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Categories: Birth Defects, Infant and Preschool Learning

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Some substances in medicines, household items and the environment are known to affect prenatal child development. Researchers tested the effects of five drugs (including caffeine and the blood thinner warfarin) on the growth of zebrafish embryos. They found that all five had the same effect, impairing the migration of bone-forming cells which resulted in the onset of facial malformation. Zebrafish embryos grow quickly, are transparent and develop outside of the parent's body, making them ideal for studying early development. A zebrafish-based system could be used to easily screen for potentially harmful substances, reducing animal testing on mammals and supporting parents-to-be when making choices for themselves and their baby.

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A study with 775 mother-child pairs in Rotterdam (The Netherlands) finds an association with maternal exposure to certain plasticizers (phthalates) and smaller volumetric measures in the brain of children as well as lower IQ at age 14

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Studying genes in families with a propensity for certain diseases has led to many critical advances in medicine, including the discovery of statins in family members who suffered heart attacks at an early age. Now, a team of researchers has identified an inherited mutation in a gene linked to a highly lethal cancer of what is commonly known as the food pipe, called esophageal adenocarcinoma (EAC).

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It is often hard to understand the source of pain in babies and children, and if they experience it often or for a long time, it can do severe damage.

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Fundamental questions of agency -- acting with purpose -- have perplexed some of the greatest minds in history including Sir Isaac Newton and Charles Darwin. Now, human babies provide groundbreaking insight into the origins of agency. Since goal-directed action appears in the first months of human life, researchers used young infants as a test field to understand how spontaneous movement transforms into purposeful action. The 'birth' of agency can be quantified as a 'eureka-like,' pattern-changing phase transition within a dynamical system that spans the baby, the brain, and the environment.

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Children of a parent with alcohol or drug use disorder have a greater risk of intellectual disability, even if the problem only lies with the father, researchers report. According to the study, preventive measures should be directed at both parents.

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Scientists have identified a key part of a mechanism that annotates genetic information before it is passed from fathers to their offspring. The findings shed new light on genomic imprinting, a fundamental, biological process in which a gene from one parent is switched off while the copy from the other parent remains active. Errors in imprinting are linked to a host of diseases, such as the rare disease Silver-Russell syndrome along with certain cancers and diabetes.

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Nineteen-month-old toddlers already use natural logical thinking, even before they learn to speak, to deal with uncertainties about the world. This natural logic contributes to their learning process, both in terms of language and in other fields of knowledge, according to a new study.

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In a new study, researchers used mice to understand how DiNP affects pregnancy.

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New research has shown how a complex component of milk that can be added to infant formula has been shown to confer long-term cognitive benefits, including measures of intelligence and executive function in children.

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When an immunocompromised person's system begins to recover and produce more white blood cells, it's usually a good thing -- unless they develop C-IRIS, a potentially deadly inflammatory condition. New research has found that the pulmonary distress often associated with C-IRIS is caused not by damage to the lungs, but by newly populated T-cells infiltrating the brain. Knowing this mechanism of action can help researchers and physicians better understand the illness and provide new treatment targets.

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Preterm babies given a supplement with a combination of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids have better visual function by the age of two and a half.

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An international team of scientists has discovered an additional potential cause of the genetic mutations that result in rare neurodegenerative conditions such as Huntington's disease.

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Researcher discovers possible link of mitochondrial function to the development of schizophrenia.

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Two distinct neurodevelopmental abnormalities that arise just weeks after the start of brain development have been associated with the emergence of autism spectrum disorder, according to a new study in which researchers developed brain organoids from the stem cells of boys diagnosed with the disorder.

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In a small, exploratory study, levels of certain types of microbes in babies' guts were shown to be associated with performance in tests of early cognitive development.

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A study has shown that prenatal diagnosis, or diagnosis before a baby is born, is associated with earlier surgery for babies with congenital heart defects, the most common birth defects affecting nearly 1% of all live births. The association was demonstrated for critical defects (when heart surgery is required before the infant leaves the hospital) and certain types of noncritical defects, which constitute about 75% of all congenital heart defects.

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In experiments using neonatal mice, researchers have identified a fatty molecule in breast milk that triggers a process in which stem cells in the brain produce cells that create new white matter, reversing brain injury.

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A new study of cadmium in pregnant women yields crucial insights into the placenta's role in regulating toxin exposure.

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Infants who nap a lot have smaller vocabularies and poorer cognitive skills -- according to new research.