miss our July Special Report on Anxiety & Stress Disorders! https://t.co/tWGZIkM0Ad

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DATE: July 17, 2024 at 10:00AM
SOURCE: PSYPOST.ORG

** Research quality varies widely from fantastic to small exploratory studies. Please check research methods when conclusions are very important to you. **

TITLE: Nature exposure might help restore cognitive capacities of children and adolescents

URL: https://www.psypost.org/nature-exposure-might-help-restore-cognitive-capacities-of-children-and-adolescents/

A meta-analytic study examining the associations between nature exposure and the cognitive performance of children and adolescents found no significant link between the two. However, a meta-analysis of 34 nature exposure experiments found that, overall, they did produce small improvements in attentive and executive functioning. The research was published in the Journal of Environmental Psychology.

Exposure to nature refers to the time spent in natural environments, such as parks, meadows, forests, or gardens. Research indicates that being in nature can significantly improve mental health by reducing stress, anxiety, and depression. This connection is thought to be due to nature’s ability to promote relaxation and offer a break from the overstimulation of urban life. Additionally, exposure to nature has been linked to physical health benefits, including lower blood pressure, improved immune function, and increased physical activity.

In recent years, scientists have become interested in the effects of nature exposure on cognition. The demands of modern society can lead to mental fatigue and diminish an individual’s capacity to carry out complex cognitive tasks. The Attention Restoration Theory posits that exposure to nature can replenish these cognitive resources. Some researchers believe that exposure to nature produces experiences of “soft fascination” that capture attention in a non-taxing way. This allows the body and mind to rest from constant cognitive demands and restores cognitive abilities.

Study authors Lan Nguyen and Jared Walters noted that many studies have explored the links between nature exposure and cognition or experimentally tested the effects of nature exposure on cognitive functioning. They conducted two meta-analyses to examine the overall effects and associations found in these studies.

The study authors searched scientific databases for publications presenting studies that explored the associations between nature exposure and cognition or experimentally tested the effects of nature exposure on cognition. Their search resulted in 51 publications that they could include in their meta-analyses.

Of these studies, 22 reported associations between nature exposure and cognitive performance, while 34 reported results of experiments testing the effects of nature exposure on cognitive performance (some publications reported on both or multiple studies). When studies reported multiple measures of cognitive functioning, the authors aggregated them to create a single measure from each study.

Studies exploring the associations between nature exposure and cognitive functioning included a total of 36,941 participants. Of the 22 studies, 11 involved children, 9 involved adolescents, and 2 involved both. When their results were considered together, the authors found no association between nature exposure and cognitive performance. This finding was obtained even though statistical analysis showed that published studies of this type were likely somewhat selected for their positive results.

The 34 experimental studies included a total of 3,160 participants. Seventeen studies focused on children, and the other 17 on adolescents. Ninety percent of the studies focused on children and adolescents from the general population, with no particular mental health or physical disorders.

The nature exposure interventions were diverse and included completing cognitive tasks in nature, walking, playing, or doing activities in nature, virtual exposure to nature (using technology-delivered visuals or sounds of nature), redesigning classrooms to include more natural features, and nature schools (schools or kindergartens with nature exposure as part of their daily activities).

These experiments showed a small, positive effect of nature exposure on cognitive performance. The effects involved improvements in attention and executive functions. Executive cognitive functions are high-level mental processes that enable individuals to plan, focus attention, remember instructions, and manage multiple tasks effectively.

“The findings lend support to the Attention Restoration Theory suggesting that extended exposure to nature has the potential to restore and enhance attention and executive functioning in children and adolescents,” the study authors concluded.

The study sheds light on the effects of nature exposure on the cognitive functioning of children and adolescents. However, the authors noted that studies of lower methodological quality tended to report larger effects than better-designed studies. This may have somewhat biased the results.

The paper, “Benefits of Nature Exposure on Cognitive Functioning in Children and Adolescents: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis,” was authored by Lan Nguyen and Jared Walters.

URL: https://www.psypost.org/nature-exposure-might-help-restore-cognitive-capacities-of-children-and-adolescents/

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DATE: July 17, 2024 at 08:02AM
SOURCE: PSYCHIATRIC TIMES

Direct article link at end of text block below.

When temperatures rise, data show an 8% increase in mental health emergency room visits, a 9% increase in aggravated assaults, and a 20% increase in homicides. https://t.co/YOmghsxUR6

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DATE: July 16, 2024 at 08:23PM
SOURCE: SCIENCE DAILY MIND-BRAIN FEED

TITLE: Research shows protein isoform inhibitors may hold the key to making opioids safer

URL: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/07/240716202304.htm

Researchers have identified a new way to make opioids safer, increasing the pain-relieving properties of opioids while decreasing unwanted side effects through the spinal inhibition of a Heat shock protein 90 isoform.

URL: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/07/240716202304.htm

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DATE: July 16, 2024 at 08:22PM
SOURCE: SCIENCE DAILY MIND-BRAIN FEED

TITLE: Evening activity for better sleep

URL: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/07/240716202259.htm

Rigorous exercise before bed has long been discouraged, but researchers have now found short bursts of light activity can lead to better sleep.

URL: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/07/240716202259.htm

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DATE: July 16, 2024 at 04:51PM
SOURCE: SCIENCE DAILY MIND-BRAIN FEED

TITLE: Scientists find that small regions of the brain can take micro-naps while the rest of the brain is awake and vice versa

URL: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/07/240716165143.htm

For the first time, scientists have found that sleep can be detected by patterns of neuronal activity just milliseconds long, 1000 times shorter than a second, revealing a new way to study and understand the basic brain wave patterns that govern consciousness.

URL: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/07/240716165143.htm

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DATE: July 16, 2024 at 12:27PM
SOURCE: SCIENCE DAILY MIND-BRAIN FEED

TITLE: Hormone therapy for breast cancer linked with lower dementia risk

URL: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/07/240716122709.htm

Hormone modulating therapy (HMT) used for the treatment of breast cancer was associated with a 7% lower risk of developing Alzheimer's disease and related dementias later in life, according to a new study.

URL: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/07/240716122709.htm

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DATE: July 16, 2024 at 12:27PM
SOURCE: SCIENCE DAILY MIND-BRAIN FEED

TITLE: AI tool successfully responds to patient questions in electronic health record

URL: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/07/240716122707.htm

A new study shows that an AI tool can draft responses to patients' EHR queries as accurately as their human healthcare professionals, and with greater perceived 'empathy.'

URL: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/07/240716122707.htm

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DATE: July 15, 2024 at 01:56PM
SOURCE: SCIENCE DAILY MIND-BRAIN FEED

TITLE: Study reveals link between playing contact sports and parkinsonism in individuals with chronic traumatic encephalopathy

URL: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/07/240715135642.htm

The largest study of CTE to date has found a new link between playing contact sports, chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), and the development of a movement disorder known as parkinsonism.

URL: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/07/240715135642.htm

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DATE: July 17, 2024 at 08:00AM
SOURCE: PSYPOST.ORG

** Research quality varies widely from fantastic to small exploratory studies. Please check research methods when conclusions are very important to you. **

TITLE: Researchers connect entrepreneurship to cognitive flexibility and brain structure

URL: https://www.psypost.org/researchers-connect-entrepreneurship-to-cognitive-flexibility-and-brain-structure/

A recent study published in the Journal of Business Venturing Insights has revealed that habitual entrepreneurs possess higher cognitive flexibility compared to their less experienced counterparts and managers. Additionally, the study found that these habitual entrepreneurs exhibit increased gray matter volume in a specific region of the brain. This research provides compelling evidence linking entrepreneurial experience with cognitive and neural adaptations.

The relationship between cognitive flexibility and entrepreneurship has been a focal point in recent research. Cognitive flexibility — the ability to adapt, switch between different concepts, and change strategies — is crucial in entrepreneurship.

Previous studies have shown that cognitive flexibility is positively associated with entrepreneurial intentions, alertness, creativity, and innovativeness. However, most of these studies have focused on students, leaving a gap in understanding how cognitive flexibility manifests in experienced entrepreneurs, especially those who repeatedly launch new ventures, known as habitual entrepreneurs.

Habitual entrepreneurs, who start multiple businesses either sequentially or simultaneously, are a significant yet underexplored group. Understanding their cognitive flexibility and potential brain structure differences is important for advancing theoretical knowledge and practical applications in entrepreneurship.

The researchers hypothesized that habitual entrepreneurs would exhibit higher cognitive flexibility compared to less experienced entrepreneurs and non-entrepreneurs, and that these cognitive differences might be associated with structural changes in the brain. They conducted two studies.

In Study 1, the researchers focused on assessing cognitive flexibility among entrepreneurs and managers using self-reported measures. They collected data from a large sample of 727 participants, which included 403 entrepreneurs and 324 managers. The entrepreneurs were further classified into habitual entrepreneurs—those who had launched at least three businesses either sequentially or concurrently—and less experienced entrepreneurs based on their responses to the question, “How many businesses have you founded?”

