Patients who take newer kinds of antipsychotic medications may have a higher risk of developing serious blood clots, say researchers from Nottingham, England in an article published in the BMJ (British Medical Journal). Specifically, the risk is of venous thromoembolism - a collective term for DVT (deep vein thrombosis) and pulmonary embolism...
9 Vote(s)
September 22, 2010
Rare footage of physical treatments in psychiatry, 1957
I’ve just found a remarkable documentary on YouTube from a 1957 BBC series called ‘The Hurt Mind’. The programme attempts to de-stigmatise mental health for the public but also documents some of the most controversial treatments in the history of psychiatry. The programme was an edition of a then pioneering five-part BBC series on mental [...]
12 Vote(s)
12 Vote(s)
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Featured - I don't want to sound like a blogger, but…
Since I accepted an invitation to write for LabSpaces I've been wondering how best to make my debut. For those not familiar with my blog (and I take that to be the exceeding majority) I approach a topic that arises in my everyday life, and find an explanation for it from the Psychological literature. To be completely honest, it's really a self-serving exercise - I'm usually trying to find ; (read
11 Vote(s)
11 Vote(s)
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Landmark report reveals massive global cost of Alzheimer’s: One percent of global GDP — and growing
A landmark report on the global economic impact of dementia finds that Alzheimer's disease and other dementias are exacting a massive toll on the global economy, with the problem set to accelerate in coming years. The World Alzheimer Report 2010 provides the most current and comprehensive global picture of the economic and social costs of the illness, revealing that the worldwide costs of dementi
15 Vote(s)
15 Vote(s)
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Brain cell communication: Why it’s so fast
Billions of brain cells are communicating at any given moment. Like an organic supercomputer they keep everything going, from breathing to solving riddles, and "programming errors" can lead to serious conditions such as schizophrenia, Parkinson's disease and attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder.
10 Vote(s)
10 Vote(s)
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New target for Alzheimer’s disease identified
Neurological researchers have found a new therapeutic target that can potentially lead to a new way to prevent the progression of Alzheimer's disease. The target called neutral sphingomyelinase (N-SMase) is a protein that when activated, can cause a chain of reactions in the cell leading to neuronal death and memory loss.
8 Vote(s)
8 Vote(s)
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Sci vs Spy
The Cold War espionage styles of the US and Soviet spy agencies are compared in a fantastic article for the history of science journal Isis that notes that while the Americans tended to invest in technology, the Russians were more focused on ‘human intelligence’. The article, by historian Kristie Macrakis, explores the technophilia of the [...]
8 Vote(s)
8 Vote(s)
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Child rearing practices of distant ancestors foster morality, compassion in kids
Three new studies show a relationship between child rearing practices common in foraging hunter-gathering societies (how we humans have spent about 99 percent of our history) and better mental health, greater empathy and conscience development, and higher intelligence in children.
15 Vote(s)
15 Vote(s)
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Sleep problems in chronic pain & what helps
I have written about sleep problems in people with chronic pain several times. It is one of those aspects of dealing with pain that inevitably arise as I talk with people about energy, their activity through the day, and their mood. Many people blame the pain for their sleep problems, which is unsurprising really – … Read more... Tang, N. (2009) Cognitive-behavioral
11 Vote(s)
11 Vote(s)
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Proto-Fairness? Hints of Moral Thinking in Dogs
Cooperation and conflict are both a part of human society. While a good deal of the academic literature addresses the evolutionary origins of conflict, in recent years there has been an increased focus on the investigation of the evolutionary origins of cooperative behavior. One component of cooperative behavior that might be present in other animals is aversion to inequity. Some scientists have
12 Vote(s)
12 Vote(s)
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