From consolidating memories to cleaning out toxins in the brain that accumulate during waking hours, researchers explore why sleep is so important and what happens when we don't get enough. Read More
According to a new study, children with autism have an excess of synapses in the brain, due to a slowdown of the normal pruning process during development. Read More
Contrary to popular belief, exposing children to stimuli early can help to boost their development, researchers report. Read More
White matter tracts show increasing maturation with age from the back to the front of the brain. The maturations begin as a child reaches 9-12 years of age. The maturity correlates with a critical and formative period of development. Read More
A new study provides further evidence for immune system activation during pregnancy and disruptions in brain development. Many adult diseases, researchers say, may originate during fetal development. Read More
A new study reports pregnant women with high levels of inflammatory cytokines and chemokines may have a significantly increased risk of having a child with autism combined with an intellectual disability. Read More
Participating in exercise improved synaptic pruning in mouse models of autism. The study also found microglia dependant synaptic pruning is impaired by maternal inflammation, which has been previously connected to the development of ASD. Read More
When T helper cells are absent in the brain, microglia remain suspended between the fetal and adult developmental state. Mice lacking brain T cells showed changes in behavior and defective synaptic pruning. The study reveals the critical role T cells play in the development of the brain. Read More
Researchers have identified a previously unknown stage of human brain development. Read More
Study implicates C4, an immune system gene, in schizophrenia pathogenesis. Read More
Researchers report adult neurogenesis not only helps increase the number of cells in a neural network, it also promotes plasticity in the existing network. Additionally, they have identified the role the Bax gene plays in synaptic pruning. Read More
Researchers have shows how synapses are lost during early Alzheimer's disease. Read More
