PSICONLINE NEWS n.204 - 8.8.2004

• Solo il 14% delle donne USA allatta al seno
• Study explains spatial orientation differences between sexes
• A LITTLE HELP FROM FRIENDS MAKES WOUNDS HEAL FASTER

Solo il 14% delle donne USA allatta al seno
Solo il 14% delle mamme Usa nutre i propri figli esclusivamente con il latte materno per un periodo minimo 'standard' di sei mesi, come raccomandato dall'American Academy of Pediatrics, l'Organizzazione mondiale della sanità e altri enti di ricerca internazionali.Questa la conclusione di uno studio condotto in ciascuno dei 50 Stati della Federazione statunitense e nel Distretto di Columbia. Dal campione monitorato è emerso che le donne che hanno la possibilità fisica di poter nutrire i propri piccoli esclusivamente con latte materno per la durata consigliata è del 25%. Inoltre i dati riportati dalla ricerca confermano l'importanza di seguire la 'dieta' indicata per i piccoli, evitando di incorre in problemi quali : obesità, infezioni, malattie. E' dimostrato che il bambino crescerà meglio e più sano se verranno seguiti i periodi e le modalità nutrizionali indicate.

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Study explains spatial orientation differences between sexes
A University of Toronto researcher has found that differences between men and women in determining spatial orientation may be the result of inner ear size.
The study, published online in the journal Perception, examined whether differences in how men and women judge how we orient ourselves in our environment could be attributed to physiological or psychological causes. It found that giving the participants verbal instructions on how to determine their spatial orientation did not eliminate the differences between the sexes.
"Since the instructions didn't remove the difference between how men and women judge spatial orientation, we believe it is likely a result of physiological differences," says Luc Tremblay, a professor in U of T's Faculty of Physical Education and Health. For example, says Tremblay, the otoliths – structures found in the inner ear which are sensitive to inertial forces such as gravity – tend to be larger in men than in women, and may allow males to adjust themselves more accurately than females in some environments.

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A LITTLE HELP FROM FRIENDS MAKES WOUNDS HEAL FASTER
New research in hamsters now suggests that without companionship, wounds on the animals don't heal as fast.
Researchers looked at the effect social contact had on wound healing in stressed hamsters. Results showed that skin wounds healed nearly twice as fast in the hamsters paired with a sibling. These animals also produced less of the stress hormone cortisol than unpaired hamsters.
"Stress delays wound healing in humans and other animals, and social contact helps counteract this delay," said Courtney DeVries, the study's lead author and an assistant professor of psychology and neuroscience at Ohio State University. "Our goal is to understand the physiological mechanisms by which social support improves health."
She and her colleagues also treated a group of socially isolated hamsters with oxytocin, a hormone released during social contact and associated with social bonding in monogamous animals. Oxytocin treatment seemed to ameliorate the effects stress had on wound healing, as the treated animals healed about 25 percent faster than the untreated lone animals.

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