Feature Channels: Psychology and Psychiatry

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You may not realize it, but each time you recall a memory—like your first time riding a bike or walking into your high school prom—your brain changes the memory ever so slightly. It’s almost like adding an Instagram filter, with details being filled in and information being updated or lost with each recall.

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Irvine, Calif., Oct. 3, 2022 – The National Institutes of Health is awarding nearly $4.7 million over five years to support research teams from University of California campuses in Irvine, Berkeley and San Francisco who are collaborating on a new project that will combine peer support with the use of a digital platform to better serve the mental health needs of Latino patients with limited English proficiency.

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A research finding in mice that gabapentin improved rehab compliance after spinal cord injury led scientists to a related, unexpected discovery: Injured mice that didn’t receive the drug and declined to exercise by themselves were willing to hop on the treadmill for a group rehab option.

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Mayo Clinic researchers have discovered that people with major depressive disorder and a history of attempted suicide have distinct biomarkers that correlate with their response to antidepressant therapy. The new findings, published in Frontiers Pharmacology, are key to individualized treatment strategies and early identification of patients who are at the highest risk for suicide.

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Research by a University of Illinois Chicago social psychologist and colleagues shows that both Democrats and Republicans personally value core democratic principles, such as free and fair elections, but severely underestimate opposing party members’ support for those same characteristics

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Led By Sam McLean, MD, MPH, director of the UNC Institute for Trauma Recovery, researchers have established an $8-million initiative funded through the U.S. Department of Defense to overcome this lack of understanding.

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A research team led by faculty at the Florida State University College of Medicine found the COVID-19 pandemic appeared to cause personality changes, especially in younger adults.

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The common, inexpensive supplement was linked with a 44% reduction in suicide attempts and self-harm.

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Dogs could differentiate breath and sweat samples from people before and after a stress-inducing task.

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Published in Nature, this research in animal models show it’s possible to create a compound that hits the same exact target as psychedelic drugs hit – the 5-HT2A serotonin receptors on the surface of specific neurons – but does not cause the same psychedelic effects when given to mice.

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A reduced ability to feel pain in one's own body leads to a reduced willingness to help others who feel pain. This result of a study published in Psychological Science by cognitive psychologists at the University of Vienna led by Claus Lamm and Helena Hartmann points beyond the individual effects of pain medication to its social costs.

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Here are some of the latest articles that have been posted in the Guns and Violence channel on Newswise.

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Irvine, Calif., Sept. 26, 2022 — Our ability to think, decide, remember recent events and more, comes from our brain’s neocortex. Now University of California, Irvine neuroscientists have discovered key aspects of the mechanisms behind these functions. Their findings could ultimately help improve treatments for certain neuropsychiatric disorders and brain injuries.

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Women who experience anxiety about their pregnancies give birth earlier on average than those who don’t, according to research published by the American Psychological Association.

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Children have a secret power that helps them avoid a “learning trap” that adults may sometimes fall into: Kids just can’t focus their attention.

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Up to 1 in 5 women in the postpartum period will experience a mental health disorder like postpartum depression or generalized anxiety disorder. How an organization handles a mother’s return to work can have a significant impact on her mental health, according to new research from the University of Georgia.

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Subimal Chatterjee, a distinguished teaching professor in Binghamton University’s School of Management, explains what drives fans to pay high prices for concerts, and how dynamic pricing can frustrate buyers.

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A new study, published in Frontiers in Psychology, has examined the impact passive screen use has on a young child’s cognitive development. It found screen exposure - whether that be from a TV or mobile device – can be beneficial, depending on the context in which it’s viewed.

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COVID exacted a huge toll on the wellbeing of health care workers. Already struggling with high levels of emotional exhaustion going into the pandemic, the problem grew even worse after two years of managing the crisis. Nurses have been especially hard hit.

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Key differences in male and female mice brains provide new insights into how sex determines the mechanisms by which distinct synapses monitor and regulate dopamine signaling. The impact of sex differences is particularly pronounced when the mice express a human genetic variant found in boys with either ADHD or autism. Behavioral generalizations across the sexes may limit diagnosis of mental illness, especially if one sex translates alterations into outward signs such as hyperactivity and aggression vs. more internal manifestations such as learning, memory and mood, even when the same molecular pathology is at work.

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We aren’t very good at predicting what will make us happy. That is one finding from a study by Basel economists.

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Being in “poor health” is far more than just a saying, according to a new University of Michigan study. In fact, adults’ risk of serious financial problems rises directly with the number of chronic health conditions they have, the study of medical and financial data from nearly 3 million privately insured adults finds.

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One of every four children in the United States has a parent wrestling with drug or alcohol addiction, based on national data, and is at risk of developing a substance use disorder later in life. To break that cycle and give adults in those kids’ lives the tools to make a difference, West Virginia University’s Project TRAIN has expanded its program, originally focused on enabling K-12 teachers to support students affected by addiction, to youth camps statewide.

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Drawing on social role theory, researchers sought to understand the nature and causes of gender bias in student evaluations of teaching (SETs) by looking at student evaluations of faculty at two time periods in the semester. The study found that bias is driven by backlash against female faculty after the first exam grade is received.

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The majority of adolescents and teens are self-conscious about their appearance, a new national poll suggests.

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A rooftop space transformed into an outdoor garden at the Syracuse VA Medical Center by the SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry (ESF) has been impacting the lives of veterans for 10 years.