To measure cognitive flexibility, the researchers used Martin and Rubin’s scale, a validated instrument that assesses two dimensions: divergent thinking (creativity) and decision-making. Participants rated their agreement with various statements on a scale from 1 (“strongly disagree”) to 7 (“strongly agree”). This method allowed the researchers to quantify cognitive flexibility in a nuanced manner.

The results from Study 1 indicated significant differences in cognitive flexibility between entrepreneurs and managers. Entrepreneurs scored higher on both dimensions of cognitive flexibility—divergent thinking and decision-making. When the researchers compared habitual entrepreneurs to less experienced entrepreneurs and managers, they found that habitual entrepreneurs exhibited even higher levels of cognitive flexibility. These findings suggest that repeated entrepreneurial experiences are associated with enhanced cognitive flexibility, supporting the hypothesis that habitual entrepreneurs possess superior cognitive adaptability.

Study 2 aimed to explore whether the observed cognitive flexibility in habitual entrepreneurs was reflected in structural differences in the brain. For this part of the research, the researchers invited a subset of participants from the initial sample to undergo structural MRI scans. This subset consisted of 40 French-speaking individuals: 23 habitual entrepreneurs and 17 managers. The MRI scans were performed using a 3T Siemens MAGNETOM® Vida MRI scanner, which provides high-resolution images of brain structures.

The focus of the MRI analysis was on gray matter volume, particularly in regions of the brain associated with cognitive flexibility and creative processes. The researchers employed voxel-based morphometry (VBM), a technique that measures differences in brain anatomy, to compare the gray matter volumes between habitual entrepreneurs and managers. They controlled for potential confounding variables such as age and total brain volume to ensure the validity of their findings.

The MRI results revealed a significant increase in gray matter volume in the left insula of habitual entrepreneurs compared to managers. The left insula is a brain region known to be involved in cognitive processes related to creativity and divergent thinking. This structural difference was robust even after small volume correction and controlling for age and total intracranial volume.

Furthermore, the researchers found a positive correlation between the increased gray matter volume in the left insula and the divergent-thinking dimension of cognitive flexibility. This correlation suggests that the enhanced cognitive flexibility observed in habitual entrepreneurs is not just a subjective self-assessment but is also reflected in measurable changes in brain structure.

“By demonstrating that habitual entrepreneurs exhibit higher cognitive flexibility, which is associated with anatomical changes in the brain, we deepen our understanding of how cognitive processes may differ across various levels of entrepreneurial experience. This differentiation offers implications for educators, and organizations interested in fostering entrepreneurship and innovation,” the researchers wrote.

“Knowing that cognitive flexibility is higher in habitual entrepreneurs can inform the design of targeted training and educational programs aimed at enhancing this ability in novice and less experienced entrepreneurs. Assessment tools to identify the impact of such training and to identify individuals with high cognitive flexibility as potential entrepreneurs could ultimately lead to more effective ventures.”

Future research should build on these findings by exploring the causal relationship between entrepreneurial experiences and brain structure changes. Longitudinal studies could help determine whether the observed brain differences are a result of entrepreneurial activities or if they predate and perhaps even predispose individuals to become habitual entrepreneurs. Additionally, investigating the impact of different types of entrepreneurial activities on cognitive flexibility and brain structure could provide further insights into the diverse cognitive demands of entrepreneurship.

The study, “Entrepreneurial neuroanatomy: Exploring gray matter volume in habitual entrepreneurs“, was authored by Frédéric Ooms, Jitka Annen, Rajanikant Panda, Benedetta Cecconi, Bernard Surlemont, and Steven Laureys.

URL: https://www.psypost.org/researchers-connect-entrepreneurship-to-cognitive-flexibility-and-brain-structure/

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DATE: July 15, 2024 at 01:56PM
SOURCE: SCIENCE DAILY PSYCHOLOGY FEED

TITLE: Study reveals link between playing contact sports and parkinsonism in individuals with chronic traumatic encephalopathy

URL: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/07/240715135642.htm

The largest study of CTE to date has found a new link between playing contact sports, chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), and the development of a movement disorder known as parkinsonism.

URL: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/07/240715135642.htm

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DATE: July 16, 2024 at 08:22PM
SOURCE: SCIENCE DAILY MIND-BRAIN FEED

TITLE: Large study confirms: Siblings of autistic children have 20% chance of autism

URL: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/07/240716202257.htm

A new, large study confirms earlier findings that children with an autistic sibling have a 20% chance of being autistic themselves.

URL: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/07/240716202257.htm

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DATE: July 16, 2024 at 08:00PM
SOURCE: PSYPOST.ORG

** Research quality varies widely from fantastic to small exploratory studies. Please check research methods when conclusions are very important to you. **

TITLE: Is it really possible to have Alzheimer’s yet no symptoms?

URL: https://www.psypost.org/is-it-really-possible-to-have-alzheimers-yet-no-symptoms/

Some people seem to be more resilient to developing Alzheimer’s diseases, despite having the biological hallmarks of the devastating disease. For obvious reasons, scientists are very interested in studying this special group of people.

Alzheimer’s disease, the most common form of dementia, is thought to start because of a build-up of two proteins in the brain: amyloid and tau. Once these proteins accumulate, for yet-to-be-determined reasons, they become toxic to brain cells (neurons) and these cells start dying. As a result, people develop symptoms such as memory loss because the brain can’t function properly with all these dead neurons.

This cascade of events has been known for many years and is how the disease progresses in most people with Alzheimer’s. Most people, except a special group who are more resilient. But why are they resilient?

A recent study in the journal Acta Neuropathologica Communications investigated whether our genes might influence how resilient we are against Alzheimer’s disease symptoms when there are high levels of amyloid in our brain.

The scientists conducted a study on the brains of three groups of people. The first group comprised people who had died with Alzheimer’s disease. The second were healthy people who died of natural causes. And the third comprised people who had high levels of Alzheimer’s proteins in the brain but never developed symptoms of the disease during their lifetime – or at least never had a diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease.

The last group, they considered as being resilient to Alzheimer’s disease since they had the proteins in their brains but did not have the symptoms or a diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease during their lifetime.

The scientists found that genes related to the activity of the immune system seem to have been more active in the Alzheimer’s resilient group. This would make sense as it is well established that the immune system helps clear the excess proteins from the brain, so genes that help this process might make us more resilient to developing symptoms of the disease.

How to become resilient – even if you don’t have the genes

This is great if you have inherited these genes from your parents, but what does it mean for the rest of us who do not have those genes? Is there a way we can make ourselves more resilient to developing Alzheimer’s disease regardless of our genes?

“Yes” is the short answer.

There is now good scientific evidence that lifestyle changes and drugs allow us to reduce our risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease in the future.

In particular, physical activity has been shown to reduce our risk of developing Alzheimer’s, probably because it has a well-known beneficial effect on our immune system and hence helps clear those rogue proteins accumulating in our brains. This means that being more physically active might have the same effect on our Alzheimer’s resilience as those lucky people who have the “right” genes.

Interestingly, we do not know how physically active the resilient people in the study were and how this might have influenced their resilience to Alzheimer’s disease.

As so often in science, it is not clear whether nature (genes) or nurture (lifestyle) contributed to their resilience. The other interesting aspect is that the resilient people in the study died of another cause than Alzheimer’s disease, but they might have developed Alzheimer’s disease eventually if they had lived longer.

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

URL: https://www.psypost.org/is-it-really-possible-to-have-alzheimers-yet-no-symptoms/

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DATE: July 16, 2024 at 06:00PM
SOURCE: PSYPOST.ORG

** Research quality varies widely from fantastic to small exploratory studies. Please check research methods when conclusions are very important to you. **

TITLE: Intention to purchase a firearm linked to heightened psychiatric symptoms

URL: https://www.psypost.org/intention-to-purchase-a-firearm-linked-to-heightened-psychiatric-symptoms/

A recent study published in the Journal of Psychiatric Research explored the relationship between firearm ownership, cognitive functioning, and psychiatric symptoms among U.S. adults. The researchers found that the intention to purchase a firearm was linked to heightened psychiatric symptoms but was unrelated to cognitive functioning.

The researchers were motivated to explore the relationship between firearm ownership and cognitive functioning due to the pressing public health concerns surrounding firearm-related fatalities in the United States. Firearms account for the majority of suicides and a significant portion of other violent deaths, underscoring the need to understand the psychological and cognitive factors that contribute to these outcomes.

Previous research indicated that firearm ownership, particularly for protection, is associated with heightened threat sensitivity and cognitive-affective processes, such as elevated anxiety and decision-making disruptions. These factors potentially increase the risk of firearm-related fatalities, making it crucial to investigate them further.

Most existing studies on firearm ownership relied heavily on self-reported data, which can be subjective and prone to biases. Self-report methodologies often fail to capture the objective cognitive processes underlying firearm ownership and intentions to acquire firearms. This gap in the literature prompted the researchers to utilize objective cognitive measures to gain a clearer, more reliable understanding of the cognitive functions associated with firearm ownership.

