I feel your pain - no really

'I feel your pain' is one of the most widespread - and some might say nauseating - cliches of the C21st. However, researchers from the University of Birmingham (U.K.) have found - that for some people at least - it may have an element of truth. The researchers showed 108 college students images of painful situations including athletes suffering sports injuries and people receiving injections. About a third of the students said that they actually felt physical pain in the same areas as the injuries or injections affected. In the second part of the study the researchers scanned the brains of 20 students, half of whom had felt physical pain on seeing the clips. Both groups were shown another series of painful images but while they both showed an increase in activity in areas of the brain to do with emotion only the group which said they felt pain on seeing the images showed activity in pain-related areas of their brains.

You can find out more about this research at

http://uk.reuters.com/article/idUKTRE5BK35F20091221?feedType=RSS&feedName=healthNews&pageNumber=2&virtualBrandChannel=0&sp=true

Pleasure, depression and neuroscience

Anhedonia is the inability to experience pleasure and is one of the main symptoms of depression. A brain-scan study by researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison has been looking into the neuroscience of anhedonia. The researchers studied 46 people, 27 of whom had depression. The participants were shown positive and negative images and asked to think about them for a while to accentuate the emotions they produced. The areas of the brain associated with positive emotions were just as easily activated in the people with depression but they were unable to sustain the levels of activity in these areas over time, compared to the control group.

You can find out more about this research at

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/12/091221212736.htm?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+sciencedaily+%28ScienceDaily%3A+Latest+Science+News%29&utm_content=Google+Reader

Getting to grips with earworms

An earworm is a song, or fragment of a song, that gets stuck in your head and continually repeats itself. When the mountaineer Joe Simpson, for instance, was near death in the Andes all he could think about was the Boney M song 'Brown Girl in the Ring.' Very little research has been done on earworms but two British psychologists, Philip Beaman from the University of Reading and Tim Williams have surveyed just over 100 people in an attempt to find out more. They found that earworms weren't more common in people with musical expertise although they were more common in people who thought music was important. Only a third of the earworms were described as unpleasant obsessions, very few recurred in the same day and most were usually gone by the same day. However, most strategies to banish them only seemed to make things worse. There was little evidence that some tunes were more likely to become earworms than others and 'earworm potential' appeared to be determined by the amount of exposure to a tune and its relative simplicity and repetitiveness.

You can find out more about this research at

http://bps-research-digest.blogspot.com/2009/12/natural-history-of-earworm-song-that.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+BpsResearchDigest+%28BPS+Research+Digest%29&utm_content=Google+Reader

Autism on the rise in the U.S. - nearly 1% of eight-year-olds affected

A study of 300,000 eight-year-olds in the U.S. has found that 1 in 110 has autism, a 57% increase in cases since four years ago. The study was carried out by researchers from the University of Alabama at Birmingham and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and used data from the Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring network made up of 11 sites across the country. The increase could be due to a broader definition of autism and an increased awareness of the condition among parents, doctors and teachers. The rate of autism among boys was 4.5x that in girls.

You can find out more about this research at

http://psychcentral.com/news/2009/12/22/autism-on-the-rise-1-in-110-children-diagnosed/10351.html

Ladies worse than ladettes for heavy drinking

'Ladies' are more at risk from their drinking than 'ladettes.' Researchers from the U.K., including Dr Fiona Measham from Lancaster University have been looking at women's drinking patterns. They found that 'ladette' drinking in pubs and clubs - often followed by broken high heels, torn dresses, tears and a trip to A&E - was on the decline but that drinking by professional career women at home was on the rise. Higher-strength wines and larger glasses meant that many women underestimated their alcohol intake and drink-related deaths in women have doubled in the last 16 years. Women who worked full time were more likely to drink heavily than those who worked part time and the more they earned the more likely women were to drink frequently. Single women were also more likely to drink heavily than those in relationships.

You can find out more about this research at

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/12/091220144936.htm?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+sciencedaily+%28ScienceDaily%3A+Latest+Science+News%29&utm_content=Google+Reader

Daily cannabis use and psychosis risk

People who increase their cannabis consumption from occasional to daily use could hasten the onset of psychosis. Researchers from Emory University in Atlanta analyzed data from 109 hospitalized patients who were experiencing their first psychotic episode and found that those who had a history of cannabis use and increased to daily smoking experienced both psychotic and pre-psychotic symptoms at earlier ages. It was not whether or not they used the drug in adolescence but how quickly they moved on to daily use that was the main risk factor for developing the condition. The women who moved on to daily pot smoking had a greater increased risk for the onset of psychosis than the men.

You can find out more about this research at

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/12/091220144936.htm?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+sciencedaily+%28ScienceDaily%3A+Latest+Science+News%29&utm_content=Google+Reader

Nearly one in seven women binge eat

Researchers from the Universite de Montreal and the Douglas Mental Health University Institute have been surveying problem eating in a telephone survey of over 1,500 women. None of the women had been classified as anorexic before the start of the study which found that 13.7% of them reported binge eating 1-5 days or 1-7 times a month, 2.5% of them said that they made themselves throw up, or used laxatives or diuretics to maintain their weight or shape, and 28% of them completed intensive exercise twice a month with the sole object of losing weight. Dangerous eating behaviours were more likely to occur in women who perceived themselves to be in poor health.

