http://medicalxpress.com/ en-us Medical Xpress internet news portal provides the latest news on Health and Medicine. Vertebrates are predisposed to act to gain rewards, and to lay low to avoid punishment. Try to teach chickens to back away from food in order to obtain it, and you'll fail, as researchers did in 1986. But (some) humans are better thinkers than chickens. In the May 8 edition of the Journal of Neuroscience, researchers show that the level of theta brainwave activity in the prefrontal cortex predicts whether people will be able to overcome these ingrained biases when doing so is required to achieve a goal. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-05-theta-brainwaves-ability-built-in-bias.html Neuroscience Tue, 07 May 2013 17:00:05 EST news287141209 People with an Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) often have trouble communicating and interacting with others because they process language, facial expressions and social cues differently. Previously, researchers found that propranolol, a drug commonly used to treat high blood pressure, anxiety and panic, could improve the language abilities and social functioning of people with an ASD. Now, University of Missouri investigators say the prescription drug also could help improve the working memory abilities of individuals with autism. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-04-drug-memory-people-autism.html Autism spectrum disorders Mon, 15 Apr 2013 16:26:16 EST news285261970 (HealthDay)—When doctors use quick-and-easy disease labels to sum up symptoms of concern in an otherwise healthy infant, parents are more apt to want to treat their child with some type of medication, even if they're told that drugs won't help, new research says. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-04-parents-medication-doc.html Pediatrics Mon, 01 Apr 2013 11:50:01 EST news284031567 (Medical Xpress)—Young adults in abusive and controlling dating relationships were happier when their relationships were over than they expected to be, according to a Purdue University study. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-03-young-people-abusive-dating-relationships.html Psychology & Psychiatry Wed, 20 Mar 2013 07:30:02 EST news282982273 Tending to older loved ones who have bold personalities may be harmful to their caregivers' physical health, report Cornell researchers. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-03-elders-poorer-health.html Health Fri, 01 Mar 2013 09:00:01 EST news281348803 Our love of music and appreciation of musical harmony is learnt and not based on natural ability – a new study by University of Melbourne researchers has found. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-02-musical-harmony-nature-nurture.html Neuroscience Thu, 14 Feb 2013 09:36:19 EST news280056931 Health care practitioners now can access patients' data using electronic medical records, which often include information systems that assess individuals' medical histories and clinical research to facilitate doctors' diagnoses. A University of Missouri researcher says the increased use of computerized clinical decision support systems (CDSSs) leads to greater patient dissatisfaction and could increase noncompliance with preventative care and treatment recommendations. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-01-digital-diagnostic-tools-patient-dissatisfaction.html Health Thu, 24 Jan 2013 15:43:36 EST news278264602 (Medical Xpress)—On the surface, obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) and attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) appear very similar, with impaired attention, memory, or behavioral control. But Prof. Reuven Dar of Tel Aviv University's School of Psychological Sciences argues that these two neuropsychological disorders have very different roots—and there are enormous consequences if they are mistaken for each other. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-12-ocd-adhd-consequences.html Psychology & Psychiatry Tue, 18 Dec 2012 13:19:58 EST news275059175 (Medical Xpress)—From monsters under the bed to bogeymen in the closet, most children experience nighttime fears at some point in their development. And while most grow out of them without any professional intervention, others contend with persistent and extended periods of these fears, with a risk of developing anxiety problems later in life. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-11-fantasy-reality-primary-childhood-nighttime.html Psychology & Psychiatry Tue, 13 Nov 2012 15:02:27 EST news272041332 Decision-making is an inevitable part of the human experience, and one of the most mysterious. For centuries, scientists have studied how we go about the difficult task of choosing A or B, left or right, North or South—and how both instinct and intellect figure into the process. Now new research indicates that the old truism "look before you leap" may be less true than previously thought. