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Social/Behavioral Science
Key: Meeting Journal Funder Dissertation
Public Release: 10-Feb-2010
Are bees also addicted to caffeine and nicotine?
Bees prefer nectar with small amounts of nicotine and caffeine over nectar that does not comprise these substances at all, a study from the University of Haifa reveals. "This could be an evolutionary development intended, as in humans, to make the bee addicted," states Prof. Ido Izhaki, one of the researchers who conducted the study.

Contact: Rachel Feldman
rfeldman@univ.haifa.ac.il
972-482-88722
University of Haifa

Public Release: 10-Feb-2010
APA announces draft diagnostic criteria for DSM-5
The American Psychiatric Association today released the proposed draft diagnostic criteria for the fifth edition of Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM). The draft criteria represent content changes under consideration for DSM, which is the standard classification of mental disorders used by mental health and other health professionals, and is used for diagnostic and research purposes.
American Psychiatric Association

Contact: Jaime Valora
jvalora@psych.org
703-907-8562
American Psychiatric Association

Public Release: 10-Feb-2010
Addiction
Intense sweets taste especially good to some kids
New research from the Monell Center reports that children's response to intense sweet taste is related to both a family history of alcoholism and the child's own self-reports of depression. The findings illustrate how liking for sweets differs among children based on underlying familial and biological factors.
NIH/National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, NIH/National Institute of Child Health and Human Development

Contact: Leslie Stein
stein@monell.org
267-519-4707
Monell Chemical Senses Center

Public Release: 8-Feb-2010
Addiction
Exposure to secondhand smoke among children in England has declined since 1996
The most comprehensive study to date of secondhand smoke exposure among children in England is published today in the journal Addiction. The study, carried out by researchers from the University of Bath's School for Health, reveals that exposure to household secondhand smoke among children aged 4-15 has declined steadily since 1996.

Contact: Amy Molnar
amolnar@wiley.com
Wiley-Blackwell

Public Release: 8-Feb-2010
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
Caltech neuroscientists discover brain area responsible for fear of losing money
Neuroscientists at the California Institute of Technology and their colleagues have tied the human aversion to losing money to a specific structure in the brain -- the amygdala.
Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, Human Frontier Science Program, Wellcome Trust, National Institutes of Health, Simons Foundation, Global Center of Excellence Grant

Contact: Kathy Svitil
ksvitil@caltech.edu
626-395-8022
California Institute of Technology

Public Release: 8-Feb-2010
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
Patients 'unafraid' to gamble highlight role of amygdala in decision-making
Two patients with rare lesions to the brain have provided direct of evidence of how we make decisions -- and what makes us dislike the thought of losing money.
Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, Human Frontier Science Program, Wellcome Trust, National Institutes of Health, Simons Foundation, Government of Japan

Contact: Craig Brierley
c.brierley@wellcome.ac.uk
44-207-611-7329
Wellcome Trust

Public Release: 8-Feb-2010
PLoS Medicine
Nicotine replacement therapy is over-promoted since most ex-smokers quit unassisted
Health authorities should emphasize the positive message that the most successful method used by most ex-smokers is unassisted cessation, despite the promotion of cessation drugs by pharmaceutical companies and many tobacco control advocates.

Contact: Andrew Hyde
press@plos.org
44-122-346-3330
Public Library of Science

Public Release: 8-Feb-2010
Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention
More smokers than non-smokers accept HPV vaccination for their daughters
A parent's existing health habits or behaviors, like cigarette smoking, may influence the likelihood that they will have their daughters vaccinated against HPV.

Contact: Tara Yates
tara.yates@aacr.org
267-646-0558
American Association for Cancer Research

Public Release: 4-Feb-2010
Addiction Biology
Cocaine or ecstasy consumption during adolescence increases risk of addiction
Exposure to ecstasy or cocaine during adolescence increases the "reinforcing effects" that make people vulnerable to developing an addiction. This is the main conclusion of a research team from the University of Valencia, which has shown for the first time how these changes persist into adulthood.

