The amygdala—a brain structure enlarged in two-year-old children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD)—begins its accelerated growth between 6 and 12 months of age, suggests a study funded by the National Institutes of Health. The amygdala is involved in processing emotions, such as interpreting facial expressions or feeling afraid when exposed to a threat. The findings indicate that therapies to reduce the symptoms of ASD might have the greatest chance of success if they begin in the first year of life, before the amygdala begins its accelerated growth.
News
NICHD issues News Releases and Media Advisories to the news media. Spotlight and Research Feature articles explain NICHD research findings and public health issues to the general public. An Item of Interest is a short announcement of relevant information, such as a notable staff change.
Media Advisory: Amygdala overgrowth that occurs in autism spectrum disorder may begin during infancy
Spotlight: Scientific advances from the Division of Intramural Research
The Division of Intramural Research provides fundamental knowledge about the nature and behavior of living systems through basic, clinical, and population-based research.
Science Update: Children born during pandemic may experience slight neurodevelopmental delays, NIH-funded study suggests
Infants born during the pandemic—regardless of whether their mothers had COVID-19 during pregnancy—scored slightly lower on certain tests of neurodevelopment at 6 months old, compared to a similar group of infants born before the pandemic, according to a study funded by the National Institutes of Health. The findings suggest that children born during the pandemic may need long-term monitoring to rapidly identify any future lags in development. The researchers theorized that maternal stress resulting from the pandemic could have effects on children’s neurodevelopment.
Spotlight: Selected NICHD Research Advances of 2021
Read about NICHD’s research findings and activities from 2021.
Science Update: Infants’ brains may respond to faces, other visual stimuli earlier than previously thought, NIH-funded study suggests
Specialized regions in infant brains appear to respond to visual information in much the same way adult brains do, according to a study funded by the National Institutes of Health. Located in the visual cortex, these brain regions selectively process faces, bodies, or scenes. Previously, researchers had believed that it took years for these regions to develop before they would function like an adult’s visual cortex. The findings may provide information helpful for understanding disorders in which facial recognition is impaired, such as autism spectrum disorder and bipolar disorder.
Media Advisory: Repurposed ALS drug shows promise in mouse model of rare childhood genetic disorder
Riluzole, a drug approved to treat amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a disease affecting nerve cells controlling movement, could slow the gradual loss of a particular brain cell that occurs in Niemann-Pick disease type C1 (NPC1), a rare genetic disorder affecting children and adolescents, suggests a study in mice by scientists at the National Institutes of Health.
Item of Interest: NIH Research Plan on Rehabilitation Now Available
The newly published 2021 NIH Research Plan on Rehabilitation reflects advances since the previous plan was released in 2016 and new directions that will help guide rehabilitation research across NIH for the next five years.
Media Advisory: NIH researchers link depression during pregnancy to placental gene modifications
Episodes of maternal stress or depression during pregnancy are associated with chemical modifications to placental genes, according to a study by researchers from the National Institutes of Health. The modifications involve DNA methylation—binding of compounds known as methyl groups to DNA—which can alter a gene’s activity. Some of the methylation changes associated with maternal depression occurred near genes involved in brain development, suggesting that maternal depression in pregnancy could have long-term implications for the mental development of the child.
Media Advisory: Open, expressive family life may reduce effects of social deprivation among adopted children
An environment in which family members support one another and express their feelings can reduce the effects of social deprivation on cognitive ability and development among adopted children, suggests a small study by researchers at the National Institutes of Health. In contrast, rule-driven households where family members are in conflict may increase an adopted child’s chances for cognitive, behavioral and emotional difficulties.
Director's Corner: A Mother’s Day Message: Time for Action to Improve Maternal Health
NICHD Director Dr. Diana Bianchi is joined by NIH Office of Research on Women’s Health Director Dr. Janine Clayton in assessing the growing maternal health crisis in the United States and describing NIH’s efforts to address it.
Media Advisory: NIH study identifies diverse spectrum of neurons that govern movement
Mouse study provides atlas to pinpoint neurons involved in neurodegenerative diseases.
Item of Interest: How is COVID-19 Affecting Children’s Daily Lives? Preliminary Data Offers Fresh Insight
Preliminary data from NICHD-funded researchers provides caregiver-reported information on how children and teens fared during the first months of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Director's Corner: One Year of Rapid Acceleration of Diagnostics, and Anticipating New Challenges
Looking back and looking ahead. NICHD Director Dr. Diana W. Bianchi joins other leaders across NIH in reflecting on the work of the Rapid Acceleration of Diagnostics (RADx) program and discussing plans for the future.
Director's Corner: Advancing Research to Understand, Treat, and Prevent Long COVID
For many COVID-19 patients, full recovery remains elusive even long after they should feel “better.” NIH recently announced research opportunities to understand COVID-19 long haulers, who have what researchers now refer to as Post-acute sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 infection (PASC). NICHD joins these opportunities while remaining focused on PASC patients within our audiences of interest—pregnant and lactating people, children, and those with disabilities.
Science Update: Parent questionnaires may improve prescribing practices for children with severe neurological impairments, NIH-funded study suggests
Physicians could improve prescribing practices for children with severe neurological impairments by periodically administering parent questionnaires to assess the children’s symptoms, suggests a study funded by the National Institutes of Health. Such routine assessments could help detect adverse effects of drug interactions or cases in which medications have been under or overprescribed.
Spotlight: Medical Rehabilitation Research Center Marks 30th Anniversary
The National Center for Medical Rehabilitation was established in 1990 through the landmark Americans with Disabilities Act.
Item of Interest: It’s a Small World After All for NICHD Researchers
Intramural Group Wins Microphotography Prize
Director's Corner: It’s a Family Matter: The NIH INCLUDE Project
The pandemic reinforces why the NIH INCLUDE (INvestigation of Co-occurring conditions across the Lifespan to Understand Down syndromE) Project matters to families and communities.
Item of Interest: NIH Selects Centers to Advance Research on Fragile X Syndrome and Related Conditions
NIH announces funding for three centers for collaborative research on Fragile X syndrome, the most common inherited form of intellectual and developmental disability, and related conditions.
Director's Corner: Push to IMPROVE health outcomes for pregnant women
NIH has launched a new initiative that will combat the growing problem of maternal mortality and morbidity in the United States.