neurodevelopment

BackgroundAutism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is primarily characterized by differences in communication and social interaction, but motor impairments are also commonly observed, often emerging in early childhood. Understanding these motor characteristics may contribute to earlier identification and intervention. This study aimed to compare walking kinematics between autistic and non-autistic preschoo…

The study identifies critical windows of metal exposure via baby teeth, revealing impacts on brain development and behavior in children and adolescents.

A systematic review reveals adolescent cannabis use alters brain structure, elevates addiction risk, and impacts cognitive outcomes during critical development.

Background and hypothesisCannabis use initiation during adolescence has increased globally, raising concerns about neurodevelopmental consequences during this critical period when the brain undergoes extensive remodeling in cannabinoid receptor-rich regions.Study designThis systematic review examines neurodevelopmental consequences of adolescent cannabis use, focusing on structural brain changes,…

IntroductionSchizophrenia (SCZ) is a highly heritable neuropsychiatric disorder. Its genomic architecture reportedly overlaps with that of neurodevelopmental disorders, such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and autism spectrum disorder (ASD). However, the effect of genomic risk for ADHD and ASD on SCZ symptoms remains unclear.MethodWe obtained genome-wide association study (GWAS…

Researchers at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai report that early-life exposure to common environmental metals may influence brain development and behavioral health more than a decade later.

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a common neurodevelopmental disorder caused by a combination of genetic and environmental factors. With the increasing prevalence of ASD diagnosis, it is crucial to understand the mechanisms behind preventable causes, such as prenatal infections, and look for possible routes to improve outcomes. For example, maternal immune activation (MIA), the process by which …

Sensory input during early life is crucial for brain circuitry to be appropriately wired and refined. Foundational studies in the past century established that early sensory input was required for the appropriate development of primary sensory areas. Further investigation in the beginning of the 21st century extended this idea by suggesting that early sensory inputs may also impact remodeling of …

For the first time, scientists succeed in mapping the blood vessels in a newborn mouse's brain, revealing three stages of development linked to the growth of neural circuits.

Researchers from UC San Diego found that teenagers who begin using cannabis show slower gains in thinking and memory skills as they grow.

Opposite day: Neurodevelopmental conditions may arise from disruptions in the systems-level maturation of neuronal circuits, according to a new preprint. The investigators compared the effects of SYNGAP1 haploinsufficiency in mice with the effects of SYNGAP1 disruption in cortical excitatory neurons. The former induced two altered and opposing patterns of neuronal activity in the cortex, whereas …

New research shows a child’s home environment is closely linked to how their brain matures. A recent study associates parental acceptance with faster brain development, while exposure to household abuse correlates with delayed microstructural brain changes.

The brain undergoes “rewiring” throughout adolescence and doesn’t reach its adult architecture until our early 30s, suggests a new study.

Researchers have mapped a pathway connecting infant screen time to teenage anxiety. The study associates early screen exposure with accelerated brain network maturation, which predicts more hesitant decision-making in childhood and greater anxiety in adolescence.

Brain development does not end at 25 but continues into the early 30s as neural networks become more efficient and specialized. Spend enough time scrolling through TikTok or Instagram and you will inevitably come across the familiar claim: “Your frontal lobe isn’t fully developed yet.” It has become a popular neuroscience catchphrase, often used to [...]

The idea that the brain begins its work long before the world touches it feels almost mystical, yet the evidence keeps arriving. Now a team led by UC Santa Cruz shows that human brain organoids produce structured electrical sequences with no sensory input at all, a finding that shifts how we think about the earliest steps toward thought. The work, published in Nature Neuroscience, probes a period…

Scientists are trying to understand how cannabis may affect long-term neurodevelopment when people were exposed to it in the womb. Previous work by Washington University in St. Louis researchers Sarah Paul and David Baranger in the Behavioral Research and Imaging Neurogenetics (BRAIN) lab led by Ryan Bogdan, PhD, found associations between prenatal cannabis exposure and potential mental health co…

Northwestern Medicine scientists have been awarded $17 million to study genetic causes of autism and schizophrenia, with the aim of developing new drugs to treat the conditions. The post Feinberg Scientists to Lead Grant Studying Autism, Schizophrenia appeared first on News Center .

A recent study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences has uncovered new information about how the brain develops and potential abnormalities that can occur during that […]

Jenna Ramaker has a Ph.D. in neuroscience and spent several years at OHSU doing post-graduate research on Alzheimer’s disease. The... Read More The post How moms’ stress affects babies appeared first on OHSU-PSU School of Public Health .