Monitor on Psychology - December 2011 - (Page 16)

brief In n Stress in the neonatal intensive care unit may slow the growth of premature infants’ brains, according to researchers at Washington University in St. Louis. The researchers observed 44 infants in the neonatal intensive care unit born before 30 weeks of pregnancy. Using magnetic resonance imaging and neurobehavioral examinations, the researchers found that infants who experienced a high number of stressors — such as intubation and even diaper changes — in their first two weeks had decreased frontal and parietal brain width and altered brain microstructure and functional connectivity in the temporal lobes. These changes are often associated with neurodevelopmental problems later in childhood. (Annals of Neurology, Oct. 4) n Electric stimulation of a specific brain region produces new brain cells that enhance memory in mice, according to researchers at The Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto. In the study, researchers used deep brain stimulation for one hour on the mices’ entorhinal cortices, a brain region that communicates with the hippocampus. They found that the stimulation led to a twofold increase in new cells in the hippocampus that lasted for about one week. The cells developed normally and made connections with other nearby brain cells. The findings may lead to interventions for treating people with memory disorders, the study authors say. (Sept. 21, Journal of Neuroscience) n Chickadees, pigeons and humans show similar patterns of chord perception, according to a study by 16 Diaper changes, tube feedings and other events that babies find stressful appear to hamper the growth of premature infant brains, research finds. researchers at the University of Alberta. In the study, the birds and humans made fewer mistakes when distinguishing between major and augmented chords than when comparing major and minor chords. The results suggest that all hearing animals may share the basic machinery of harmonic perception. (Journal of Comparative Psychology, September) n Conflict between spouses stays stable over the course of a marriage, according to a study led by researchers at Ohio State University. The study of nearly 1,000 couples found that those who clashed in the 1980s were still fighting 20 years later, while harmonious couples tended to stay that way. The secret of the low-conflict-couples’ success may have been their tendency to make decisions collaboratively, the researchers posit. (Journal of Family Issues, September) n Born optimists may be able to maintain their rosy outlooks because of a glitch in how they process negative information, according to a study led by a psychologist at University College London. The researchers gave 19 participants a quiz designed to measure optimism. Then they asked the participants to estimate the likelihood that they would experience a bad event, such as a car theft. The researchers then told the participants the real likelihood of the event. Using fMRI, the researchers found that when this news was good — the bad event was less likely than the participants had thought — the Monitor on psychology • DeceMber 2011 Photos.com http://www.photos.com http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ana.22545/abstract http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ana.22545/abstract http://jfi.sagepub.com/content/early/2011/06/01/0192513X11409684.abstract http://jfi.sagepub.com/content/early/2011/06/01/0192513X11409684.abstract http://psycnet.apa.org/psycarticles/2011-21866-001.pdf http://psycnet.apa.org/psycarticles/2011-21866-001.pdf http://www.jneurosci.org/content/31/38/13469.abstract

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Monitor on Psychology - December 2011

Monitor on Psychology - December 2011
Letters
President’s Column
Contents
From the CEO
Willpower Pioneer Wins $100,000 Grawemeyer Prize
Single-Sex Schooling Called Into Question by Prominent Researchers
Maternal Depression Stunts Childhood Growth, Research Suggests
For Boys, Sharing May Seem Like a Waste of Time
Good News for Postdoc Applicants
In Brief
Treatment Guideline Development Now Under Way
Government Relations Update
Psychologist Named Va Mental Health Chief
The Limits of Eyewitness Testimony
Judicial Notebook
Random Sample
Time Capsule
Deconstructing Suicide
Questionnaire
A Focus on Interdisciplinarity
A Time of ‘Enormous Change’
The Science Behind Team Science
Good Science Requires Good Conflict
A New Paradigm of Care
Speaking of Education
Science Directions
New Labels, New Attitudes?
Psychologist Profile
Early Career Psychology
Unintended Consequences
Better Options for Troubled Teens
Saving Lives, One Organ at a Time
New Journal Editors
APA News
Division Spotlight
Guidelines for the Conduct of President-Elect Nominations and Elections
American Psychological Foundation
Personalities

Monitor on Psychology - December 2011

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