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brain development

Featured Neuroscience Open Neuroscience Articles

·November 29, 2017·5 min read

Eye Contact With Your Baby Helps Synchronize Brainwaves

University of Cambridge researchers report making eye contact with a baby causes brainwave synchronization in both the child and person they are looking at. Researchers believe this synchronization can help boost communication and learning skills.

Featured Neuroscience Open Neuroscience Articles Psychology

·November 28, 2017·4 min read

Complications at Birth Associated With Lasting Chemical Changes in the Brain

According to a new study in eLife, adults who were born prematurely or who suffered small brain injuries around the time of birth have reduced dopamine levels.

Autism Featured Neuroscience

·November 27, 2017·6 min read

Autism and the Smell of Fear

People on the autism spectrum appear to have different reactions to subliminal social odors, researchers report.

Featured Neurology Neuroscience Psychology

·November 24, 2017·5 min read

Stress in Pregnancy Linked to Changes in Infant’s Nervous System and Psychological Well Being

UCSF researchers report maternal stress could impact the development of a child's parasympathetic nervous system, both in utero and after birth. Additionally, children whose mothers were stressed during pregnancy smile less, are less engaged and have a diminished ability to regulate emotions.

Featured Neuroscience

·November 21, 2017·3 min read

Brains of Children With Better Physical Fitness Posses Greater Gray Matter Volume

Researchers link physical fitness in children to increased gray matter volume in areas of the brain implicated in language processing and reading skills.

Autism Featured Neuroscience Open Neuroscience Articles

·November 7, 2017·5 min read

Lending Late Neurons a Helping Hand

Delayed neural migration in fetuses may cause behavioral disorders similar to autism, researchers report.

Image shows the selective response of a subplate neuron.

Auditory Neuroscience Featured Neuroscience

·November 7, 2017·6 min read

Source of Early Brain Activity Identified

A new study reveals a mechanism that may explain the link between sound input and cognitive function in the developing brain.

Image shows a section of the optic tectum.

Featured Neuroscience

·November 6, 2017·1 min read

Role of Thyroid Hormone in Brain Development

Researchers report a thyroid hormone is critical for the earliest stages of brain development.

Featured Genetics Neuroscience

·November 1, 2017·2 min read

Maturity Molecule Helps Adolescent Brain Grow Up

Mice lacking a gene called laminin alpha 5 suffer defects in synaptic maturation during teen brain development, leading to fewer synapses in adulthood. This may contribute to neuropsychological conditions, such as Schizophrenia, which can appear during later adolescence.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·November 1, 2017·5 min read

Why It’s Time to Lay the Stereotype of the ‘Teen Brain’ to Rest

Researchers explore what goes on in the teen brain during this critical point of development and say that it might be time to put some age-old stereotypes to rest.

Featured Neuroscience Visual Neuroscience

·November 1, 2017·5 min read

Babies Can Use Context to Look For Things

At 6 months of age, babies are capable of memory guided attention, a new study reveals. Young infants are able to learn and remember contextual visual cues to find objects of interest, researchers report. The findings shed new light on both typical and atypical brain development.

Image shows a treeshrew skull and brain.

Featured Neuroscience

·October 31, 2017·5 min read

Humans Don’t Use As Much Brainpower As We Like to Think

A new study challenges a long standing evolutionary theory regarding our 'uniquely' expansive brain. Researchers report other animals had energy hungry brains long before humans.