You can find out more about this research at

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/healthnews/6852408/One-in-ten-women-suffer-eating-disorders.html

Twins, genes and cannabis and alcohol dependence

The genes that predispose people to become addicted to alcohol could also play a part in cannabis dependence. Roughly 8-12% of cannabis users are considered to be dependent and, just like alcohol, the severity of symptoms increases with heavier use. A survey of Year 12 students in 2008 found that 5.4% of them had used cannabis daily in the last month. Researchers from Washington University School of Medicine studied 6,257 people in Australia. The participants in the study were all on the Australian twin registry and were made up of 2,761 pairs of twins and 735 singletons. The findings of the study showed that many of the same genetic factors that contributed to alcohol use also contributed to marijuana use and alcohol and cannabis dependence could also be traced to some of the same genetic influences.

You can find out more about this research at

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/174570.php

Depression, diabetes and ethnic minorities

Rates of depression in people with diabetes are double those in the general population and even higher among minority groups who have worse blood-sugar control, more diabetes complications and more severe depression. However, few studies have looked at the beneficial effects of treating depression in people from minority groups who have diabetes. Researchers from Charles Drew University in Los Angeles studied 89 diabetes patients. 45 received the antidepressant sertraline while 44 took a placebo. Blood sugar and blood pressure fell significantly more in the group taking sertraline. The researchers concluded that people with diabetes should be routinely screened for depression and that those who are depressed should consider taking medication.

You can find out more about this research at

http://uk.reuters.com/article/idUKTRE5BF57220091216?feedType=RSS&feedName=healthNews

Antidepressants and adolescents

In 2003 the U.S. Food and Drugs Administration issued a warning that some antidepressants could increase the risk of suicidal behaviour in children and adolescents. Since then the prescription of the drugs has gone down but a new study, by researchers at Ohio State University, has found that the drugs could have a beneficial effect on the whole. The study, of 318 adolescents, looked at readmission rates to psychiatric hospitals. It found that those teenagers treated with antidepressants were less likely to be re-hospitalised. However, hospitalised children who were prescribed three or more drugs, from different classes, were 2.6x more likely to be readmitted to hospital than other children and these children made up a quarter of the sample.

You can find out more about this research at

http://psychcentral.com/news/2009/12/18/antidepressants-help-suicidal-youth/10283.html

Cannabis and teenagers' mental health

A study by researchers at McGill University has been looking into the effects of smoking cannabis on teenagers. The study found that smoking cannabis on a daily basis can lead to depression and anxiety. Cannabis was found to lead to a decrease in serotonin transmission, which can lead to mood disorders, and an increase in norepinephrine transmission which leads to a greater long-term susceptibility to stress.

You can find out more about this research at

http://psychcentral.com/news/2009/12/18/marijuana-tough-on-teenage-brain/10288.html

British drinkers underestimate how much they actually put away and the gap between what they think they drink and what they actually do drink could be as much as an average of a bottle of wine a week. Researchers from Liverpool John Moores University looked at what people said they drank - based on figures from the General Household Survey, carried out by the Office for National Statistics - and compared this to figures for alcohol sales. They found that people often didn't count special occasions such as weddings, birthdays and Christmas parties and, of course, the more they drank the harder it was to remember their consumption. The average Briton, they estimated, drinks around 26 units of alcohol a week compared to the Government's recommendation of 21 units for men and 14 for women. Official figures show that alcohol-related hospital admissions are approaching 1 million a year, a rise of 47% in the last five years.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/healthnews/6833617/Drinkers-underestimate-alcohol-consumption-by-a-bottle-a-week.html

The benefits of doodling

Far from being a distraction doodling could help people concentrate on mundane tasks. Jackie Andrade from the University of Plymouth asked 40 participants to listen to a dull two-and-a-half minute telephone message about a party. Half the participants were told to doodle as they did so, shading in circles and squares on their notepaper. The doodlers were later able to memorise more names on the list and 29% more details about the message than the non doodlers. One theory is that the doodling uses just enough of the brain's resources to prevent it drifting off completely without it being too much of a distraction.

You can find out more about this research at

http://bps-research-digest.blogspot.com/2009/12/what-does-doodle-do-it-boosts-your.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+BpsResearchDigest+%28BPS+Research+Digest%29&utm_content=Google+Reader

Self-help groups for binge eaters

Binge-eating disorder can lead to obesity, other mental-health problems and problems at work and with friends, families and partners. Several psychological treatments have been found to be helpful in treating binge eating including cognitive behaviour therapy, interpersonal therapy, dialectical behaviour therapy and behavioural weight loss. However, psychotherapy can be quite expensive and attempts have been made to channel people towards self-help which is much cheaper. Self-help group therapy is even cheaper and a team of researchers from the University of Minnesota compared the effectiveness of therapist-led, therapist-assisted and self-help group treatment in a study of 259 adults with binge-eating disorder. At the end of the treatment the therapist-led (51.7%) and therapist-assisted (33.3%) groups had higher rates of abstinence from binge-eating than the self-help one (17.7%). However, at follow-ups after six months and a year there was no difference between the groups suggesting that self-help might prove a viable alternative.