The researchers recruited 660 participants through ResearchMatch, an online survey platform, between 2021 and 2023. Participants had to be at least 18 years old, English-speaking, and capable of completing the informed consent process.

Initially, participants completed an online self-report survey. From this initial pool, 112 participants were selected to undergo further cognitive testing. These participants participated in a videoconferencing session where they provided consent again and completed cognitive performance tasks. This approach ensured the validity of the data collected and mitigated the risk of fraudulent participation.

The cognitive performance tasks were administered using the Cambridge Neuropsychological Test Automated Battery (CANTAB), which included three specific tests: the Cambridge Gambling Task (CGT), the Intra-Extra Dimensional Set Shift (IED), and the Emotional Bias Task (EBT). The CGT assessed decision-making and risk-taking behavior, the IED evaluated mental flexibility and attentional shifts, and the EBT measured perceptual bias in recognizing facial emotions. Additionally, participants’ psychiatric symptoms were assessed using standardized questionnaires for depression, anxiety, PTSD, alcohol use, and suicidal thoughts.

One of the key findings was that participants who intended to purchase a firearm within the next year did not exhibit differences in cognitive functioning compared to those who did not have such intentions. However, this group did report higher levels of psychiatric symptoms, including anxiety, depression, PTSD, alcohol use, and suicidal thoughts. This suggests that the intention to acquire a firearm is linked more closely to psychiatric health than to cognitive abilities.

Another notable finding was that owning a firearm for protection was associated with decreased mental flexibility, which involves adapting attention and shifting mental strategies. Interestingly, the study found no significant differences between firearm owners and non-owners in terms of risk-taking behavior and emotional bias.

But the study has some limitations. Firstly, the sample was predominantly white (79%), which limits the generalizability of the results to other racial and ethnic groups. Another limitation is the relatively small sample size, which may reduce the statistical power of the findings.

“Despite these limitations, the present study is the first to explore objective cognitive functioning in relation to protective firearm ownership and intent to purchase firearms,” the researchers concluded. “Future studies should further explore the impact of cognitive flexibility within a broader cognitive-affective framework for understanding critical firearm ownership variables and their potential influence on firearm mortality.”

The study, “Firearm ownership factors and cognitive functioning: A preliminary study,” was authored by Darrin M. Aase, Stephanie McManimen, Jarrod Hay, Cameron Long, and Craig J. Bryan.

URL: https://www.psypost.org/intention-to-purchase-a-firearm-linked-to-heightened-psychiatric-symptoms/

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DATE: July 15, 2024 at 01:58PM
SOURCE: SCIENCE DAILY PSYCHIATIRY FEED

TITLE: A novel and unique neural signature for depression revealed

URL: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/07/240715135811.htm

A recent study identified beta frequency neural activity in the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) of the brain's frontal lobe as the key neural signature underlying processes associated with recognizing rewards and determining subsequent choices and, thus, shaping future behaviors.

URL: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/07/240715135811.htm

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DATE: July 15, 2024 at 01:58PM
SOURCE: SCIENCE DAILY PSYCHOLOGY FEED

TITLE: A novel and unique neural signature for depression revealed

URL: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/07/240715135811.htm

A recent study identified beta frequency neural activity in the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) of the brain's frontal lobe as the key neural signature underlying processes associated with recognizing rewards and determining subsequent choices and, thus, shaping future behaviors.

URL: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/07/240715135811.htm

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DATE: July 15, 2024 at 01:56PM
SOURCE: SCIENCE DAILY PSYCHOLOGY FEED

TITLE: Study reveals how an anesthesia drug induces unconsciousness

URL: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/07/240715135647.htm

Propofol, a drug commonly used for general anesthesia, induces unconsciousness by disrupting the brain's normal balance between stability and excitability.

URL: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/07/240715135647.htm

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DATE: July 15, 2024 at 01:58PM
SOURCE: SCIENCE DAILY MIND-BRAIN FEED

TITLE: A novel and unique neural signature for depression revealed

URL: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/07/240715135811.htm

A recent study identified beta frequency neural activity in the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) of the brain's frontal lobe as the key neural signature underlying processes associated with recognizing rewards and determining subsequent choices and, thus, shaping future behaviors.

URL: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/07/240715135811.htm

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DATE: July 15, 2024 at 01:56PM
SOURCE: SCIENCE DAILY MIND-BRAIN FEED

TITLE: Study reveals how an anesthesia drug induces unconsciousness

URL: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/07/240715135647.htm

Propofol, a drug commonly used for general anesthesia, induces unconsciousness by disrupting the brain's normal balance between stability and excitability.

URL: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/07/240715135647.htm

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DATE: July 15, 2024 at 01:57PM
SOURCE: SCIENCE DAILY MIND-BRAIN FEED

TITLE: Protein droplets likely don't cause Parkinson's

URL: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/07/240715135744.htm

Liquid-liquid phase separation is not a precursor to formation of amyloid fibrils, a pathological hallmark of Parkinson's disease, shows study. Rather, the formation of protein into liquid droplets may help to dissolve aggregated protein. The study deepens our understanding of neurodegenerative diseases linked to protein aggregation and could help develop new therapies.

URL: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/07/240715135744.htm

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DATE: July 15, 2024 at 10:35AM
SOURCE: SCIENCE DAILY MIND-BRAIN FEED

TITLE: When certain boys feel their masculinity is threatened, aggression ensues

URL: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/07/240715103550.htm

It's been long established that certain men become aggressive when they see their manhood as being threatened. When does this behavior emerge during development --a nd why? A new study shows that adolescent boys may also respond aggressively when they believe their masculinity is under threat -- especially boys growing up in environments with rigid, stereotypical gender norms.

URL: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/07/240715103550.htm

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DATE: July 15, 2024 at 10:33AM
SOURCE: SCIENCE DAILY PSYCHOLOGY FEED

TITLE: Visualizing addiction: How new research could change the way we fight the opioid epidemic

URL: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/07/240715103350.htm

New research could transform how we understand the way opioids affect the brain. Despite significant discussion surrounding the ongoing opioid crisis, current understanding of how opioids function in the brain is quite limited. This is primarily due to challenges in observing and measuring opioid effects in the brain in real-time. However, a recent technological breakthrough has overcome these limitations and is set to transform how scientists study opioid signaling in the brain.

URL: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/07/240715103350.htm

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DATE: July 15, 2024 at 10:33AM
SOURCE: SCIENCE DAILY MIND-BRAIN FEED

TITLE: Visualizing addiction: How new research could change the way we fight the opioid epidemic

URL: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/07/240715103350.htm

New research could transform how we understand the way opioids affect the brain. Despite significant discussion surrounding the ongoing opioid crisis, current understanding of how opioids function in the brain is quite limited. This is primarily due to challenges in observing and measuring opioid effects in the brain in real-time. However, a recent technological breakthrough has overcome these limitations and is set to transform how scientists study opioid signaling in the brain.

URL: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/07/240715103350.htm

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DATE: July 12, 2024 at 10:21PM
SOURCE: SCIENCE DAILY MIND-BRAIN FEED

TITLE: With gene editing, mice with a form of inherited deafness can hear again

URL: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/07/240712222141.htm

Researchers have used gene editing to restore hearing in adult mice with a type of inherited hearing loss. They showed that shutting down a damaged copy of a gene called a microRNA (miRNA) enabled the animals to regain hearing. The approach may eventually lead to potential treatments for inherited hearing loss in people.

URL: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/07/240712222141.htm

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DATE: July 12, 2024 at 10:21PM
SOURCE: SCIENCE DAILY MIND-BRAIN FEED

TITLE: AI found to boost individual creativity -- at the expense of less varied content

URL: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/07/240712222127.htm

A new study finds that AI enhances creativity by boosting the novelty of story ideas as well as the 'usefulness' of stories -- their ability to engage the target audience and potential for publication. However, AI was not judged to enhance the work produced by more creative writers and the study also warns that while AI may enhance individual creativity it may also result in a loss of collective novelty, as AI-assisted stories were found to contain more similarities to each other and were less varied and diverse.

URL: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/07/240712222127.htm

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DATE: July 16, 2024 at 04:15PM
SOURCE: PSYCHIATRIC TIMES

Direct article link at end of text block below.

RT @PolicyCenterMMH: RE104 is being developed as a single-dose, fast-acting, durable treatment for individuals suffering from and othe…

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DATE: July 16, 2024 at 04:00PM
SOURCE: PSYPOST.ORG

** Research quality varies widely from fantastic to small exploratory studies. Please check research methods when conclusions are very important to you. **

TITLE: New study suggests wildfires can impair cognitive health

URL: https://www.psypost.org/new-study-suggests-wildfires-can-impair-cognitive-health/

As the frequency and intensity of wildfires increase due to climate change, their impact extends beyond environmental degradation and economic loss. A recent study published in the International Journal of Public Health reveals exposure to wildfire smoke is associated with impaired cognitive health, particularly math and language skills.

