Brain changes in infants as young as six months of age suggest that MRIs could be used to detect autism in children at least half a year before the emergence of other symptoms, according to a new study published online Friday in the American Journal of Psychiatry. According to Lara Salahi of ABC News, Dr. Joe Piven, director of the University of North Carolina’s (UNC) Carolina Institute for De... (read more)
Scientists studying a unique collection of human skulls have shown that changes to the skull shape thought to have occurred independently through separate evolutionary events may have actually precipitated each other. Researchers at the Universities of Manchester and Barcelona examined 390 skulls from the Austrian town of Hallstatt and found evidence that the human skull is hi... (read more)
The brains of people who regularly play computer games differ from those of infrequent gamers, research suggests. A study in teenagers showed the "reward hub", which is involved in addiction, was larger in regular players. A report in Translational Psychiatry said it was unknown if games changed the brain or if brain differences made people more likely to play. Experts said more studies were needed for parent... (read more)
In a first study, researchers have shown autistic brains develop more slowly than healthy brains. The finding may explain why children with autism think differently than their peers. In their study, researchers from University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), Health Sciences found slower growth in brain areas that could explain social impairment, communication deficits and repetitive ... (read more)
Children who received general anesthesia repeatedly before the age of 2 had a doubling of their risk for learning disabilities at school age, according to a new study, the latest evidence that anesthesia could have long-term impact on young children. In recent years, a debate has intensified about the link between anesthetics and learning disabilities. Many animal studies have shown that the drugs hamper brain develop... (read more)
Neural development comprises the processes that generate, shape, and reshape the nervous system, from the earliest stages of embryogenesis to the final years of life. The study of neural development aims to describe the cellular basis of brain development and to address the underlying mechanisms. The field draws on both neuroscience and developmental biology to provide insight into the cellular and molecular mechanisms by which complex nervous systems develop. Defects in neural development can lead to cognitive, motor, and intellectual disability, as well as neurological disorders such as autism, Rett syndrome, and mental retardation.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brain_development
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