- August 16, 2016
- 05:01 PM
- 1 view
A dog's dilemma: Do canines prefer praise or food?
by Dr. Jekyll in Lunatic Laboratories
A new study suggests that given the choice, many dogs prefer praise from their owners over food. The study is one of the first to combine brain-imaging data with behavioral experiments to explore canine reward preferences.
... Read more »
Cook, P., Prichard, A., Spivak, M., & Berns, G. (2016) Awake Canine fMRI Predicts Dogs’ Preference for Praise Versus Food. Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience. DOI: 10.1093/scan/nsw102
- August 16, 2016
- 10:43 AM
- 24 views
The Angry Silence
by AG McCluskey in Zongo's Cancer Diaries
The experience of cancer patients has changed in many ways over the last 30 years. One massive improvement is that patients can talk about their diseases more freely.
And this may not just make them feel better, it might help to make them better too.......... Read more »
Lutgendorf, S., & Andersen, B. (2015) Biobehavioral approaches to cancer progression and survival: Mechanisms and interventions. American Psychologist, 70(2), 186-197. DOI: 10.1037/a0035730
MacMillan Cancer Support. (2016) Cancer: Then and Now. Diagnosis, treatment and aftercare from 1970–2016. MacMillan Cancer Support. info:/
- August 16, 2016
- 04:36 AM
- 44 views
Group A Streptococcal infections and paediatric neuropsychiatric disorders: Taiwan style
by Paul Whiteley in Questioning Answers
There they go again. Taiwan and their 'big data' publishing, yet again, some rather interesting population-based research trends derived from data from the National Health Insurance Research Database (NHIRD).This time around it is the paper by Han-Cheng Wang and colleagues [1] and the hypothesis to evaluate the "association between group A streptococcal (GAS) infections and the risks of developing tic disorders, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disord........ Read more »
Wang, H., Lau, C., Lin, C., Chang, A., & Kao, C. (2016) Group A Streptococcal Infections Are Associated With Increased Risk of Pediatric Neuropsychiatric Disorders. The Journal of Clinical Psychiatry. DOI: 10.4088/JCP.14m09728
- August 15, 2016
- 02:44 PM
- 55 views
Prostitution has gone online -- and pimps are thriving
by Dr. Jekyll in Lunatic Laboratories
With the sale of sex shifting online, today's pimps are avoiding police detection by using underground websites, social media, mobile apps and even by hiding their ads on mainstream sites such as Craigslist and Backpage. In a first-of-its-kind study, criminologists interviewed 71 pimps in Atlanta and Chicago to determine how their marketing decisions are influenced by police enforcement of online prostitution.
... Read more »
Finn, M., & Stalans, L. (2016) How Targeted Enforcement Shapes Marketing Decisions of Pimps: Evidence of Displacement and Innovation. Victims , 1-22. DOI: 10.1080/15564886.2016.1187694
- August 15, 2016
- 04:09 AM
- 49 views
Offending behaviour and ADHD
by Paul Whiteley in Questioning Answers
"Although some associations between ADHD [attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder] and offending may be accounted for by co-morbidity with substance use disorders, early onset of offending and repeated violent offending appear to be directly related to ADHD."That was the conclusion reached by Jan Román-Ithier and colleagues [1] reporting on their study designed to "examine correlates of childhood ADHD symptoms among prisoners." Based on a sample adult prison population (N=1179) where........ Read more »
Román-Ithier, J., González, R., Vélez-Pastrana, M., González-Tejera, G., & Albizu-García, C. (2016) Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder symptoms, type of offending and recidivism in a prison population: The role of substance dependence. Criminal Behaviour and Mental Health. DOI: 10.1002/cbm.2009
- August 14, 2016
- 05:40 PM
- 65 views
Exercise can tackle symptoms of schizophrenia
by Dr. Jekyll in Lunatic Laboratories
Aerobic exercise can significantly help people coping with the long-term mental health condition schizophrenia, according to a new study. Through combining data from 10 independent clinical trials with a total of 385 patients with schizophrenia, Joseph Firth found that around 12 weeks of aerobic exercise training can significant improve patients' brain functioning.