While the physical health consequences of wildfires, such as respiratory and cardiovascular issues, are well-documented, the cognitive effects remain underexplored. Cognitive abilities are fundamental to decision-making, behavior formation, and economic development, making it crucial to understand how environmental factors might impair them. By investigating the cognitive costs of wildfires, the researchers aimed to provide a more comprehensive understanding of the socio-economic impacts of climate-related disasters.

For their study, the researchers utilized data from the China Family Panel Studies Database, focusing on individuals aged 10 years and older, and conducted cognitive ability tests in 2014 and 2018. The cognitive tests included word and math assessments, standardized to ensure comparability across individuals and over time. The wildfire data were sourced from the Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) satellite, which provided detailed, high-resolution information on wildfire locations and intensities.

To isolate the impact of wildfires on cognitive health, the study used a wind direction model to differentiate between areas exposed to upwind and non-upwind wildfires. This approach allowed the researchers to control for confounding factors such as socio-economic conditions and other environmental pollutants. By comparing cognitive test scores from areas affected by upwind wildfires to those from non-upwind wildfire areas, the study aimed to identify the specific impact of wildfire smoke and pollutants on cognitive abilities.

The researchers also included several control variables to enhance the robustness of their findings. These controls included meteorological factors such as average precipitation, temperature, wind speed, and humidity. Additionally, individual-level variables such as gender, total family income, social status, and medical insurance status were considered.

The study revealed significant negative impacts of wildfire exposure on cognitive abilities. Specifically, it found that for every 10 additional upwind wildfires, individual scores on word and math tests decreased by 0.235 and 0.236 standard deviations, respectively. This decline highlights the detrimental effect of wildfire pollutants on cognitive health, suggesting that exposure to wildfire smoke and related air pollution can impair thinking and language skills.

A notable finding was the greater susceptibility of younger individuals to the cognitive impacts of wildfires. For individuals under 50 years old, a 10-unit increase in upwind wildfires resulted in a 0.325 standard deviation decrease in word test scores and a 0.461 standard deviation decrease in math test scores. This suggests that younger people, who may spend more time outdoors and have developing physiological systems, are more vulnerable to the adverse cognitive effects of wildfire exposure.

The study also examined the role of socio-economic factors in moderating the impact of wildfires on cognitive health. It found that individuals with lower defensive expenditures (money spent on activities and products aimed at protecting their health and well-being) experienced more severe cognitive impacts.

For the low-defense spending group, every 10 additional upwind wildfires led to a decrease of 0.712 and 1.008 standard deviations in word and math test scores, respectively. This indicates that socio-economic disparities play a critical role in determining an individual’s ability to mitigate and recover from the cognitive impacts of wildfires.

To understand the underlying mechanisms, the researchers analyzed the relationship between wildfire exposure and air pollution levels. They found that every 10 additional upwind wildfires increased PM2.5, PM10, AQI, and NO2 levels by 19.5%, 21.1%, 14.7%, and 22.2%, respectively.

PM2.5 refers to fine particulate matter with a diameter of 2.5 micrometers or smaller, PM10 refers to particulate matter with a diameter of 10 micrometers or smaller, AQI (Air Quality Index) is a standardized measure used to communicate how polluted the air currently is or how polluted it is forecast to become, and NO2 (nitrogen dioxide) is a toxic gas produced by combustion processes that can harm respiratory health.

“The results show that exposure to wildfires leads to a significant reduction in the cognitive abilities of individuals,” the researchers wrote. “This finding underscores the serious public health implications of wildfires. The observed negative outcomes align with previous research on the adverse health effects of climate change and disasters.”

“Our research has also shown that wildfires produce large amounts of air pollution particles that can affect an individual’s cognitive abilities. Wildfires release a complex mixture of air pollutants, including particulate matter, volatile organic compounds, and solid particulate matter. The harmful pollutants can deeply penetrate the respiratory system, entering the bloodstream and potentially reaching the brain, which can have an impact on cognitive function.”

“Particulate matter, especially ultrafine particles (PM2.5), can have significant neurotoxic effects, impacting respiratory and cardiovascular health, as well as cognitive function,” the researchers concluded. “The cognitive impacts of wildfires have far-reaching consequences, affecting not only immediate wellbeing but also long-term health outcomes and community resilience in the face of natural disasters. Understanding these impacts is crucial for developing effective public health policies, and disaster response strategies, and enhancing community resilience in light of the disasters caused by climate change.”

The study, “Climate Disaster and Cognitive Ability: Evidence From Wildfire,” was authored by Ran Du, Ke Liu, Dangru Zhao, and Qiyun Fang.

URL: https://www.psypost.org/new-study-suggests-wildfires-can-impair-cognitive-health/

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DATE: July 16, 2024 at 02:00PM
SOURCE: PSYPOST.ORG

Research quality varies widely from fantastic to small exploratory studies. Please check research methods when conclusions are very important to you.

A recent study published in the Archives of Sexual Behavior investigated how the use of Viagra and testosterone, alongside biological factors like erectile dysfunction (ED) and natural testosterone levels, impacts societal views of masculinity and sexual esteem. The findings highlight that female orgasm can significantly enhance a man’s perceived masculinity, serving to “rescue” masculinity when natural testosterone levels are low.

A key motivation behind the study was the recognition that societal beliefs about drug use can influence actual behavior. Men might use medications like Viagra or testosterone not solely for their physical benefits, but also because they believe these drugs will enhance their social image and sense of masculinity.

In two experiments, the researchers sought to investigate whether the use of these medications could affect how others perceive a man’s masculinity and sexual esteem. Additionally, they aimed to determine if these perceptions are influenced by whether a man’s female partner experiences orgasm, a factor often linked to male sexual performance and competence.

For their first experiment, the researchers recruited 522 participants from an online platform called Prolific. Participants had to be fluent in English, citizens of the United States, and had no prior involvement in related studies from the research team. The final sample consisted of 54% men and 46% women, with an average age of 32.2 years.

Participants were randomly assigned to read one of eight vignettes. These vignettes described a hypothetical male target who had engaged in sexual activity three times with a female partner who either always or never had an orgasm. The scenarios also varied based on whether the male had a history of ED and whether he was using Viagra.

After reading the assigned vignette, participants answered three reading comprehension questions to ensure they understood the scenario. They then completed modified versions of the Affect and Arousal Scale and the Sexuality Scale to assess their perceptions of the male target’s masculinity and sexual esteem.

The results showed that female partner orgasm significantly increased perceptions of the male target’s masculinity and sexual esteem. However, if the male had a history of ED, these perceptions were lower.

A significant interaction was found between female partner orgasm, the male’s history of ED, and Viagra use. Specifically, the male was rated as more masculine and having higher sexual esteem if his partner had orgasms and he had ED (regardless of Viagra use) or did not use Viagra. If the male did not have ED but was using Viagra, female partner orgasm did not enhance perceptions of his masculinity.

“The results of Experiment 1 provide support for the notion 1) that social perceptions of male masculinity (and sexual esteem) are impacted by aspects of sexual performance (i.e., female partner orgasm and ED and 2) that use of Viagra, when not justified by an underlying biological condition (i.e., ED), abrogates the impact of female orgasm on social perceptions of male masculinity,” the researchers explained. “Therefore, as hypothesized, when not medically justified, use of drugs to enhance sexual performance may violate the self-reliance rule of masculinity.”

The second experiment involved 711 participants, also recruited from Prolific under the same eligibility criteria as the first experiment. The final sample had an average age of 30.9 years.

Participants in this experiment read one of 12 vignettes describing a hypothetical male with either low, normal, or high natural testosterone levels. The scenarios also varied based on whether the male was taking testosterone and whether his female partner always or never had an orgasm during their sexual encounters. Similar to Experiment 1, participants answered reading comprehension questions and completed the modified Affect and Arousal Scale and Sexuality Scale to assess perceptions of the male target’s masculinity and sexual esteem.

Natural testosterone levels significantly influenced perceptions of masculinity and sexual esteem. The male target was perceived as more masculine and having higher sexual esteem as his natural testosterone levels increased. Female partner orgasm also boosted these perceptions, particularly when the male had low natural testosterone levels.

However, taking exogenous testosterone did not significantly impact perceptions of masculinity or sexual esteem. There was no significant interaction between taking testosterone, natural testosterone levels, and female partner orgasm.

“Much like the simple effect in Experiment 1 of female orgasm heightening perceptions of the male target’s masculinity if he had a history of ED (regardless of Viagra use), in Experiment 2, female partner orgasm served to ‘rescue’ social perceptions of masculinity lost to a low level of testosterone,” the researchers said. “… the results of Experiment 2 revealed that when the male target’s female partner always had an orgasm during sex with him there was no difference in his masculinity rating between when he had low levels of ‘natural’ testosterone compared to when he had normal ‘natural’ levels of the hormone.”

The study, “Social Perceptions of Masculinity and Sexual Esteem Are Impacted by Viagra Use, Testosterone, and Sexual Performance,” was authored by Wayne R. Hawley, Bryn A. Cancilla, Julia L. Barnes, and Gregory D. Morrow.

