Children with autism who live with pets are more assertive December 30, 2014 University of Missouri­Columbia Dogs and other pets play an important role in individuals’ social lives, and they can act as catalysts for social interaction, previous research has shown. Although much media attention has focused on how dogs can improve the social skills

Source: Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health Children exposed during pregnancy to elevated levels of two common chemicals found in the home–di-n-butyl phthalate (DnBP) and di-isobutyl phthalate (DiBP)–had an IQ score, on average, more than six points lower than children exposed at lower levels. Credit: © rudisetiawan / Fotolia Children exposed during pregnancy to

University of Rochester Medical Center MRI image of brain and skull (stock image). As with the rest of the body, the timely removal of waste from the brain is essential to prevent the unchecked accumulation of toxic proteins and other debris. However, until recently no one was entirely clear how the brain accomplished this. Credit:

New York City Plans Focus on Mental Health in Justice System By MICHAEL WINERIP and MICHAEL SCHWIRTZ DEC. 1, 2014 In an effort to reduce the growing number of inmates with mental health and substance abuse problems in New York City’s jails, the administration of Mayor Bill de Blasio announced plans on Monday to significantly

BY MIKE BARRETT POSTED ON NOVEMBER 12, 2014 Tweet Did you ever wonder how a cell phone might affect your brain? When you think about it, the use of cell phones is massively experimental, as we had no idea what kind of negative effects they might have on people when they were first introduced. Well

Brain anatomy differences between autistic, typically developing individuals are indistinguishable Date: November 4, 2014 Source: American Associates, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev In the largest MRI study to date, researchers from Ben-Gurion University of the Negev and Carnegie Mellon University have shown that the brain anatomy in MRI scans of people with autism above age

New mechanism for febrile seizures in young children discovered Date: November 2, 2014 Source: Universitaet Tübingen Febrile seizures are the most frequent form of childhood epileptic attacks and affect roughly two to four per cent of all children worldwide. They often occur between the ages of three months and five years and can even appear

Four minutes of physical activity can improve behaviour in the classroom for primary school students, according to new research by Brendon Gurd. A brief, high-intensity interval exercise, or a “FUNterval,” for Grade 2 and Grade 4 students reduced off-task behaviours like fidgeting or inattentiveness in the classroom. “While 20 minutes of daily physical activity (DPA)

Greater rates of mitochondrial mutations discovered in children born to older mothers Date: October 13, 2014 Source: Penn State The inner membrane of each mitochondrion contains distinctive folds known as cristae. In a normal mitochondrion (left) these folds fill the interior, but these folds are lost in damaged or dysfunctional mitochondria (right). Dozens of rare

Novel culture system replicates course of Alzheimer’s disease, confirms amyloid hypothesis Date: October 12, 2014 Source: Massachusetts General Hospital “Originally put forth in the mid-1980s, the amyloid hypothesis maintained that beta-amyloid deposits in the brain set off all subsequent events … [show more] Credit: © Feng Yu / Fotolia An innovative laboratory culture system has

Nearly 1 in 3 Kids with Autism Have ADHD Symptoms Traci Pedersen By Associate News Editor Reviewed by John M. Grohol, Psy.D. on June 8, 2013 Nearly One-Third of Children with Autism Have Symptoms of ADHDNearly 30 percent of young children with autism also have symptoms of ADHD — a rate that’s three times greater

Botox ‘may stunt emotional growth’ in young people By Smitha Mundasad Health reporter, BBC News Giving young people Botox treatment may restrict their emotional growth, experts warn. Writing in the Journal of Aesthetic Nursing, clinicians say there is a growing trend for under-25s to seek the wrinkle-smoothing injections. But the research suggests “frozen faces” could