Contact: SINC
info@plataformasinc.es
34-914-251-820
FECYT - Spanish Foundation for Science and Technology

Public Release: 2-Feb-2010
Addiction Biology
Gene variation makes alcoholism less likely in some survivors of sexual abuse
Exposure to severe stress early in life increases the risk of alcohol and drug addiction. Yet surprisingly, some adults sexually abused as children -- and therefore at high risk for alcohol problems -- carry gene variants that protect them from heavy drinking and its effects, according to researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis.
NIH/National Institute on Drug Abuse, NIH/National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, ABMRF/Foundation for Alcohol Research, Australian NHMRC Fellowship Scheme

Contact: Diane Duke Williams
williamsdia@wustl.edu
314-286-0111
Washington University in St. Louis

Public Release: 2-Feb-2010
Psychopathology
Excessive Internet use is linked to depression
People who spend a lot of time browsing the 'Net are more likely to show depressive symptoms, according to the first large-scale study of its kind in the West by University of Leeds psychologists.

Contact: Hannah Isom
h.isom@leeds.ac.uk
44-113-343-4031
University of Leeds

Public Release: 2-Feb-2010
American Journal of Preventive Medicine
Cost to patients barrier to counseling for obesity and smoking
In a study published in the March 2010 issue of the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, researchers from Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, Virginia, found that when primary care clinicians and community counselors collaborated to offer free counseling services to patients, there was an overwhelming positive response. Yet, when the same services were offered at a cost to the patient, there was a significant drop in participation.

Contact: AJPM Editorial Office
eAJPM@ucsd.edu
858-534-9340
Elsevier Health Sciences

Public Release: 1-Feb-2010
Behavioral Neuroscience
Novelty lures rats from cocaine-paired settings, hinting at new treatments for recovering addicts
The brain's innate interest in the new and different may help trump the power of addictive drugs, according to research published by the American Psychological Association. In controlled experiments, novelty drew cocaine-treated rats away from the place they got cocaine.

Contact: Public Affairs Office
public.affairs@apa.org
202-336-5700
American Psychological Association

Public Release: 1-Feb-2010
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
New brain research: Hunger for stimulation driven by dopamine in the brain
Our need for stimulation and dopamine's action upon the brain are connected, which explains why people who constantly crave stimulation are in danger of addictive behavior such as drug abuse and gambling.

Contact: Sandra Szivos
sasz@sund.ku.dk
453-532-6921
University of Copenhagen

Public Release: 1-Feb-2010
Annals of Internal Medicine
More smokers kick the habit with extended nicotine patch therapy, Penn research shows
New research from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine may help more smokers keep their New Year's resolution by helping them quit smoking. Extended use of a nicotine patch -- 24 weeks versus the standard eight weeks recommended by manufacturers -- boosts the number of smokers who maintain their cigarette abstinence and helps more of those who backslide into the habit while wearing the patch, according to a study which will be published in the Feb. 2 issue of Annals of Internal Medicine.

Contact: Holly Auer
holly.auer@uphs.upenn.edu
215-200-2313
University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine

Public Release: 29-Jan-2010
Journal of Alzheimer's Disease
Study shows cigarette smoking a risk factor for Alzheimer's disease
A UCSF analysis of published studies on the relationship between Alzheimer's disease and smoking indicates that smoking cigarettes is a significant risk factor for the disease. After controlling for study design, quality of the journals, time of publication, and tobacco industry affiliation of the authors, the UCSF research team also found an association between tobacco industry affiliation and the conclusions of individual studies.

Contact: Karin Rush-Monroe
Karin.Rush-Monroe@pubaff.ucsf.edu
415-476-2557
University of California - San Francisco

Public Release: 28-Jan-2010
Addiction
Attendance at Alcoholics Anonymous meetings may reduce depression symptoms
One of many reasons that attendance at Alcoholics Anonymous meetings helps people with alcohol use disorders stay sober appears to be alleviation of depression. A team of researchers has found that study participants who attended AA meetings more frequently had fewer symptoms of depression -- along with less drinking -- than did those with less AA participation.
NIH/National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism

Contact: Sue McGreevey
smcgreevey@partners.org
617-724-2764
Massachusetts General Hospital

Public Release: 28-Jan-2010
Current Directions in Psychological Science
Study says lead may be the culprit in ADHD
ADHD, or attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, is among the costliest of behavioral disorders. New research suggests that the culprit may be an old villain -- lead -- and what's more it explains the causal pathway from exposure to disability.

