Brain | Page 1383 | Science Codex

Forecasting PTSD could prevent military-related suicides, say researchers

According to a recent Washington Post study, approximately 20% of U.S. soldiers returning from Iraq and Afghanistan are psychologically damaged. Among them are a substantial number with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and the high rate of suicide among PTSD sufferers has become unacceptable to Army commanders and the soldiers' families.

Thanks to new research from Tel Aviv University, however, doctors will now be able to forecast a soldier's chances of falling prey to PTSD, with the chance of intervening to prevent military-related suicides.

Vitamin C deficiency could impair early brain development

New research at LIFE – Faculty of Life Sciences at University of Copenhagen shows that vitamin C deficiency may impair the mental development of new-born babies.

Tracing the evolutionary roots of musical emotions

MADISON – Music is one of the surest ways to influence human emotions; most people unconsciously recognize and respond to music that is happy, sad, fearful or mellow. But psychologists who have tried to trace the evolutionary roots of these responses usually hit a dead end. Nonhuman primates scarcely respond to human music, and instead prefer silence.

UB education expert urges schools to help their students feel more involved

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- New research from a University at Buffalo expert on classroom education has identified six factors that affect whether elementary, middle and high school students will engage in the activities of their schools or feel alienated.

Students who feel "disengaged" from school are at greater risk for dropping out, avoiding challenging courses, scoring low on standardized achievement tests and achieving less as adults, according to researcher Jeremy D. Finn, professor of counseling, school and educational psychology in the UB Graduate School of Education.

New approaches to military physical and mental health explored

KANSAS CITY, MO — September 1, 2009 — New peer-reviewed research on military health issues is being presented this week at the Military Health Research Forum (MHRF), a scientific meeting hosted by the Department of Defense Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs (CDMRP). The studies focus on topics including potential treatments for spinal cord injury, nutrition's impact on cognitive performance in pilots and the effectiveness of a family-based reintegration program.

Progress made in traumatic brain injury treatment and diagnosis

KANSAS CITY, MO — September 1, 2009 — New research on traumatic brain injury (TBI) is being presented this week at the Military Health Research Forum (MHRF), a scientific meeting hosted by the Department of Defense (DOD) Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs (CDMRP). Service men and women are particularly susceptible to TBI given the nature of combat.

Innovative therapies for treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder

KANSAS CITY, MO — September 1, 2009 — New research on post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is being presented this week at the Military Health Research Forum (MHRF), a scientific conference hosted by the Department of Defense (DOD) Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs (CDMRP). Depending on the conflict in which they served, 10 to 30 percent of soldiers who have spent time in war zones experience the debilitating and life-altering symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

Scientists identify gene that predicts post-surgical survival from brain metastasis of breast cancer patients

PHILADELPHIA – Researchers at the National Cancer Institute have identified a gene that may play a role in breast cancer metastasis to the brain, according to a report in Molecular Cancer Research, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research.

Diane Palmieri, Ph.D., a staff scientist at the NCI, said Hexokinase 2 overexpression was more highly expressed in brain metastasis in patients with breast cancer than in primary breast tumors.

"Death receptor" in cells is ominous of drug-resistance

Malignant brain tumors often fail to respond to promising new medication. Researchers in Heidelberg have discovered a mechanism and a tumor marker for the development of this resistance. A "death receptor" can possibly provide information as to how great the chances of success are for chemotherapy. At the same time, it offers a new approach for promising brain tumor therapy.

Tetris - good for the brain, says study

Brain imaging shows playing Tetris leads to a thicker cortex and may also increase brain efficiency, according to research published in the open access journal BMC Research Notes. A research team based in New Mexico is one of the first to investigate the effects of practice in the brain using two image techniques.

Impact of positive parenting can last for generations

CORVALLIS, Ore. – A new study that looks at data on three generations of Oregon families shows that "positive parenting" – including factors such as warmth, monitoring children's activities, involvement, and consistency of discipline – not only has positive impacts on adolescents, but on the way they parent their own children.

Chemotherapy for breast cancer is associated with disruption of sleep-wake rhythm in women

Westchester, Ill. —A study in the Sept.1 issue of the journal Sleep shows that the sleep-wake activity rhythms of breast cancer patients are impaired during the administration of chemotherapy. Results indicate that the first cycle of chemotherapy is associated with a temporary disruption of these rhythms, while repeated administration of chemotherapy results in progressively worse and more enduring impairments.

Breast cancer intervention reduces depression, inflammation

A psychological intervention for newly diagnosed breast cancer patients with symptoms of depression not only relieves patients' depression but also lowers indicators of inflammation in the blood.

Those are the findings of a new study by researchers at the Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center - James Cancer Hospital and Solove Research Institute (OSUCCC-James) and the Ohio State University Department of Psychology involving patients with stage II or III breast cancer.

Take it from these rodents: relationships come down to chemistry

Researchers at the Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Emory University, have demonstrated that prairie voles may be a useful model in understanding the neurochemistry of social behavior. By influencing early social experience in prairie voles, researchers hope to gain greater insight into what aspects of early social experience drive diversity in adult social behavior. The study is in Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience and is focused on the long-term impact of early life experiences.

Neuroscientists find brain region responsible for our sense of 'personal space'

Pasadena, Calif.—In a finding that sheds new light on the neural mechanisms involved in social behavior, neuroscientists at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) have pinpointed the brain structure responsible for our sense of personal space.

The discovery, described in the August 30 issue of the journal Nature Neuroscience, could offer insight into autism and other disorders where social distance is an issue.