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-11-decisions-based-instinct-surprisingly-positive.html Psychology & Psychiatry Thu, 08 Nov 2012 13:03:42 EST news271602193 During adolescence, the stories young people tell about themselves reflects their development of a personal identity and sense of self, and those autobiographical narratives vary depending on the teens' gender, according to a University of Missouri psychologist and her colleagues. Parents can use this knowledge of how teens talk about themselves to help understand the tumultuous transitions of their children into adults. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-09-teens-tales-gender.html Psychology & Psychiatry Wed, 05 Sep 2012 15:36:12 EST news266078160 How would you respond if someone told you that you have a very dedicated son and that he got the scholarship he most wished? Or that the company you worked for made great profits and you will receive a good salary raise? http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-09-neural-signature-affiliative-human-brain.html Neuroscience Tue, 04 Sep 2012 17:20:01 EST news265972354 Bilingual children outperform children who speak only one language in problem-solving skills and creative thinking, according to research led at the University of Strathclyde. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-08-bilingualism-mental-agility.html Psychology & Psychiatry Fri, 03 Aug 2012 15:06:24 EST news263225149 A recent study of adults age 50 to 85 found that only 19 percent of those diagnosed with lung disease quit smoking within two years. Furthermore, the research showed that the vast majority of older adults who learn they have a chronic condition do not adopt healthier behaviors, according to data presented in the Journals of Gerontology Series B: Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-07-seniors-illness-tough-habits.html Health Tue, 31 Jul 2012 14:46:07 EST news262964711 So far it has seemed an irreparable limitation of human perception that we strain to perceive things in the very rapid succession of, say, less than half a second. Psychologists call this deficit "attentional blink." We'll notice that first car spinning out in our path, but maybe not register the one immediately beyond it. It turns out, we can learn to do better after all. In a new study researchers now based at Brown University overcame the blink with just a little bit of training that was never been tried before. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-07-recognition-quickly.html Psychology & Psychiatry Mon, 09 Jul 2012 15:00:29 EST news261064473 Human brains process large and small numbers of objects using two different mechanisms, but infants have not yet developed the ability to make those two processes work together, according to new research from the University of Missouri. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-06-infants-distinguish-large-small-groups.html Psychology & Psychiatry Tue, 19 Jun 2012 11:43:42 EST news259324975 According to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America, one in eight children suffers from an anxiety disorder. And because many anxious children turn into severely anxious adults, early intervention can have a major impact on a patient's life trajectory. The understandable reluctance to use psychiatric medications when it comes to children means child psychologists are always searching for viable therapeutic alternatives. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-06-childhood-anxiety-drugs.html Psychology & Psychiatry Mon, 11 Jun 2012 13:10:40 EST news258639006 Many young adults explore and define their sexual identity in college, but that process can be stressful and lead to risky behaviors. In a new study, students whose sexual self-definition didn't fall into exclusively heterosexual or homosexual categories tended to misuse alcohol more frequently than people who had a firmly defined sexual orientation for a particular gender, according to University of Missouri researchers. These findings could be used to improve support programs for sexual minorities. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-06-sexual-fluctuation-alcohol-misuse.html Addiction Wed, 06 Jun 2012 13:51:39 EST news258209493 Playing make-believe is more than a childhood pasttime. According to psychologists, it's also crucial to building creativity, giving a child the ability to consider alternative realities and perspectives. And this type of thinking is essential to future development, aiding interpersonal and problem-solving skills and the ability to invent new theories and concepts. That has been shown to be a component of future professional success in fields from the arts to the sciences and business. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-05-creativity-children-galaxy.html Psychology & Psychiatry Thu, 17 May 2012 11:42:31 EST news256473744 The sayings "variety is the spice of life" and "happiness isn't getting what you want, but wanting what you get" seem to have a psychological basis, according to a new study by an MU psychologist who identified two keys to becoming happier and staying that way. