FeaturedNeuroscienceOpen Neuroscience ArticlesPsychology·October 30, 2019·3 min readHow are psychiatric disorders linked to infections during pregnancy?Previous studies have documented how infection during pregnancy can increase the risk of ASD and a range of psychiatric disorders in the offspring. A new study reveals how maternal infections can affect neural development and how the timing of infection plays a critical role in elevating the risks of mental health conditions.Read More
FeaturedNeurosciencePsychology·October 30, 2019·3 min readAcetaminophen in pregnancy linked to higher risk of ADHD and autismReport supports earlier studies linking acetaminophen exposure in utero with a higher risk of later diagnosis of ADHD and ASD.Read More
FeaturedNeurosciencePsychology·October 29, 2019·3 min readDistinct brain region alterations in youth with psychosis spectrum disordersTeens with psychosis spectrum disorders have significantly reduced surface areas in the orbitofrontal cortex, cingulate, precentral, and postcentral brain regions. MRI scans also revealed decreased thalamic volume.Read More
FeaturedNeuroscience·October 25, 2019·3 min readOnly half of US children get enough sleep during the week52% of children aged between 6 and 17 in the USA are not getting the recommended amount of sleep during the week. Children who sleep 9 or more hours a night showed more interest in learning, improved social behavior, and an increased desire to do well at school.Read More
FeaturedNeuroscience·October 25, 2019·3 min readBabies understand counting years earlier than believedCounting directs an infant's attention to numerical aspects of their environment, proving they recognize counting as numerically relevant years before acquiring the meaning of number words.Read More
FeaturedGeneticsNeuroscienceOpen Neuroscience ArticlesPsychology·October 24, 2019·3 min readYoung moms more likely to have kids with ADHDWhile there is a clear genetic link between young mothers and ADHD in their children, the association is not necessarily causal.Read More
FeaturedNeuroscienceOpen Neuroscience Articles·October 23, 2019·3 min readEven the fetus has gut bacteriaBoth human and mouse fetuses have their own microbiome, which is transmitted from the mother. Findings provide new avenues for interventions during pregnancy to stimulate the fetal microbiome when the mother shows risk of premature birth.Read More
FeaturedGeneticsNeuroscience·October 23, 2019·4 min readConsuming alcohol leads to epigenetic changes in brain memory centersStudy reveals how acetate, a byproduct of alcohol breakdown, travels to the brain's learning system and alters proteins that regulate DNA function.Read More
FeaturedGeneticsNeuroscience·October 21, 2019·4 min readGene variants influence size of brain stem and other structuresResearchers identified 48 common genetic variants that appear to play a role in the size of the brainstem and other subcortical structures. Forty of the variants were novel. The findings also revealed 199 genes related to the variants which regulate brain development and susceptibility to neurological disorders.Read More
FeaturedNeurosciencePsychology·October 21, 2019·4 min readHow stress and mother’s abuse affects infant brainEarly life stress alone impairs hippocampal development. Stress, in addition to maternal mistreatment within the first few weeks of life, also hinders amygdala development.Read More
AutismFeaturedGeneticsNeuroscience·October 21, 2019·4 min readNew therapeutic strategy may help reverse autism behavioral abnormalitiesGenetically silencing mTORC2 in mouse models prolonged lifespan, suppressed seizures, increased long-term memory, and reduced autism-like behaviors.Read More
FeaturedNeuroscienceOpen Neuroscience ArticlesPsychology·October 21, 2019·3 min readStudy debunks myth that only children are more narcissisticA new study debunks the long-standing myth that only children are more likely to display narcissistic traits than their peers who have siblings. Data analysis revealed only children showed no increase in grandiosity or rivalrous compared to children of the same age with brothers or sisters. Researchers say the stereotype that only children are narcissistic remains prevalent but is highly inaccurate.Read More