URL: https://www.psypost.org/female-partner-orgasm-can-rescue-perceptions-of-masculinity-lost-to-low-testosterone-study-finds/

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DATE: July 16, 2024 at 12:00PM
SOURCE: PSYPOST.ORG

TITLE: Humans create more novelty than ChatGPT when retelling stories

URL: https://www.psypost.org/humans-create-more-novelty-than-chatgpt-when-retelling-stories/

A recent study explored the differences between how humans and ChatGPT retell stories. The researchers found that while ChatGPT provided concise summaries of original stories with minimal changes in further retellings, humans introduced significant variations and novel elements with each retelling. The paper was published in Scientific Reports.

ChatGPT is an advanced large language model developed by OpenAI that can generate human-like text based on the input it receives and utilizing a vast database of human knowledge it was trained on. This makes it very useful for answering questions, writing essays, providing conversational assistance, and many other purposes. ChatGPT is able to produce coherent and contextually relevant textual responses and this can be used to enhance productivity in many fields of human activity. By automating routine tasks and offering instant information, ChatGPT has the potential to free up human time for more complex and creative endeavors.

The introduction of ChatGPT and other artificial intelligence systems started a revolution in the way human economy and society functions. Their ability to handle large volumes of inquiries and provide personal assistance in a way that only humans could provide until recently enabled individuals to seek and obtain help and knowledge they need at any time. On the other hand, scientists are still exploring how including ChatGPT in communication systems that were completely reliant on humans just a couple of years ago changes the nature of those communications.

Study author Fritz Breithaupt and his colleagues wanted to explore how ChatGPT retells stories compared to how humans do it. They focused on two aspects of retelling stories – the stability of language and affect preservation. Affect preservation refers to whether the retold version of the story maintains the same emotional tone of the situation that was present in the original. The stability of language refers to whether words, concepts, and grammatical constructions from the original are preserved in the retold version.

The study involved participants from Amazon Mechanical Turk (MTurk) who were asked to write short stories of approximately 120-160 words, categorized as happy, mildly happy, mildly sad, or sad (without using explicit emotional words like “happy” or “sad”).

Subsequently, 348 other participants were tasked with retelling these stories or their retold versions. Each participant retold three different stories, resulting in a chain of retellings where each story was retold three times by different individuals. This process created 116 original stories, each with three retellings. Finally, 537 participants rated these stories for their emotional content and other characteristics.

ChatGPT 3 was also used to retell the same stories using identical instructions. To ensure fairness, different ChatGPT accounts were employed for each retelling in the chain, preventing the model from accessing previous retellings. The resulting retellings were then rated by 531 individuals recruited via Prolific.

The results showed that both ChatGPT and humans significantly shortened the stories in their retellings. However, ChatGPT’s retellings were substantially shorter right from the first iteration, with only slight decreases in length in subsequent retellings. Humans, on the other hand, progressively reduced the text length with each retelling, displaying greater variability in the retellings’ lengths.

Analysis of the language used in retellings revealed notable differences. ChatGPT maintained more nouns, adjectives, and prepositions, using words typically acquired later in life. In contrast, humans employed more verbs, adverbs, and negations, favoring language acquired at a younger age. This suggests that human retellings focus more on actions and emotions, while ChatGPT emphasizes descriptions and entities.

Both ChatGPT and humans effectively preserved the emotional tone of the original stories in their retellings. This ability to maintain the core emotional impact highlights a significant similarity between human and machine storytelling, despite differences in how they achieve it.

One of the key findings was that humans displayed ongoing creativity in their retellings, introducing new words and concepts with each iteration. This incremental reduction and addition of novel elements contrast sharply with ChatGPT’s approach, which produces a concise summary in the first retelling and makes few changes thereafter. The study found that human retellings become increasingly novel as the process progresses, with approximately 55%-60% new content in each retelling.

These findings suggest that while ChatGPT can serve as a valuable tool in various applications, it cannot fully replicate the richness and variability of human narrative communication.

“The results reveal that spontaneous retelling by humans involves ongoing creativity, anchored by emotions, beyond the default probabilistic wording of large language models such as ChatGPT,” the study authors concluded.

The study sheds light on the differences between how ChatGPT and humans retell stories. However, it should be noted that both humans and ChatGPT retelling depend on the instructions they receive. A tweak of the instructions given to retellers could produce completely different results.

The paper, “Humans create more novelty than ChatGPT when asked to retell a story,” was authored by Fritz Breithaupt, Ege Otenen, Devin R. Wright, John K. Kruschke, Ying Li, and YiyanTan.

URL: https://www.psypost.org/humans-create-more-novelty-than-chatgpt-when-retelling-stories/

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DATE: July 16, 2024 at 11:49AM
SOURCE: SOCIALPSYCHOLOGY.ORG

TITLE: Survey Suggests Teens Need More Support Than Their Parents Think

URL: http://www.socialpsychology.org/client/redirect.php?from=rss_feed&id=181280&url=https://www.usnews.com/news/health-news/articles/2024-07-16/parents-take-note-survey-shows-teens-need-more-support-than-they-get

Source: U.S. News and World Report

As millions of American teens continue to struggle with their mental health, a new survey reveals a sizable gap between how much support teens say they get and how much support their parents think they get. In the report, published Tuesday by the National Center for Health Statistics, just over a quarter of teens said they always get the social and emotional support they need, whereas parents were nearly three times more likely to think they did.

URL: http://www.socialpsychology.org/client/redirect.php?from=rss_feed&id=181280&url=https://www.usnews.com/news/health-news/articles/2024-07-16/parents-take-note-survey-shows-teens-need-more-support-than-they-get

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DATE: July 16, 2024 at 11:49AM
SOURCE: SOCIALPSYCHOLOGY.ORG

TITLE: California Bars Schools From Outing LGBTQ Students to Parents

URL: http://www.socialpsychology.org/client/redirect.php?from=rss_feed&id=181273&url=https://news.google.com/rss/articles/CBMiYmh0dHBzOi8vYXBuZXdzLmNvbS9hcnRpY2xlL2dlbmRlci1pZGVudGl0eS1zY2hvb2xzLWNhbGlmb3JuaWEtbGF3LWFmMzg3YmVmNWMyNWMxNGY1MWQxY2YwNWE3ZTQyMmVi0gEA?oc=5

Source: Google News - Health

California became the first U.S. state to bar school districts from requiring staff to notify parents of their child's gender identification change under a law signed Monday by Governor Gavin Newsom. The law bans school rules requiring teachers and other staff to disclose a student's gender identity or sexual orientation to anyone without the child's permission. Advocates say the law will help protect LGBTQ+ students who live in unwelcoming...

URL: http://www.socialpsychology.org/client/redirect.php?from=rss_feed&id=181273&url=https://news.google.com/rss/articles/CBMiYmh0dHBzOi8vYXBuZXdzLmNvbS9hcnRpY2xlL2dlbmRlci1pZGVudGl0eS1zY2hvb2xzLWNhbGlmb3JuaWEtbGF3LWFmMzg3YmVmNWMyNWMxNGY1MWQxY2YwNWE3ZTQyMmVi0gEA?oc=5

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DATE: July 16, 2024 at 10:02AM
SOURCE: PSYCHIATRIC TIMES

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A recent study indicated that college-enrolled women with unhealthy lifestyle behaviors were more likely to develop severe depression and anxiety. https://t.co/phk5RnMLrP

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DATE: July 16, 2024 at 10:00AM
SOURCE: PSYPOST.ORG

TITLE: Teen depression tied to balance of adaptive and maladaptive emotional strategies, study finds

URL: https://www.psypost.org/teen-depression-tied-to-balance-of-adaptive-and-maladaptive-emotional-strategies-study-finds/

A recent study published in Behaviour Research and Therapy provides new insights into how young people manage their emotions and the potential impact on depression. The study found that nearly all adolescents use some maladaptive emotion regulation strategies, but this is not necessarily harmful if balanced with more adaptive strategies. Over time, the use of these maladaptive strategies generally decreases as adolescents grow older. However, an increase in the predominant use of maladaptive strategies is linked to heightened depression symptoms.

Adolescence is a period marked by increased emotional intensity and evolving social and academic challenges, which demand enhanced emotion regulation skills. Understanding how adolescents regulate their emotions and how these processes relate to depression is essential for developing strategies to support their mental health.

Previous research has primarily focused on categorizing emotion regulation strategies as either adaptive or maladaptive. However, recent studies suggest that the effectiveness of these strategies can vary depending on the context and individual circumstances. By using a longitudinal design and daily diary methods, the authors of the new study sought to capture the dynamic and developmental nature of emotion regulation in adolescents.

“Adolescence has a reputation as an overly emotional period, but in fact it is also a time of incredible development in the ability to regulate emotions and to think in more complex ways,” said study author Reuma Gadassi-Polack of the Academic College of Tel-Aviv Yaffo and Yale University.

“As a clinician and a researcher (and a person), I felt that examining different emotion regulation strategies separately is incredibly inaccurate, as we all use all types of strategies to deal with our emotions. Moreover, I believed that everyone uses ‘bad’ strategies sometimes (which my study shows), and I wanted to know if it is necessarily so bad this study shows it really isn’t, as long as you also use other strategies and not mainly the ‘bad’ ones.”