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-05-happiness-mu-people-good-great.html Psychology & Psychiatry Mon, 07 May 2012 11:50:03 EST news255609516 Accusations of racism accompanying the death of Trayvon Martin and the subsequent actions of Florida police are prevalent in the national media this week. Many are questioning the psychological motivations of everyone involved. Recent research by University of Missouri Professor of Psychological Sciences Bruce D. Bartholow has shown that consuming alcohol can lead to increased expression of racial bias. A new study by Bartholow and his colleague, Elena Stepanova of Florida Gulf Coast University, shows that simply being exposed to alcohol-related images can have similar effects, even when no alcohol is consumed. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-03-racial-stereotyping-exposed-alcohol-related-images.html Psychology & Psychiatry Tue, 27 Mar 2012 10:56:01 EST news252064528 (Medical Xpress) -- People who take Ritalin are far more aware of their mistakes, a University of Melbourne study has found. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-02-insights-brain.html Psychology & Psychiatry Fri, 24 Feb 2012 05:35:07 EST news249284094 Life shrouds most choices in mystery. Some people inch toward a comfortable enough spot and stick close to that rewarding status quo. Out to dinner, they order the usual. Others consider their options systematically or randomly. But many choose to grapple with the uncertainty head on. "Explorers" order the special because they aren't sure they'll like it. It's a strategy of maximizing rewards by discovering whether as yet unexplored options might yield better returns. In a new study, Brown University researchers show that such explorers use a specific part of their brain to calculate the relative uncertainty of their choices, while non-explorers do not. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-02-explorers-embrace-uncertainty-choices-specific.html Neuroscience Wed, 08 Feb 2012 12:00:05 EST news247918484 While it may appear that infants are helpless creatures that only blink, eat, cry and sleep, one University of Missouri researcher says that studies indicate infant brains come equipped with knowledge of "intuitive physics." http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-01-babies-born-intuitive-physics-knowledge.html Psychology & Psychiatry Tue, 24 Jan 2012 10:58:42 EST news246625113 (Medical Xpress) -- It's official: older adults are naturally inclined to drive in the middle of the road, leaving the younger generation to cut corners. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-01-mid-lane-older-adults-safe.html Psychology & Psychiatry Wed, 04 Jan 2012 08:31:38 EST news244888276 When a person with mild cognitive impairment is agitated or restless, caregivers can expect to find they are more edgy as well. According to research conducted at Virginia Tech, the more a caregiver's day is disrupted by the unsettled behaviors of their loved one, the more they find themselves unable to meet or balance their own home and family work loads. This heightens the effect of elevated stress levels on their own bodies, placing caregivers at risk for current and future health problems. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-11-caregivers-health-problems.html Psychology & Psychiatry Mon, 28 Nov 2011 14:15:48 EST news241712136 More than 20 years ago, Charles Borduin, a University of Missouri researcher, developed a treatment for juvenile offenders that has become one of the most widely used evidence-based treatments in the world. Now, he has found that the treatment continues to have positive effects on former participants more than 20 years after treatment. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-11-treatment-juvenile-positive-results-years.html Psychology & Psychiatry Thu, 17 Nov 2011 14:08:55 EST news240761325 This year, more than 230,000 women will be diagnosed with breast cancer and nearly 40,000 women will not survive their battle with cancer, according to the American Cancer Society. New research from the University of Missouri shows that certain factors, including marital status, having children in the home, income level and age, affect the likelihood of depression in breast cancer survivors. Further, depressed patients are less likely to adhere to medication regimens, potentially complicating the progress of their treatment. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-11-link-depression-breast-cancer-outcomes.html Psychology & Psychiatry Wed, 02 Nov 2011 17:21:24 EST news239473253 Take your time. Hold your horses. Sleep on it. When people must decide between arguably equal choices, they need time to deliberate. In the case of people undergoing deep brain stimulation (DBS) for Parkinson's disease, that process sometimes doesn't kick in, leading to impulsive behavior. New research into why that happens has led scientists to a detailed explanation of how the brain devotes time to reflect on tough choices. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-09-deep-brain-tough-choices.html Neuroscience Sun, 25 Sep 2011 13:18:25 EST news236175492 A new University of Missouri study finds that boys feel that discussing problems is a waste of time. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-08-males-discussing-problems.html Psychology & Psychiatry Mon, 22 Aug 2011 15:24:52 EST news233245477