... Read more »
Firth, J., Stubbs, B., Rosenbaum, S., Vancampfort, D., Malchow, B., Schuch, F., Elliott, R., Nuechterlein, K., & Yung, A. (2016) Aerobic Exercise Improves Cognitive Functioning in People With Schizophrenia: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Schizophrenia Bulletin. DOI: 10.1093/schbul/sbw115
- August 13, 2016
- 02:43 PM
- 91 views
Intestinal flora effects drug response
by Dr. Jekyll in Lunatic Laboratories
Intestinal flora has multiple influences on human health, but researchers have revealed that it is also likely to have an effect on the body's response to drugs. Recent research suggests that changes in the intestinal flora, caused by antibacterial and antibiotic drugs or individual differences between people, may have an effect on a person's response to drugs including side effects. The research focused on the changes in proteins due to the condition of intestinal flora that affect th........ Read more »
Kuno, T., Hirayama-Kurogi, M., Ito, S., & Ohtsuki, S. (2016) Effect of Intestinal Flora on Protein Expression of Drug-Metabolizing Enzymes and Transporters in the Liver and Kidney of Germ-Free and Antibiotics-Treated Mice. Molecular Pharmaceutics, 13(8), 2691-2701. DOI: 10.1021/acs.molpharmaceut.6b00259
- August 13, 2016
- 03:26 AM
- 87 views
Inflammation is part of Gulf War Syndrome
by Paul Whiteley in Questioning Answers
Although mostly trying to avoid any politics-talk on this blog I am going to make some reference to it in this post set in the context of the Persian Gulf War otherwise known at the First Iraq War.The recent publication of the Chilcot report describing the case for the UK's involvement in the 2003 Iraq War (the second Iraq War) has further lit up an already illuminating year in British politics, by perhaps adding fuel to the notion that 'finishing the job' might have been an ........ Read more »
Johnson GJ, Slater BC, Leis LA, Rector TS, & Bach RR. (2016) Blood Biomarkers of Chronic Inflammation in Gulf War Illness. PloS one, 11(6). PMID: 27352030
- August 12, 2016
- 03:37 PM
- 121 views
Sugar addiction: Discovery of a brain sugar switch
by Dr. Jekyll in Lunatic Laboratories
Researchers have discovered that our brain actively takes sugar from the blood. Prior to this, researchers around the world had assumed that this was a purely passive process. An international team reports that transportation of sugar into the brain is regulated by so-called glial cells that react to hormones such as insulin or leptin; previously it was thought that this was only possible for neurons.
... Read more »
García-Cáceres, C., Quarta, C., Varela, L., Gao, Y., Gruber, T., Legutko, B., Jastroch, M., Johansson, P., Ninkovic, J., Yi, C.... (2016) Astrocytic Insulin Signaling Couples Brain Glucose Uptake with Nutrient Availability. Cell, 166(4), 867-880. DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2016.07.028
- August 12, 2016
- 06:52 AM
- 116 views
Discovering a glaring error in a research paper – a personal account
by Richard Kunert in Brain's Idea
New York Magazine has published a great article about how grad student Steven Ludeke tried to correct mistakes in the research of Pete Hatemi and Brad Verhulst. Overall, Ludeke summarises his experience as ‘not recommendable’. Back in my undergraduate years I spotted an error in an article by David DeMatteo and did little to correct it. […]... Read more »
DeMatteo, D., Heilbrun, K., & Marczyk, G. (2006) An empirical investigation of psychopathy in a noninstitutionalized and noncriminal sample. Behavioral Sciences , 24(2), 133-146. DOI: 10.1002/bsl.667
Gao, Y., & Raine, A. (2010) Successful and unsuccessful psychopaths: A neurobiological model. Behavioral Sciences . DOI: 10.1002/bsl.924
Kunert, R. (2016) Internal conceptual replications do not increase independent replication success. Psychonomic Bulletin . DOI: 10.3758/s13423-016-1030-9
Rucević S. (2010) Psychopathic personality traits and delinquent and risky sexual behaviors in Croatian sample of non-referred boys and girls. Law and human behavior, 34(5), 379-91. PMID: 19728057
Ullrich, S., Farrington, D., & Coid, J. (2008) Psychopathic personality traits and life-success. Personality and Individual Differences, 44(5), 1162-1171. DOI: 10.1016/j.paid.2007.11.008
- August 12, 2016
