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Violent Video Games Reduce Brain Response to Violence and Increase Aggressive Behavior, University of Missouri Study Finds

By Guest PostMay 31, 2011Health, Scienceaggressive, behavior, brain response, brains, bruce bartholow, call of duty, christopher engelhardt, grand theft auto, hitman, indicator of desensitization, killzone, Media, popular violent games, scientists, university of missouri, violence, violent video games

*Parental moderation encouraged for children*

COLUMBIA, Mo. – Scientists have known for years that playing violent video games causes players to become more aggressive. The findings of a new University of Missouri (MU) study provide one explanation for why this occurs: the brains of violent video game players become less responsive to violence, and this diminished brain response predicts an increase in aggression.

“Many researchers have believed that becoming desensitized to violence leads to increased human aggression. Until our study, however, this causal association had never been demonstrated experimentally,” said Bruce Bartholow, associate professor of psychology in the MU College of Arts and Science. (more…)

Mutated Gene Found in Dog Disease the Same in Humans, MU Researchers Find

By Guest PostApril 24, 2011Scienceanimal, cell function, columbia, dennis o’brien, dna test, fabiana farias, gary johnson, gene mutation, human neurological disorder, lynn steinhaus, man, martin katz, ncl, neuronal ceroid-lipofuscinosis, parkinson disease, seizures, tibetan terrier dogs, university of missouri

*Tibetian Terrier dogs could play key role in developing therapy for early-onset Parkinson’s*

COLUMBIA, Mo. – University of Missouri researchers believe both man and animal will benefit from their discovery that the same gene mutation found in Tibetan Terrier dogs can also be found in a fatal human neurological disorder related to Parkinson’s disease.

Fabiana Farias, a doctoral candidate in Area Genetics at the University of Missouri, found the mutation as part of her thesis research. Gary Johnson, associate professor of Veterinary Pathobiology; Martin Katz, professor of Veterinary Pathobiology, and Dennis O’Brien, a professor in the Department of Veterinary Medicine and Surgery, along with a host of researchers from MU’s College of Veterinary Medicine; College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources (CAFNR) and the Mason Eye Institute, recently published the findings in Neurobiology of Disease. (more…)

Lack of Credit Forces Many Small Business Owners to Finance with Personal Assets

By Guest PostMarch 3, 2011Economyamerican economy, bank loans, economic recession, holly schrank, household investment, household savings, ownership, personal assets, portfolio, risk of business failure, small business owners, small businesses, tansel yilmazer, university of missouri

*MU researcher says business owners can put their households at financial risk*

COLUMBIA, Mo. – Small businesses are seen as an important part of the American economy. These businesses often rely heavily on loans to stay afloat. The recent economic recession has created a reduction in available credit for many small businesses, making it difficult for many businesses to operate. Tansel Yilmazer, assistant professor in the personal financial planning department in the College of Human Environmental Sciences at the University of Missouri, says that lack of available credit has forced many small business owners to use their household savings or other personal assets to support their businesses, putting their personal assets at risk. (more…)

To Increase Physical Activity, Focus on How, not Why

By Guest PostFebruary 22, 2011Healthbehavior changing strategies, behavior strategies, chronic illnesses, cognitive approaches, exercise, Health, lifestyles, manageable goals, meta analysis, obesity, pedometers, physical activity, protection, self monitoring, university of missouri, vicki conn

*Behavior strategies, such as self-monitoring and goals, motivate best, MU study finds*

COLUMBIA, Mo. – Most people know that exercise is important to maintain and improve health; however, sedentary lifestyles and obesity rates are at all-time highs and have become major national issues. In a new study, University of Missouri researchers found that healthy adults who received interventions focused on behavior-changing strategies significantly increased their physical activity levels. Conversely, interventions based on cognitive approaches, which try to change knowledge and attitudes, did not improve physical activity. (more…)

MU Researcher Studies How Infants Compare Quantities

By Guest PostDecember 5, 2010Scienceability to quantify, baby einstein, cheerios, child, infants, kristy vanmarle, liquid, non-cohesive substances, opaque, parents, psychologists, researcher, sand, tracking and quantifying objects, two substances, university of missouri, water

COLUMBIA, Mo. – Parents are often amazed at how fast their child grows and develops. New research at the University of Missouri has determined that the ability to quantify – even things that are hard to quantify, such as liquid – may develop much sooner than most parents realize.

University of Missouri researcher Kristy vanMarle, an assistant professor in the Department of Psychological Sciences in the College of Arts and Science, has determined that contrary to what previous studies have shown, infants are able to quantify non-cohesive substances – like sand, water, or even Cheerios – as early as 10 months. As long as the difference between the two substances is large enough, vanMarle has found that infants will choose the larger amount, especially when it comes to food. (more…)

Women Fight the Effects of Chemotherapy Long After Treatment Ends, MU Researchers Find

By Guest PostOctober 19, 2010Healthbody-image issues, breast cancer, breast cancer treatment, chemotherapy, depression, mental health, quality of life, rural areas, stephanie reid arndt, symptoms, university of missouri, urban areas, women

COLUMBIA, Mo. – For some women, the effects of breast cancer, the most common cancer affecting women, do not end when they leave the hospital. Now, researchers in the University of Missouri School of Health Professions have studied the lives of breast cancer patients following chemotherapy and found that their environments and available support systems help determine the quality of their lives.

“A lot of times people get mentally and emotionally ready to deal with chemotherapy and they receive a lot of support during that time,” said Stephanie Reid-Arndt, an assistant professor of health psychology in the School of Health Professions. “Then they go home and everyone feels like it’s over, but the patients still have worries and fears about the changes they’ve been through and what it means for the future.” (more…)

One Step Closer to a Drug Treatment for Cystic Fibrosis, MU Professor Says

By Guest PostOctober 13, 20101 commentHealth, Scienceatp, cell, cftr, chloride channels, cystic fibrosis, cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator, drug, fatal genetic diseases, genetic mutations, paper of the week, protein, tzyh chang hwang, university of missouri

*Study recognized for significance and importance in the world’s most common genetic disease*

COLUMBIA, Mo. – A University of Missouri researcher believes his latest work moves scientists closer to a cure for cystic fibrosis, one of the world’s most common fatal genetic diseases. (more…)

Dinosaurs Significantly Taller than Previously Thought

By Guest PostOctober 3, 2010Sciencecartilage, casey holliday, dinosaur, mammals, ohio university, reptiles, university of missouri

COLUMBIA, Mo.– It might seem obvious that a dinosaur’s leg bone connects to the hip bone, but what came between the bones has been less obvious. Now, researchers at the University of Missouri and Ohio University have found that dinosaurs had thick layers of cartilage in their joints, which means they may have been considerably taller than previously thought. The study is being published this week in the journal PLoS-ONE (Public Library of Science). (more…)

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