Roberto Abraham Scaruffi

ScienceDaily: Mind & Brain News

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• Antidepressants, sleeping pills and anxiety drugs may increase driving risk
• Sexual arousal may decrease natural disgust response
• Self-control may not be a limited resource after all
• Math anxiety causes trouble for students as early as first grade
• Marijuana use implicated in pregnancy problems
• Genetic test predicts risk for autism spectrum disorder
• Concussion awareness helps reduce long-term complications
• Scientists discover how the brain ages
• Uncertain about health outcomes, male stroke survivors more likely to suffer depression than females
• Hundreds more bleeding trauma patients could be saved if tranexamic acid was used more widely, study suggests

Antidepressants, sleeping pills and anxiety drugs may increase driving risk Posted: 12 Sep 2012 04:25 PM PDT Drugs prescribed to treat anxiety, depression and insomnia may increase patients’ risk of being involved in motor vehicle accidents, according to a recent study. Based on the findings, the researchers suggested doctors should consider advising patients not to drive while taking these drugs. Psychotropic drugs affect the way the brain functions and can impair a driver’s ability to control their vehicle.

Sexual arousal may decrease natural disgust response Posted: 12 Sep 2012 03:45 PM PDT Sex can be messy, but most people don't seem to mind too much, and new results suggest that this phenomenon may result from sexual arousal actually dampening humans' natural disgust response.

Self-control may not be a limited resource after all Posted: 12 Sep 2012 09:59 AM PDT So many acts in our daily lives – refusing that second slice of cake, walking past the store with the latest gadgets, working on tax forms when you'd rather watch TV – seem to boil down to one essential ingredient: Self-control. But what is self-control, really? And how does it work? Researchers argue that the prevailing model of self-control may not be as precise as researchers once thought.

Math anxiety causes trouble for students as early as first grade Posted: 12 Sep 2012 09:51 AM PDT Many high-achieving students experience math anxiety at a young age — a problem that can follow them throughout their lives. In a study of first- and second-graders, researchers found that students report worry and fear about doing math as early as first grade. Most surprisingly math anxiety harmed the highest-achieving students.

Marijuana use implicated in pregnancy problems Posted: 12 Sep 2012 07:18 AM PDT New research indicates marijuana-like compounds called endocannabinoids alter genes and biological signals critical to the formation of a normal placenta during pregnancy and may contribute to pregnancy complications like preeclampsia. A new study offers evidence that abnormal biological signaling by endocannabinoid lipid molecules produced by the body disrupts the movement of early embryonic cells important to a healthy pregnancy.

Genetic test predicts risk for autism spectrum disorder Posted: 12 Sep 2012 06:38 AM PDT A team of Australian researchers has developed a genetic test that is able to predict the risk of developing autism spectrum disorder (ASD).

Concussion awareness helps reduce long-term complications Posted: 12 Sep 2012 06:31 AM PDT Soccer, football, cheerleading, gymnastics and other sports run an increased risk of concussion because of the rigorous demands of today's play and practice. Any type of traumatic brain injury, including concussion, requires a monitored approach to complete healing to avoid long-term secondary complications that can affect memory, behavior, anxiety and ability to focus and concentrate.

Scientists discover how the brain ages Posted: 12 Sep 2012 05:50 AM PDT Researchers have revealed the mechanism by which neurons, the nerve cells in the brain and other parts of the body, age. The research opens up new avenues of understanding for conditions where the aging of neurons are known to be responsible, such as dementia and Parkinson's disease.

Uncertain about health outcomes, male stroke survivors more likely to suffer depression than females Posted: 12 Sep 2012 05:47 AM PDT Post-stroke depression is a major issue affecting approximately 33% of stroke survivors. A new study reports that the level to which survivors are uncertain about the outcome of their illness is strongly linked to depression. The relationship is more pronounced for men than for women.

Hundreds more bleeding trauma patients could be saved if tranexamic acid was used more widely, study suggests Posted: 11 Sep 2012 05:05 PM PDT The clot stabilizer drug tranexamic acid can be administered safely to a wide range of patients with traumatic bleeding and should not be restricted to the most severe cases, a new study suggests.