- 05:10 AM
- 90 views
Simulation study suggests that mutations induce conformational changes in FLCN - possible cause of Birt-Hogg-Dubé syndrome
by Joana Guedes in BHD Research Blog
Germline mutations of the folliculin gene are normally responsible for Birt–Hogg–Dubé (BHD) syndrome. The 3D structure of the C-terminal domain of folliculin (FLCN), folliculin-CT, has been previously determined (Nookala et al., 2012). FLCN is a tumor suppressor and a guanine nucleotide exchange factor (GEF) for Rab35. GEF activity of FLCN towards its GTPase might be essential for cellular processes. Most of the reported FLCN mutations lead to the BHD phenotype (Lim et al., 20........ Read more »
Verma S, Tyagi C, Goyal S, Pandey B, Jamal S, Singh A, & Grover A. (2016) Mutations induce conformational changes in folliculin C-terminal domain: possible cause of loss of guanine exchange factor activity and Birt-Hogg-Dubé syndrome. Journal of biomolecular structure , 1-6. PMID: 27484154
- August 12, 2016
- 04:22 AM
- 94 views
Anti-psychotics for non-psychotic issues
by Paul Whiteley in Questioning Answers
A bit of a lazy post for you today with lots of quotes based on the findings reported by Ragnar Nesvåg and colleagues [1] asking some important questions about 'off-label' use of antipsychotics.Drawing on population-based data from Norway concerning "which substances, and for which mental disorder diagnoses, antipsychotic drugs were prescribed to 0–18-year-old boys and girls" the conclusions drawn make for some interesting reading.So: "In total, 0.18% of Norwegian children and adolescent........ Read more »
Nesvåg, R., Hartz, I., Bramness, J., Hjellvik, V., Handal, M., & Skurtveit, S. (2016) Mental disorder diagnoses among children and adolescents who use antipsychotic drugs. European Neuropsychopharmacology. DOI: 10.1016/j.euroneuro.2016.07.001
- August 11, 2016
- 08:30 PM
- 102 views
Acupuncture vs intravenous morphine in the management of acute pain in the ED
by Rogue Medic in Rogue Medic
Should we have people providing "fake" acupuncture in the Emergency Department?
If so, how should we do this?
Since it is not the acupuncture, but the patient's reaction to the "ceremony of the placebo" that appears to be providing the pain relief, how many different ways might we vary the "treatment" to improve the placebo effect?... Read more »
Grissa, M., Baccouche, H., Boubaker, H., Beltaief, K., Bzeouich, N., Fredj, N., Msolli, M., Boukef, R., Bouida, W., & Nouira, S. (2016) Acupuncture vs intravenous morphine in the management of acute pain in the ED. The American Journal of Emergency Medicine. DOI: 10.1016/j.ajem.2016.07.028
Espay, A., Norris, M., Eliassen, J., Dwivedi, A., Smith, M., Banks, C., Allendorfer, J., Lang, A., Fleck, D., Linke, M.... (2015) Placebo effect of medication cost in Parkinson disease: A randomized double-blind study. Neurology, 84(8), 794-802. DOI: 10.1212/WNL.0000000000001282
Waber RL, Shiv B, Carmon Z, Ariely D. (2008) Commercial Features of Placebo and Therapeutic Efficacy. JAMA, 299(9), 1016. DOI: 10.1001/jama.299.9.1016
Ee, C., Xue, C., Chondros, P., Myers, S., French, S., Teede, H., & Pirotta, M. (2016) Acupuncture for Menopausal Hot Flashes. Annals of Internal Medicine, 164(3), 146. DOI: 10.7326/M15-1380
Cherkin, D., Sherman, K., Avins, A., Erro, J., Ichikawa, L., Barlow, W., Delaney, K., Hawkes, R., Hamilton, L., Pressman, A.... (2009) A Randomized Trial Comparing Acupuncture, Simulated Acupuncture, and Usual Care for Chronic Low Back Pain. Archives of Internal Medicine, 169(9), 858. DOI: 10.1001/archinternmed.2009.65
Goldman, R., Stason, W., Park, S., Kim, R., Schnyer, R., Davis, R., Legedza, A., & Kaptchuk, T. (2008) Acupuncture for Treatment of Persistent Arm Pain Due to Repetitive Use. The Clinical Journal of Pain, 24(3), 211-218. DOI: 10.1097/AJP.0b013e31815ec20f
- August 11, 2016
- 02:04 PM
- 103 views
Targeting the gut-brain connection can impact immunity
by Dr. Jekyll in Lunatic Laboratories
There's a reason it's called a gut feeling. The brain and the gut are connected by intricate neural networks that signal hunger and satiety, love and fear, even safety and danger. These networks employ myriad chemical signals that include dopamine, a powerful neurotransmitter most famous for its role in reward and addiction.