The study included 148 youths aged 9 to 15 from the New Haven, Connecticut area. They were recruited through flyers, Craigslist, and Facebook advertisements. The study comprised two waves of data collection: the first wave took place from January to September 2019, and the second wave occurred from March to August 2020, coinciding with the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic.

During both waves, participants completed daily diary surveys for 21 days in Wave 1 and 28 days in Wave 2. These surveys included questions about their use of various emotion regulation strategies and their levels of depressive symptoms.

Participants were asked to report the extent to which they had engaged in specific emotion regulation strategies each day. These strategies included problem-solving, distraction, rumination, dampening, and positive rumination (both emotion-focused and self-focused).

Problem-solving is an adaptive strategy where individuals address and resolve the issues causing their distress, while distraction involves shifting focus to more pleasant activities to temporarily relieve negative emotions. In contrast, rumination is a maladaptive strategy where one repeatedly dwells on negative thoughts, exacerbating feelings of distress.

Dampening involves downplaying positive emotions, preventing full enjoyment of positive experiences. Positive rumination, which can be emotion-focused or self-focused, involves savoring positive feelings and reflecting on one’s achievements, enhancing overall happiness and self-esteem.

The researchers calculated the ratio of maladaptive emotion regulation strategies (rumination and dampening) to the total number of strategies used each day. This ratio was used as an index of emotion regulation flexibility.

The researchers found that nearly all participants used some maladaptive emotion regulation strategies almost every day. However, the frequency of these maladaptive strategies generally decreased over the year between the two waves of data collection. In other words, the ratio of maladaptive strategies to all emotion regulation strategies was lower in Wave 2 compared to Wave 1, indicating that as youths aged, they became better at balancing their emotion regulation strategies.

Interestingly, adolescents tended to regulate their positive emotions more frequently than their negative emotions.

“What surprised me is that kids regulate (both up-regulation and down-regulation) their positive emotions more than their negative emotions,” Gadassi-Polack told PsyPost. “That is very different from adults who mainly respond to negative emotions. This finding makes a lot of sense in retrospect, as we know that positive emotions (especially high-intensity ones) become less prominent with the transition to young adulthood. It’s important to know that this decline in positive emotions is normative and not a sign of psychopathology.”

Adolescents with higher levels of depressive symptoms used a greater proportion of maladaptive strategies. Those with clinical levels of depressive symptoms (scores of 3 or higher on the Children’s Depression Inventory) used about 10-12% more maladaptive strategies compared to those with lower levels of depressive symptoms. This finding was consistent across both waves of data collection and was not influenced by gender or age.

On a daily level, the study showed that increases in the use of maladaptive strategies were associated with increases in depressive symptoms. Furthermore, the study demonstrated that changes in the balance between maladaptive and adaptive emotion regulation strategies over the year predicted changes in depressive symptoms.

“Most kids show natural improvement in the way the deal with their feelings as they grow up (even under a major stressor such as the COVID pandemic) but that those who don’t improve are at risk for psychopathology,” Gadassi-Polack explained. “Another important point is the realization that we all sometimes cope in a suboptimal way with our emotions, but we shouldn’t be too hard with ourselves because of it, as long as we balance it with other coping styles.”

But the study, like all research, includes some caveats.

“This study was done on a largely White, educated sample its conclusions may not apply to minority groups,” Gadassi-Polack noted. “Another caveat is that the longitudinal assessment was conducted during the initial stage of the pandemic, and therefore may not represent the typical course of development.”

Looking forward, Gadassi-Polack said she wants “to examine whether children and adolescents who are at risk for developing psychopathology (e.g., because they have a parent with psychopathology) have a different trajectory of emotion regulation development. This information can help us design prevention programs and stop the intergenerational transmission of psychopathology.”

The study, “It’s a balancing act: The ratio of maladaptive (vs. All) emotion regulation strategies is associated with depression,” was authored by Reuma Gadassi-Polack, Gabriela Paganini, August Keqin Zhang, Christine Dworschak, Jennifer S. Silk, Hedy Kober, and Jutta Joormann.

URL: https://www.psypost.org/teen-depression-tied-to-balance-of-adaptive-and-maladaptive-emotional-strategies-study-finds/

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DATE: July 16, 2024 at 08:02AM
SOURCE: PSYCHIATRIC TIMES

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Research shows an increased risk for suicidal thoughts, suicide attempts, and even death by suicide following brain injury. https://t.co/8t968lF4ss

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DATE: July 16, 2024 at 08:00AM
SOURCE: PSYPOST.ORG

TITLE: Love’s downside: Research identifies major disadvantages of romantic partnerships

URL: https://www.psypost.org/loves-downside-research-identifies-major-disadvantages-of-romantic-partnerships/

A new study published in Evolutionary Psychological Science examined potential drawbacks of intimate relationships.

While intimate relationships come with numerous benefits, like emotional support, companionship, and sexual satisfaction, there are also various perceived disadvantages. From an evolutionary perspective, the behavioral adaptations in intimate relationships were selected to increase fitness by facilitating child-rearing, support, and sharing of resources. However, aspects of intimate relationships that were once advantageous in our ancestral environments may no longer enhance fitness in the modern world.

Researchers Menelaos Apostolou and colleagues conducted two complementary studies to investigate this gap.

Study 1 involved 202 Greek-speaking participants aged 18 and older, recruited from various social media platforms and university networks. Participants completed a two-part questionnaire on Google Forms, first listing as many disadvantages of intimate relationships as they could think of, and then providing demographic information (e.g., sex, age, relationship status, relationship history). This data was independently processed by two postgraduate students who compiled a list of disadvantages, for a final collaborative list of 94 distinct disadvantages identified across participants.

Study 2 was likewise conducted online using Google Forms, involving 525 Greek-speaking participants. Participants were presented with the 94 disadvantages identified in Study 1, rating the importance of each disadvantage on a 5-point scale from 1 (not at all important) to 5 (very important. Participants provided demographic information as in Study 1.

The researchers conducted an exploratory factor analysis to categorize the 94 disadvantages of Study 1 into 11 broader factors or major disadvantages, including less freedom, making compromises, emotional cost, fights and tensions, routine, abusive behaviors, fear of cheating, economic dependency, obligatory monogamy, reduced focus on career, and worry about partner’s health.

These were then grouped into three key domains: conflicts and fights, compromises, and emotional burden. The most significant factors included less freedom, making compromises, emotional cost, fights and tensions, and abusive behaviors.

Women rated abusive behaviors, economic dependency, and less freedom as more critical disadvantages compared to men. Older participants considered making compromises more burdensome than younger ones. Single participants generally rated several disadvantages higher than those in relationships, suggesting they experience a heightened sensitivity to these drawbacks.

A limitation to this research is the reliance on self-report data, which may be subject to various biases such as social desirability or inaccurate recall.

Overall, this research highlights that while intimate relationships offer significant benefits, they also encompass notable disadvantages, which vary in perception based on demographic factors.

The study. “Unveiling the Shadows: An Exploratory Analysis of Perceived Disadvantages in Intimate Relationships”, was authored by Menelaos Apostolou, Eleni Iniati, Andrea Charalambous, Alexia Zalaf, and Antonios Kagialis.

URL: https://www.psypost.org/loves-downside-research-identifies-major-disadvantages-of-romantic-partnerships/

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DATE: July 16, 2024 at 06:00AM
SOURCE: PSYPOST.ORG

TITLE: Visual hallucinations in Parkinson’s disease linked to cholinergic deficiency

URL: https://www.psypost.org/visual-hallucinations-in-parkinsons-disease-linked-to-cholinergic-deficiency/

Visual hallucinations are a significant issue for many patients with Parkinson’s disease. A recent study published in the journal Brain reveals that these hallucinations are associated with a marked deficiency of cholinergic activity in specific regions of the brain, particularly the left ventral visual stream and the left superior temporal lobe. This research highlights the importance of cholinergic denervation in visual hallucinations, offering new insights into the underlying mechanisms and potential treatment options.

Parkinson’s disease is commonly associated with motor symptoms, but non-motor symptoms like visual hallucinations are also prevalent and can severely impact the quality of life. Approximately 25% of Parkinson’s patients experience visual hallucinations, which can become more common in the later stages of the disease. These hallucinations often involve seeing people or animals that are not present, adding to the disease’s complexity and burden.

Traditional views linked visual hallucinations to the side effects of dopaminergic treatments. However, recent studies suggest that dopaminergic stimulation alone does not fully explain these symptoms. Instead, researchers have proposed that deficiencies in the cholinergic system, which involves the neurotransmitter acetylcholine, may play a critical role. This study aimed to investigate the in vivo cholinergic activity in Parkinson’s patients, specifically comparing those with and without visual hallucinations, to better understand the neurochemical underpinnings of these symptoms.