Contact: Catherine Allen-West
cwest@psychologicalscience.org
202-293-9300
Association for Psychological Science

Public Release: 28-Jan-2010
Environmental Health
Smokers at risk from their own 'second-hand' smoke
It is well known that smokers damage their health by directly inhaling cigarette smoke. Now, research published in BioMed Central's open access journal Environmental Health has shown that they are at additional risk from breathing environmental tobacco smoke, contrary to the prevailing assumption that such risks would be negligible in comparison to those incurred by actually smoking.

Contact: Graeme Baldwin
graeme.baldwin@biomedcentral.com
44-020-319-22165
BioMed Central

Public Release: 27-Jan-2010
Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs
Teens who drink with parents may still develop alcohol problems
Parents who try to teach responsible drinking by letting their teenagers have alcohol at home may be well intentioned, but they may also be wrong, according to a new study in the latest issue of the Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs.
Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research

Contact: Haske van der Vorst
h.vandervorst@pwo.ru.nl
31-243-612-123
Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs

Public Release: 27-Jan-2010
Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research
Prenatal alcohol exposure can alter the brain's developing pain regulatory system
Prenatal alcohol exposure is widely known to impair brain development in exposed offspring. Rodent studies have shown that developmental deficits in newborns related to altered levels of a brain chemical called serotonin, leading to subsequent alterations in patterns of neonatal acute pain responses and/or hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal stress reactivity. New findings show a "blunted response" to an acutely painful event in alcohol-exposed human newborns, indicating that prenatal alcohol exposure may alter the brain's developing pain regulatory system.
University of British Columbia, Wayne State University, State of Michigan

Contact: Tim F. Oberlander, M.D., F.R.C.P.C.
toberlander@cw.bc.ca
604-875-3570
Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research

Public Release: 27-Jan-2010
Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research
Neural processing differences in ADHD in individuals with and without prenatal alcohol exposure
The adverse effects of prenatal alcohol exposure on behavioral, cognitive, and social development can lead to a range of symptoms referred to as fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD). Attention and cognition problems seen in individuals with a history of prenatal alcohol exposure often resemble those linked to attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). An assessment of these disorders has found that while children with FASD may meet the behavioral criteria for ADHD, their attention difficulties differ in subtle but important respects.
National Institutes of Health, Children's Bridge Fund/Wayne State University, Joseph Young, Sr. Fund/State of Michigan

Contact: Joseph Jacobson, Ph.D.
joseph.jacobson@wayne.edu
248-646-5488
Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research

Public Release: 27-Jan-2010
Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research
Alcohol use and cognitive decline among the elderly
There are few studies of alcohol use among the elderly. A study of drinking among the elderly in Brazil has found that heavy alcohol use is associated with more memory and cognitive problems than mild-to-moderate alcohol use, especially among women. Mild-to-moderate alcohol use was associated with lower cognitive disorder rates than no alcohol use, also among women.
Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa de São Paulo

Contact: Marcos Antonio Lopes, Ph.D.
lopes@netsite.com.br
55-163-602-727
Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research

Public Release: 27-Jan-2010
Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research
Social factors can both predict and sustain alcohol misuse among older drinkers
Social factors are known to contribute to vulnerability to alcohol use and abuse. New research has looked at linkages between high-risk drinking among older adults and their social and financial resources. Older drinkers who have more money, engage in more social activities, and whose friends approve more of drinking are more likely to engage in excessive or high-risk drinking.
NIH/National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, US Department of Veterans Affairs

Contact: Rudolf H. Moos, Ph.D.
rmoos@stanford.edu
650-614-9892
Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research

Public Release: 25-Jan-2010
Psychological Science
Sweet future: Fluctuating blood glucose levels may affect decision making
People's preferences for current vs. later rewards may be influenced by blood glucose levels: Volunteers who drank a regular soda (and therefore had higher blood glucose levels) were more likely to select receiving more money at a later date while the volunteers who drank a diet soda (containing artificial sweetener) were likelier to opt for receiving smaller sums of money immediately.

Contact: Barbara Isanski
bisanski@psychologicalscience.org
Association for Psychological Science