... Read more »
Xiou Cao, & Alejandro Aballay. (2016) Neural inhibition of dopaminergic signaling enhances immunity in a cell non-autonomous manner. Current Biology. info:/http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2016.06.036
- August 11, 2016
- 08:41 AM
- 120 views
Who made the Piltdown man? Inside one of science’s most (in)famous hoaxes
by gdw in FictionalFieldwork
There was always that nagging feeling of not being accepted, of whispers behind his back. They pretended to be open-minded, but in reality not belonging to the group of professionals was reason enough to dismiss his work and findings. In their eyes, he was just a solicitor. A hobbyist. He was tolerated, but their derision […]... Read more »
De Groote, I., Flink, L., Abbas, R., Bello, S., Burgia, L., Buck, L., Dean, C., Freyne, A., Higham, T., Jones, C.... (2016) New genetic and morphological evidence suggests a single hoaxer created ‘Piltdown man’. Royal Society Open Science, 3(8), 160328. DOI: 10.1098/rsos.160328
- August 11, 2016
- 04:35 AM
- 115 views
Induced labour and autism (again)
by Paul Whiteley in Questioning Answers
"In this nationwide sample of live births we observed no association between induction of labor and offspring ASD [autism spectrum disorder] within sibling comparison. Our findings suggest that concern for ASD should not factor into the clinical decision about whether to induce labor."So said the findings reported by Anna Sara Oberg and colleagues [1] supposedly providing some reassurance to mums-to-be and other groups around the likelihood of offspring autism when birth or l........ Read more »
Oberg, A., D’Onofrio, B., Rickert, M., Hernandez-Diaz, S., Ecker, J., Almqvist, C., Larsson, H., Lichtenstein, P., & Bateman, B. (2016) Association of Labor Induction With Offspring Risk of Autism Spectrum Disorders. JAMA Pediatrics. DOI: 10.1001/jamapediatrics.2016.0965
- August 10, 2016
- 11:05 PM
- 104 views
Size of female-built nests affects how males act
by Emily Makowski in Sextraordinary!
Last week, I discussed how male quality in birds may be related to their song. How do males evaluate females in return? The answer may lie in their nests.... Read more »
Cantarero, A., López-Arrabé, J., Plaza, M., Saavedra-Garcés, I., & Moreno, J. (2016) Males feed their mates more and take more risks for nestlings with larger female-built nests: an experimental study in the Nuthatch Sitta europaea. Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology, 70(8), 1141-1150. DOI: 10.1007/s00265-016-2122-2
- August 10, 2016
- 01:30 PM
- 128 views
Is depression in parents, grandparents linked to grandchildren's depression?
by Dr. Jekyll in Lunatic Laboratories
If you read my blog often, it's no surprise I suffer from PTSD, depression, and anxiety issues. Maybe it's from my military service, but maybe it's my father's, or his father's, maybe it's an insidious family legacy that was just never noticed. This is because having both parents and grandparents with major depressive disorder (MDD) was associated with higher risk of MDD for grandchildren, which could help identify those who may benefit from early intervention.
... Read more »
Myrna M. Weissman, PhD, Obianuju O. Berry, MD, MPH, Virginia Warner, DrPH, Marc J. Gameroff, PhD, Jamie Skipper, MS, Ardesheer Talati, PhD, Daniel J. Pilowsky, MD, MPH, & Priya Wickramaratne, PhD. (2016) A 30-Year Study of 3 Generations at High Risk and Low Risk for Depression. JAMA Psychiatry . info:/10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2016.1586
- August 10, 2016
- 10:00 AM
- 137 views
Dog Bite Strength: It's Not What You Think
by CAPB in Companion Animal Psychology Blog
Scientists tracked down the evidence for a common statement about bite strength in dogs – and found it lacking.Have you ever read comments about the strength of a dog’s jaw when it bites? These statements are often made in relation to certain types of dog, like pit bulls. Maybe some people take it as fact. But what if it’s not true?A recent paper by Dr. Gary Patronek (Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine, Tufts University) et al traced citations in the literature and went back to the ori........ Read more »
Patronek, G., Bradley, J., & Cleary, D. (2016) Who is minding the bibliography? Daisy chaining, dropped leads, and other bad behavior using examples from the dog bite literature. Journal of Veterinary Behavior: Clinical Applications and Research, 17-19. DOI: 10.1016/j.jveb.2016.06.004
- August 10, 2016
- 08:55 AM
- 124 views
Gimme Some Dihydrogen Monoxide
by Mark Lasbury in As Many Exceptions As Rules
One cannot over estimate the ways that water affects life on Earth. Beyond its chemical properties, some animals have evolved to substitute water for a rigid skeleton. Hydrostatic skeletons can be used for support, but also as water vascular systems that provide pressure for vascular transport and respiration. A recent review by William H. Kier sheds light on the interactions of different fibers and tissues in water based skeletons. Yet some plants can withstand a loss of 60% of their water, whe........ Read more »
Kier, W. (2012) The diversity of hydrostatic skeletons. Journal of Experimental Biology, 215(8), 1247-1257. DOI: 10.1242/jeb.056549
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