“Visual hallucinations are an often under recognized problem in Parkinson’s disease. Very often they are considered be part of complications of long-term dopaminergic treatment, not resulting from underlying pathology. With this study, we wanted to assess whether presence of visual hallucinations in Parkinson’s disease is associated with cholinergic denervation and if so, which specific brain areas are involved,” explained study author Emile d’Angremont, a postdoctoral researcher at the Amsterdam University Medical Center

The research team studied 38 patients with Parkinson’s disease and 10 healthy controls. All participants underwent positron emission tomography (PET) scans using a tracer called [18F]FEOBV, which binds to the vesicular acetylcholine transporter, allowing visualization of cholinergic activity in the brain. Additionally, participants received a T1-weighted MRI scan and standardized assessments of psychotic symptoms and cognition.

Participants were divided into three groups: 13 patients who experienced visual hallucinations in the past month (VH+ group), 20 patients who never experienced visual hallucinations (VH- group), and five patients who had experienced hallucinations but not in the past month (excluded from the primary analysis).

The study revealed significant differences in cholinergic activity between Parkinson’s patients and healthy controls, as well as between patients with and without visual hallucinations.

Parkinson’s patients showed a widespread reduction in cholinergic activity compared to healthy controls. This reduction was most pronounced in the occipital lobe but extended to the parietal, temporal, and frontal lobes.

Patients experiencing visual hallucinations had significantly lower cholinergic activity in the left precuneus, left lingual gyrus, left fusiform gyrus, left inferior temporal gyrus, left middle and superior temporal gyri, and the left supramarginal gyrus compared to those without hallucinations.

These findings support the Perception and Attention Deficit (PAD) model, which suggests that visual hallucinations in Parkinson’s disease result from poor visual perception and impaired object attention, exacerbated by cholinergic hypoactivity. The results remained significant even after adjusting for cognitive scores, indicating that the observed cholinergic deficiencies were specifically related to the presence of visual hallucinations rather than general cognitive decline.

“It is likely that visual hallucinations in Parkinson’s disease are at least partly caused by cholinergic denervation, specifically in the ventral visual pathway and some brain areas related to attention,” d’Angremont told PsyPost. “These findings provides the neurochemical basis for treatment of visual hallucinations with cholinesterase inhibitors.”

Interestingly, the differences were predominantly observed in the left hemisphere of the brain. Previous studies have shown mixed results regarding hemispheric involvement in psychotic symptoms, with some suggesting left hemisphere dominance and others right hemisphere or bilateral involvement.

“We found that the differences in cholinergic tracer uptake between patients with and without hallucinations were particularly prominent in the left hemisphere,” d’Angremont said. “This was not expected and we are also unsure how to interpret this finding.”

This study, while insightful, has some limitations, including a small sample size that may limit the generalizability of the findings and potential confounding due to the more advanced disease stage in the hallucinating group. Future research could validate these findings in larger, more diverse populations, consider the role of visual acuity, and explore treatments targeting cholinergic deficiencies, such as cholinesterase inhibitors, to manage visual hallucinations in Parkinson’s disease.

“My long-term goal for this line of research to personalize Parkinson care,” d’Angremont explained. “In the future, we hope to be able to use a cholinergic biomarker, such as the PET tracer applied in this study, to identify patients who will benefit from treatment with cholinesterase inhibitors.”

The study, “Cholinergic deficiency in Parkinson’s disease patients with visual hallucinations,” was authored by Emile d’Angremont, Sygrid van der Zee, Sofie Slingerland, Anne C. Slomp, Erik F. J. de Vries, Teus van Laar, and Iris E. Sommer.

URL: https://www.psypost.org/visual-hallucinations-in-parkinsons-disease-linked-to-cholinergic-deficiency/

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DATE: July 15, 2024 at 08:00PM
SOURCE: PSYPOST.ORG

TITLE: Political ambivalence has a surprising relationship with support for violence

URL: https://www.psypost.org/political-ambivalence-has-as-surprising-relationship-with-support-for-violence/

Choices about political candidates and issues are inherently limited and imperfect, leading many people to feel mixed emotions, and even conflicting opinions, about which candidate or position they prefer.

In general, being ambivalent reduces political participation. For example, the more ambivalent a person is about candidates in an election, the less likely that person is to vote.

We are social psychologists who study how people’s beliefs affect their behavior.

In a new article in the journal Science Advances, we find something that runs counter to that trend of uninvolved ambivalence: The more ambivalent a person is about a political issue, the more likely they are to support violence and other extreme actions relating to that topic.

Ambivalent people are more supportive of extreme actions

In one study in a series we conducted, we measured the opinions of several thousand people across several surveys on one of several topics, such as abortion, gun control or COVID-19 policies. We also measured how ambivalent they were about that opinion. Then we asked about their willingness to potentially engage in various actions in support of their opinion. Some of the actions were ordinary, such as voting for candidates whom the participants agreed with, donating money or volunteering. Other actions were more extreme, such as engaging in violence against their partisan opponents.

In other studies, we examined national data collected by researchers at the Democracy Fund Voter Study Group and the Cooperative Election Study that included similar questions.

When we analyzed the links between people’s ambivalence and their willingness to engage in or support each behavior, we found that the results in all the studies depended on the behaviors’ extremity. As expected, more ambivalent people were less willing to support or engage in the moderate actions, such as voting. But contrary to our initial expectations, people who felt more ambivalent were also more willing to support or engage in the extreme actions, especially if they felt strongly about the issue.

Handling discomfort

In subsequent studies, we tried to understand why more ambivalent people express more support for extreme political actions, from confronting one’s political opponents or campaigning to get them fired to even more extreme acts, including violence.

We thought one factor might be the psychological discomfort that ambivalent people experience: When people feel uncomfortable about their beliefs, they often look for ways to compensate by signaling strength. For instance, when their beliefs are challenged, people sometimes respond by supporting them even more strongly.

Similarly, we thought ambivalent people might support extreme actions because they feel uneasy and want to signal clarity and conviction about their beliefs.

Our results were consistent with this idea that people might compensate for their discomfort by supporting extreme actions: When we asked how uncomfortable participants felt about the opinions they held on the issue, more ambivalent people reported feeling less comfortable with their views, which was also related to them supporting extreme behaviors more.

Extreme actions with real stakes

These are hypothetical behaviors, though. Are more ambivalent people actually more willing to take extreme actions?

We tested this by asking people about specific actions with real consequences. We gave participants a chance to allocate money to pro-environmental organizations known for their radical ideologies and tactics, such as sabotaging energy infrastructure and obstructing traffic – JustStopOil and EarthFirst! Alternatively, participants could opt for a chance to win some of or all the money themselves.

We found that people who were ambivalent about environmentalism allocated more money to JustStopOil and EarthFirst! than people who were not ambivalent, especially if they felt strongly about environmental issues. And this was specific to the radical charities. When given the same opportunity to donate to mainstream organizations – the Sierra Club and The Nature Conservancy – ambivalent people did not allocate more money than nonambivalent people.

We didn’t directly test why people would strongly support environmentalism despite feeling ambivalent about environmental issues. But perhaps it’s that people who worry about climate change also are concerned about the economic consequences of addressing it. Or people who struggle to make environmentally friendly choices and feel like they are not living up to their own standards. Or maybe people with a more general type of political ambivalence, such as a belief that even good policies have trade-offs.

A bigger picture

The link between ambivalence and supporting extreme actions in our studies was one of correlation – where two items are connected but the cause of that connection is not determined. So we can’t be sure ambivalence is the cause of that support. Maybe the relationship goes the other way, and supporting extreme actions makes people more ambivalent. Or maybe some other factor that we overlooked affects both.

But when we looked for evidence for these alternative explanations, we didn’t find much. For example, changing whether we asked about ambivalence before or after asking about support for the extreme actions didn’t affect the results. And although extreme behavior is related to other factors, such as tendency toward aggressiveness, even when we compared people who were equal on those other factors, ambivalence still mattered. Still, we don’t know everything about the relationship between ambivalence and extreme action.

The psychology of extreme behavior is complex. To explain its causes, many studies highlight that some people are especially susceptible to extremism, including those who struggle to regulate their emotions. Our research suggests another possibility: that some beliefs themselves have characteristics – especially ambivalence – that promote support for extreme actions.

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

URL: https://www.psypost.org/political-ambivalence-has-as-surprising-relationship-with-support-for-violence/

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DATE: July 11, 2024 at 01:21PM
SOURCE: SCIENCE DAILY PSYCHOLOGY FEED

TITLE: Seeing inside Alzheimer's disease brain

URL: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/07/240711132147.htm

Scientists investigating Alzheimer's disease have determined the structure of molecules within a human brain. Their study describes how scientists used cryo-electron tomography, guided by fluorescence microscopy, to explore deep inside an Alzheimer's disease donor brain. This gave 3-dimensional maps in which they could observe proteins within the brain.

URL: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/07/240711132147.htm

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DATE: July 11, 2024 at 01:21PM
SOURCE: SCIENCE DAILY MIND-BRAIN FEED

TITLE: Seeing inside Alzheimer's disease brain

URL: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/07/240711132147.htm

Scientists investigating Alzheimer's disease have determined the structure of molecules within a human brain. Their study describes how scientists used cryo-electron tomography, guided by fluorescence microscopy, to explore deep inside an Alzheimer's disease donor brain. This gave 3-dimensional maps in which they could observe proteins within the brain.