Peterson, Carol B. ... [et al] - The efficacy of self-help group treatment and therapist-lead group treatment for binge eating disorder American Journal of Psychiatry December 2009, 166(12), 1347-1354

Eating disorders and death rates

People with eating disorders are more likely to die early either from the effects of their eating disorder or because they kill themselves. There is evidence that people with eating disorders are more likely to kill themselves than people with other mental-health problems. Most of the research into raised mortality in people with eating disorders has focused on anorexia but less is known about death rates in people with bulimia or other eating disorders that don't fit into the framework of anorexia or bulimia. Researchers from the University of Minnesota Medical School studied 1,885 people turning up for treatment at an eating disorders clinic. 177 had anorexia, 906 had bulimia and 802 had other eating problems (eating disorders not otherwise specified - EDNOS). The death rates were 4% for anorexia, 3.9% for bulimia and 5.2% for EDNOS. Death rates were significantly higher than normal for bulimia and EDNOS and suicide rates were also higher for these conditions too.

Crow, Scott J. ... [et al] - Increased mortality in bulimia nervosa and other eating disorders American Journal of Psychiatry December 2009, 166(12), 1342-1346

Why joining in is good for teenagers

Joining in is good for teenagers. Researchers at the University of Hertfordshire found that almost one in three English teenagers belonged to some kind of club such as sports teams, church groups, youth clubs and political organisations. Those that did were a fifth less likely to smoke and to ever have been drunk than other teenagers and were also a fifth more likely to eat fruit and vegetables regularly. Those teenagers who rated their lives as highly satisfactory were 51% more likely to belong to a sports club than those who were less happy. However, teenagers were two thirds more likely to smoke if they were members of a political organisation or youth club than if they were not members of any club at all.

You can find out more about this research at

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/healthnews/6810651/Teenagers-who-join-youth-groups-and-other-clubs-are-happier-and-less-likely-to-drink.html

Interpersonal psychotherapy for teenage obesity

Teenage obesity is a growing problem. Weight gain can be caused by binge eating so if this can be reduced or prevented weight gain could be halted or even reversed. Researchers at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences and the National Institute of Health have been looking at a treatment called Interpersonal Psychotherapy (IPT). The aim of the treatment is to improve interpersonal relationships by targeting the underlying social and interpersonal difficulties that lead people to binge eat. Interpersonal psychotherapy has been shown to help depressed adults and children and to reduce binge eating in adults. In the study 38 girls, some of whom were binge eaters, were either given interpersonal psychotherapy or standard health-education classes. The girls who received interpersonal psychotherapy were more likely to stabilize or reduce their BMI compared to those who received the health-education classes.

You can find out more about this research at

http://psychcentral.com/news/2009/12/16/therapy-helps-teens-control-weight/10213.html

Leptin and Alzheimer's disease

Leptin is produced by fat cells and sends a signal to the brain telling us to stop eating when we have had enough food. As well as stopping us eating too much there is increasing evidence that leptin also helps with brain development and function and memory. Scientists from Boston University Medical Center studied 198 people looking into the links between leptin and Alzheimer's disease. They measured the participants' levels of leptin and also gave them regular brain scans to check for Alzheimer's. Over a 12-year follow-up period a quarter of the people with the lowest levels of leptin developed Alzheimer's compared to only 6% of those with the highest levels. Previous research has shown that leptin helps to reduce levels of beta-amyloid which forms the plaques that are a hallmark of Alzheimer's. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/science-news/6819844/Overeating-prevention-hormone-may-protect-against-Alzheimers.html

Culture vultures are happier and healthier

People who participate in or even just attend cultural activities such as painting, dancing or playing a musical instrument tend to feel healthier and less depressed than people who don't. The Norwegian University of Science and Technology have been carrying out a long-term study of 48,289 people and this is the latest result to emerge from the research. The study found a positive relationship between cultural participation and self-perceived health in both men and women and men (but not women) who participated in cultural activities were less likely to be depressed. The findings held true whatever people's socioeconomic status and when chronic illness, social capital, smoking and alcohol were taken into account. You can find out more about this research at http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/12/091215160651.htm?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+sciencedaily+%28ScienceDaily%3A+Latest+Science+News%29&utm_content=Google+Reader

Twins in the classroom

It makes no difference to twins' education whether they are educated separately or together. A Dutch study of 839 identical and 1,164 non-identical twins who were followed between the ages of 3 and 12 found that there was no effect on children's test scores at 12 of sharing a classroom with a twin. 72% of the twins had shared a classroom, 19% were in the same school but different classes while 9% partly shared a classroom. Twins from less-wealthy families were more likely to share a class and those with problems with aggressive behaviour were more likely to be separated. You can find out more about this research at http://uk.reuters.com/article/idUKTRE5BE47K20091215?feedType=RSS&feedName=healthNews