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brain development

·April 17, 2024·5 min read

Teen Emotions Deciphered by AI and Head-cam

Researchers developed a method using wearable headcams and AI to analyze teenagers' facial expressions, revealing subtle emotional nuances. This technology has shown potential in identifying emotions such as worry and happiness, even when they are masked.

Featured Neuroscience

·April 16, 2024·5 min read

Junk Food Diet in Teens Linked to Long-term Memory Issues

A high-fat, sugary diet during adolescence may cause long-lasting memory impairments. The study found that rats raised on a junk food diet exhibited significant memory deficits that persisted into adulthood, despite switching to a healthier diet.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·April 15, 2024·5 min read

Childhood Trauma Impacts Muscle Function in Later Life

Adverse childhood experiences can detrimentally affect muscle function in older adults by impairing mitochondrial activity necessary for energy production. The study analyzed muscle biopsies from over 870 participants aged 70 and older, linking reported childhood adversities with reduced production of ATP, the energy currency of cells.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·April 15, 2024·5 min read

Poverty’s Profound Impact on Brain Development and Behavior

A new review connects low socioeconomic status (SES) with significant changes in brain development, behavior, and cognitive outcomes. The review synthesizes existing research to present a unified framework showing how factors common in low SES environments—such as poor nutrition, chronic stress, and substandard living conditions—adversely affect neurodevelopment.

Featured Neuroscience

·April 13, 2024·4 min read

Interneurons Guide Neural Transitions During Brain Development

Researchers identified a crucial role of specific interneurons in brain development. The research identified two types of interneurons, SST+ and PV+, which orchestrate the transition from synchronous to asynchronous neuronal activity during the early stages after birth.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·April 9, 2024·4 min read

Parent-Child Synchrony Isn’t Always Better for Attachment Development

Researchers revealed nuanced insights into parent-child synchrony, differentiating between behavioral and brain-to-brain connections in 140 families. This research indicates that higher brain-to-brain synchrony, particularly in mothers with insecure attachment traits, might compensate for less attuned interactions.

This shows a lonely child looking out a window.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·April 9, 2024·4 min read

Childhood Loneliness Linked to Later Psychosis

Childhood loneliness significantly increases the likelihood of experiencing a psychotic episode later in life, particularly in women. Through an observational case-control study involving 285 first-episode psychosis patients and 261 controls, the research distinguished the effects of subjective loneliness from objective social isolation.

Autism Featured Genetics Neuroscience

·April 9, 2024·6 min read

Gene Mutation Increases Autism Risk

Researchers made significant strides in understanding autism spectrum disorder's genetic underpinnings. By studying mice with a frameshift mutation in the KMT2C gene, they observed behavioral and cognitive impairments resembling ASD symptoms.

This shows a pregnant woman looking at pills.

Autism Featured Neuroscience

·April 9, 2024·5 min read

Acetaminophen in Pregnancy Not Linked to Autism, ADHD Risk

A comprehensive study involving over 2.4 million Swedish children has debunked the notion that acetaminophen use during pregnancy increases the risk of autism, ADHD, and intellectual disability in offspring. The research employed a novel sibling comparison method to eliminate confounding familial and environmental factors, revealing no increased risk of neurodevelopmental disorders among siblings exposed to acetaminophen prenatally versus those who were not.

Featured Neuroscience

·April 8, 2024·6 min read

Insomnia Begins in Childhood and Persists Through Life

Children and teens from racial and ethnic minority groups, especially Black children, are more likely to suffer from insomnia that begins in childhood and persists into adulthood. The study underscores the chronic nature of insomnia symptoms starting from a young age and their link to significant health issues, including cardiometabolic diseases and mental health disorders.

Autism Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·April 8, 2024·4 min read

Cannabis in Pregnancy Linked to Autism and ADHD Risk

Researchers identified a strong link between prenatal cannabis use disorder (CUD) and heightened risks of ADHD, ASD, and ID in children. The study analyzed over 222,000 mother-offspring pairs in Australia, revealing that children of mothers with prenatal CUD were almost twice as likely to develop these neurodevelopmental disorders.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·April 8, 2024·6 min read

Baby Talk: Early Social Interaction Spurs Language Growth

Early social interactions, characterized by "parentese," smiles, and eye contact, significantly impact infant brain development and language growth. Utilizing magnetoencephalography (MEG), the study observed increased brain activity in 5-month-olds during social interactions with adults, compared to nonsocial scenarios.