URL: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/07/240711132147.htm

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DATE: July 15, 2024 at 06:00PM
SOURCE: PSYPOST.ORG

TITLE: Musical pitch has a curious effect on our perception of brightness

URL: https://www.psypost.org/musical-pitch-has-a-curious-effect-on-our-perception-of-brightness/

A recent study published in the journal Psychology of Music details an intriguing interaction between the auditory and visual senses. Researchers discovered that lower-pitched music tends to make people perceive visual objects as darker, while higher-pitched music leads to perceptions of brighter visuals.

Music is a constant part of our lives, often paired with visual elements in movies, advertisements, and everyday situations. For example, think about how music sets the mood in a film or how it enhances the impact of an advertisement. While it is known that music can affect our emotions and interpretations, the researchers wanted to investigate a more specific question: Does the pitch of music (how high or low it sounds) influence how we perceive the brightness of visual objects?

Past studies have shown that our senses can influence each other. For instance, ominous music can make scenes in movies feel more threatening, and upbeat music can make products in ads seem more appealing. However, there was a gap in understanding how the specific attribute of musical pitch affects visual perception. This study aimed to fill that gap.

The study involved 30 university students from South Korea, with an average age of approximately 24 years. All participants reported normal or corrected-to-normal vision and normal hearing, and two were music degree students.

Participants sat approximately 102 cm away from an LCD monitor that displayed the visual stimuli while the music played through headphones. Each visual object was paired with either a high-pitched or low-pitched musical excerpt. The brightness of each visual object was assessed by the participants on a scale from 1 (dark) to 7 (bright) after listening to the accompanying music.

The musical stimuli consisted of 80 excerpts derived and modified from a previous study to ensure they conveyed specific emotions effectively. These pieces were adjusted to either a higher or lower pitch, resulting in 40 higher-pitched and 40 lower-pitched versions. Importantly, only the pitch was altered, while other musical attributes like tempo and harmony remained constant.

For visual stimuli, 20 different visual objects were created, including figures, numbers, letters, and runes. All visual stimuli were displayed in a uniform gray color to maintain a consistent level of brightness. The visual objects were presented against a nearly white background to minimize discomfort from screen glare.

The results indicated a significant influence of musical pitch on visual brightness judgments. Lower-pitched music led to darker brightness ratings across all categories of visual stimuli, while higher-pitched music resulted in brighter ratings. Specifically, visual objects paired with lower-pitched music had an average brightness rating of around 3.2, whereas those paired with higher-pitched music were rated around 3.5.

•Figures: Visual objects were rated at an average brightness of 3.11 with lower-pitched music, compared to 3.36 with higher-pitched music.

•

•Numbers: Brightness ratings averaged 3.29 with lower-pitched music and 3.51 with higher-pitched music.

•

•Letters: Participants rated the brightness of letters at 3.22 with lower-pitched music and 3.52 with higher-pitched music.

•

•Runes: The average brightness rating was 3.10 for lower-pitched music and 3.44 for higher-pitched music.

•

The results provide empirical evidence supporting the theory that simultaneous auditory and visual cues can influence each other, leading to a more integrated sensory experience.

“These findings are consistent with prior research showing that what we hear can modulate how we visually interpret cues,” the researchers wrote. “Previous studies have focused on the effects of musical pitch across various cognitive domains, including inference, preference, and decision-making.”

“Extending these findings, this study provides valuable insights into how pitch, as a musical feature, can shape the brightness interpretation of visual experiences. Given the intertwined and concurrent nature of musical sounds and visual events in everyday life, we believe that these findings could contribute to a deeper understanding of the intricate interplay that occurs in the human brain when processing music and visual information in daily situations.”

While the study offers valuable insights, it also has limitations. The sample consisted primarily of young adults from a university setting, which may not be representative of the general population. Additionally, the controlled environment might not fully capture the complexity of real-world sensory experiences. Future research could explore these effects in more diverse populations and everyday settings, such as busy streets or virtual reality environments.

Further investigations could also examine the neural mechanisms underlying these sensory interactions using techniques like functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Understanding whether the observed effects stem from early sensory processing or later cognitive stages would provide deeper insights into how our brains integrate auditory and visual information.

The study, “Concurrent musical pitch height biases judgment of visual brightness,” You Jeong Hong, Ahyeon Choi, Chae-Eun Lee, WooJae Cho, Sumin Yoon, and Kyogu Lee.

URL: https://www.psypost.org/musical-pitch-has-a-curious-effect-on-our-perception-of-brightness/

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DATE: July 15, 2024 at 05:16AM
SOURCE: SOCIALPSYCHOLOGY.ORG

TITLE: Calls Grow for Biden to Take a Cognitive Test: What to Know

URL: http://www.socialpsychology.org/client/redirect.php?from=rss_feed&id=181238&url=https://www.usnews.com/news/national-news/articles/2024-07-12/calls-grow-for-biden-to-take-a-cognitive-test-what-to-know

Source: U.S. News and World Report

Since President Joe Biden's poor debate performance last month, some Democratic lawmakers are calling on him to take a cognitive test to illustrate his mental capacity. Thursday night, Biden was asked during a press conference following the NATO summit if he would take a cognitive test. He said he had already taken three "significant and intense" neurological exams, one as recently as February, and added that being president is its own daily...

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DATE: July 15, 2024 at 04:00PM
SOURCE: PSYPOST.ORG

TITLE: Females with ADHD diagnosed 4 years later than males, study reveals

URL: https://www.psypost.org/females-with-adhd-diagnosed-4-years-later-than-males-study-reveals/

A recent study published in the Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry reveals that females with ADHD are diagnosed approximately four years later than males, potentially leading to a higher burden of concurrent psychiatric conditions and increased utilization of healthcare services.

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a lifelong condition characterized by symptoms of impulsivity, hyperactivity, and inattention. The disorder is associated with increased behaviors and consequences such as sexual risk-taking, substance use disorders, criminality, and academic underachievement.

Previous research has shown that ADHD is often underdiagnosed in females, with estimates of roughly 3 to 16 males being diagnosed for every female.

Concerned with the potential of significant challenges during the formative years and beyond, the research team embarked on this study to explore the diagnostic delay in females with ADHD and to assess the impact of this delay on their health outcomes.

Led by Charlotte Skoglund from Uppsala University in Sweden, the group conducted a population-based, cross-sectional cohort study involving 85,330 individuals with ADHD living in Stockholm County, using data from the Regional Healthcare Data Warehouse of Region Stockholm.

These individuals were required to possess at least one record of ADHD diagnosis and/or stimulant or non-stimulant medication for ADHD, and were matched to 426,626 healthy controls from the population.

The main measurement outcome was age at ADHD-index (i.e. ADHD diagnosis). Psychiatric comorbidity, pharmacological treatment, and health care utilization, prior to and after ADHD-index, were also measured.

Following statistical analysis, the researchers found that females with ADHD were diagnosed at an average age of 23.5 years, compared to 19.6 years for males.

Moreover, the results demonstrated that psychiatric comorbidity was more common: “females with ADHD were approximately twice as likely compared to males with ADHD to be diagnosed with both anxiety disorders (50.4% vs. 25.9%) and mood disorders (37.5% vs. 19.5%).”

Skoglund and colleagues also reported higher pharmacological treatment, “five years prior to ADHD-index females showed a higher use of anticonvulsants, neuroleptics, sedatives, and hypnotics, as well as psychoanaleptics, compared to males… Two years after index, females with ADHD still showed a significantly higher use of anticonvulsants, neuroleptics, sedatives, hypnotics, and psychoanaleptics, compared to males with ADHD.”

Finally, an increased healthcare utilization was evident, “females with ADHD were more likely than males with ADHD to have both an in- and outpatient psychiatric health care event across the entire study period.”

The researchers emphasized that “early detection, diagnosis, and treatment are important to reduce the risk of serious distress, morbidity, mortality, and impairments in life.”

However, it is important to note that the study only included data captured from publicly-funded registry, which may not capture individuals who are not in contact with health care services. The researchers also noted that the severity of different disorders were not measured.

The study, “Time after time: failure to identify and support females with ADHD – a Swedish population register study”, was authored by Charlotte Skoglund, Inger Sundstrom Poromaa, Daniel Leksell, Katarina Ekholm Selling, Thomas Cars, Maibritt Giacobini, Susan Young, and Helena Kopp Kallner.

URL: https://www.psypost.org/females-with-adhd-diagnosed-4-years-later-than-males-study-reveals/

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DATE: July 15, 2024 at 10:35AM
SOURCE: SCIENCE DAILY PSYCHOLOGY FEED

TITLE: Origins of creativity in the brain

URL: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/07/240715103538.htm

New results could ultimately help lead to interventions that spark creative thought or aid people who have mental illnesses that disrupt these regions of the brain.

URL: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/07/240715103538.htm

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