Crowley receives NARSAD Young Investigator Award for work on the neurobiology of binge drinking
Nikki Crowley, assistant research professor of biobehavioral health, has received the NARSAD Young Investigator Award from the Brain & Behavior Research Foundation. This award will support her work on the neurobiological underpinnings of alcohol misuse and comorbid neuropsychiatric…
Self-control develops gradually in adolescent brain
Different parts of the brain mature at different times, which may help to explain impulsive behaviors in adolescence, suggest researchers from Penn State and the University of Pittsburgh.
The team discovered that the brain’s salience network, a group of regions that work together to help people…
Why Social Science? - Because It Helps Us Identify and Combat Misinformation
By Melanie C. Green, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Department of Communication, University at Buffalo
To make good decisions, we need good information. Every day, people form opinions on health treatments, political policies, and consumer products. Social sciences help us understand how people can…
College students may face pressures from opioid epidemic's secondary effects
About one in five college students reported in a survey that they knew someone who was addicted to pain medications, and nearly a third said they knew somebody who overdosed on painkillers or heroin, according to a team of undergraduate Penn State Lehigh Valley researchers.
This secondary exposure…
Department head authors chapter on Autism Spectrum Disorder
Diane Williams, head of the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders at Penn State, is author of a chapter in The Wiley Handbook of Memory, Autism Spectrum Disorder and the Law, released in July.
Williams authored the chapter, “Executive Function and Complex Processing Models,” which…
Learning to ask older adults better questions about their memory
Healthcare providers and researchers rely on screening questions to detect patients who may be at risk for developing Alzheimer's disease and other aging-related problems, but how these questions are worded may be confusing or trigger emotional responses. According to Penn State researchers, this…
Well-being of 'left behind' children in Kyrgyzstan focus of study
Growing up can be hard no matter what a family's circumstances, but it is often more so for children living in the Kyrgyz Republic in Central Asia, one of the poorest countries in the world, known for its dry environment, high mountains, nomadic culture and animal-husbandry heritage.
Isolation,…
Responsive parenting intervention results in lower BMIs through age three
An intervention designed to promote healthy growth, which taught first-time moms how to respond with age-appropriate responses to their babies’ needs, resulted in children having lower body mass indexes (BMIs) when they were three years old.
The intervention, which began shortly after the babies’…
Death toll from Hurricane Maria estimated to be larger than previously thought
The number of people who died as a result of Hurricane Maria — which hit Puerto Rico on September 20, 2017 — may be as high as 1,139, surpassing the official death count of 64, according to researchers.
The researchers used official government records to calculate the number, which took into…
Improving the Use of Research Evidence in Policy: A Workshop for Faculty
Date: August 15th from 1:30-3:30pm
Location: 116 Biobehavioral Health Building (Zoom option is also available, see registration for details)
Please Register here
*Registration is required; Kindly register no later than Friday, August 10th
Scientists rarely receive formal training on ways to engage…
Why Social Science? - Because It Can Improve the Lives of City Residents
By David Yokum, J.D., Ph.D., Director, The Lab @ DC
There’s a movement underway to integrate scientific research into the everyday workings of government at all levels. Increasingly, research professionals are being called upon to roll up their sleeves and lend their advice, expertise, and…
Penn State forms addiction legal resources team at Dickinson Law
With the number of opioid overdose deaths continuing to rise in Pennsylvania, a group of Penn State Dickinson Law students and faculty are becoming advocates and providing resources for those who are affected by addictions.
Led by Matthew Lawrence, assistant professor of law at Dickinson Law and…
Youth who age out of foster care show higher educational attainment
Children in foster care often suffer detrimental effects that can carry over into adulthood and infect future relationships. However, new Penn State research indicates youth who age out of foster care attain higher educational achievement than those who exit foster care and are reunited with their…
NIH guide notice on basic science studies involving human participants
The purpose of this notice is to describe interim policy flexibilities for a subset of NIH-funded studies whose primary purpose is the pursuit of basic science. These are studies that meet the NIH definition of a “clinical trial” and that also meet the Federal definition of basic science. …
Frankenberg participates on national panel about school integration
Erica Frankenberg, associate professor of education (educational leadership) and director of the Center for Education and Civil Rights at Penn State, was one of four panelists who will present "School Integration 2018," a briefing on past progress, present threats and future opportunities, that…
Family-Focused Approaches to Opioid Addiction Improve the Effectiveness of Treatment
- Written by Helena J.V. Rutherford, Ph.D., Yale School of Medicine, Declan T. Barry, Ph.D., Yale School of Medicine, and Linda C. Mayes, MD, Yale School of Medicine
- Edited by Rebekah Levine Coley, Ph.D., Boston College
- For more information, contact Martha Zaslow, Ph.D. Director for Policy,…
Advance feedback offered on strategic initiative seed grant funding proposals
Penn State community members, including faculty and staff, have been invited to submit ideas for pilot projects that are aimed at fulfilling the mission of the strategic plan to advance innovation, research, learning and engagement at the University and beyond. Proposals for the third cycle for RFP…
NIH grant will allow researchers to further study language disorder
A $300,000 three-year grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) will allow Penn State researchers to further study a language disorder experienced by one-third of stroke patients in the United States.
Researchers will study patients with aphasia, a language disorder commonly found in…
Poor mental health days may cost the economy billions of dollars
Poor mental health ranks as one of the costliest forms of sickness for U.S. workers and may sap billions of dollars from the country's income growth, according to a team of researchers.
In an analysis of economic and demographic data from 2008 to 2014, the researchers found that a single extra poor…
Penn State raises a record-setting $362.9 million during 2017-18 fiscal year
Penn State has had a banner year thanks to the support and contributions of so many in the Penn State family. Our alumni, donors, and friends are central to our reputation and success, and I know you take a great deal of pride in your University. As such, I wish to share a few of the key highlights…
Food for thought: How the brain reacts to food may be linked to overeating
The reason why some people find it so hard to resist finishing an entire bag of chips or bowl of candy may lie with how their brain responds to food rewards, leaving them more vulnerable to overeating.
In a study with children, researchers found that when certain regions of the brain reacted more…
CTSI StudyFinder survey
CTSI is conducting a survey to improve Studyfinder, their online recruitment platform.
This summary explains information about this research. You are urged to ask questions about anything that is unclear to you.
The purpose of this research is to learn about who is currently using the Penn State…
Eating iron-fortified grain improves students’ attention, memory
Adolescent students in a rural school in India who consumed an iron-biofortified version of the grain pearl millet exhibited improved attention and memory compared to those who consumed conventional pearl millet, according to Penn State researchers.
The results were published July 17 in the…
Opioids and non-opioid analgesics affect different types of stress
Mu-opioids and non-opioid analgesics appear to differentially affect the psychological and physiological components of psychosocial stress, according to a recent study funded by NIDA, NIGMS, and NIMH.
In a between-subject design, healthy young adults (18-40 y) were randomly assigned to receive…
Arthur Lupia to Lead NSF's Social Science Directorate
The National Science Foundation (NSF) has announced that it has selected Dr. Arthur "Skip" Lupia to serve as the next head of its Social, Behavioral, and Economic Sciences Directorate (SBE), following the expiration of Dr. Fay Lomax Cook's term. Dr. Lupia is currently the Hal R. Varian…