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neurodevelopment

·March 27, 2025·3 min read

Stronger Bonds Before Birth Shape Healthier Mother-Child Futures

A new study reveals that young mothers who feel emotionally connected to their unborn babies are more likely to form healthy, positive relationships with their children later. Researchers tracked 160 racially diverse, low-income mothers from pregnancy to their child’s toddler years, showing that prenatal bonding plays a key role in early childhood development.

This shows a child in a VR headset and a brain.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·March 25, 2025·6 min read

Virtual Reality Reveals Hidden Brain Patterns in Kids With ADHD

Researchers used a virtual reality game and functional MRI to uncover how children's brains with ADHD respond differently during active tasks. Unlike traditional brain scans taken during rest, this immersive approach revealed distinct patterns of neural communication in ADHD, especially in deeper brain structures.

Featured Genetics Neuroscience Psychology

·March 20, 2025·4 min read

Schizophrenia Risk May Begin in the Placenta

A new study highlights the placenta’s role in neuropsychiatric development, showing that DNA methylation influences gene expression tied to psychiatric disorders. Researchers found strong links between placental DNA methylation and conditions like schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and major depression.

Featured Neuroscience

·March 20, 2025·3 min read

Infant Memory Formation Begins Earlier Than Thought

New research challenges the idea that infants cannot form memories, showing that babies as young as 12 months old can encode experiences. Using fMRI scans, researchers found that the hippocampus, a brain region critical for memory, is active in infants during a memory task. These findings suggest that infantile amnesia—the inability to remember early childhood—may be due to retrieval failures rather than an inability to form memories. While humans cannot recall events from their first few years of life, evidence shows that early memories may persist but remain inaccessible.

This shows an anxious teen on a cell phone.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·March 19, 2025·5 min read

TikTok Misinformation May Distort ADHD Perceptions

A new study found that popular ADHD-related content on TikTok often misaligns with clinical guidelines, potentially influencing how young adults perceive the disorder. Researchers analyzed the top 100 ADHD videos and found that less than half of the claims matched professional diagnostic criteria.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·March 19, 2025·5 min read

Early-Life Adversity Reshapes Brain Development and Behavior

Early-life adversity affects over half of children worldwide, increasing the risk of cognitive and mental health issues later in life. A new review highlights how unpredictable sensory experiences, beyond traditional stressors like abuse and neglect, can disrupt brain development.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·March 11, 2025·5 min read

Childhood Abuse Doubles Psychiatric and Health Risks

New research finds that adults who experienced both physical and sexual abuse in childhood are about twice as likely to suffer chronic physical and mental health issues, such as depression, arthritis, asthma, and heart conditions. Even experiencing one type of abuse significantly increased the odds of adverse health outcomes in adulthood.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·March 11, 2025·5 min read

Eating Seafood Linked to Kinder, More Socially Skilled Young Children

Children who regularly eat seafood at age 7 exhibit more positive social behaviors—such as sharing, helping, and interacting kindly—by ages 7 and 9, compared to those who rarely consume seafood. This finding, from a large study tracking nearly 6,000 children, underscores seafood’s role in supporting behavioral and social development during childhood.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·March 10, 2025·4 min read

Prenatal Stress Timing Shapes Infant Stress Response

New research reveals that the timing of stress during pregnancy has gender-specific effects on infants, altering how boys and girls respond to stress differently. Scientists found mid-pregnancy stress has a stronger impact on girls' stress reactivity, while boys are more sensitive to stress experienced in late gestation.

Autism Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·March 3, 2025·8 min read

Maternal Diet Influences ADHD and Autism Risk

A large study analyzing over 60,000 mother-child pairs found that a Western diet during pregnancy—high in fat, sugar, and processed foods—was associated with a significantly increased risk of ADHD and autism in children. Even small shifts toward a Western diet correlated with a 66% higher risk of ADHD and a 122% higher risk of autism.

This shows adults, children and speech bubbles.

Featured Neuroscience

·March 1, 2025·4 min read

Multilingualism Starts Early: Study Challenges View on Language Learning

A new study of 121 infants in Accra, Ghana, reveals that babies regularly hear between two and six languages from multiple caregivers. Unlike the Western model of learning one language from a primary caregiver, these children acquire language through a dynamic social environment.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·February 25, 2025·8 min read

Adverse Childhood Experiences Impact Brain Development and Mental Health

A decade-long study reveals how childhood adversity alters brain development, increasing risks for mental health disorders and substance use. Researchers found that teens who experienced early adversity showed delayed cognitive control, with unusual brain activity in regions linked to self-regulation.