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.
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: 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.
Science Update: NIH scientists design a potential non-hormonal contraceptive for men
Mouse studies targeting gonadotropin regulated testicular helicase (GRTH) appear to be a promising approach.
Media Advisory: Extreme eating problems in early childhood linked to higher chance of developmental delay, NIH study suggests
Young children with a history of eating problems in the first three years of life were more likely to receive low scores on assessments of child development, according to a study by researchers at the National Institutes of Health. The findings suggest that children with multiple eating problems—frequent crying during meals, pushing food away, gagging and others—may benefit from screening for developmental delay.
Media Advisory: In-person school during COVID-19 must address needs of underserved communities
NIH commentary highlights community engagement in research design and implementation.
Media Advisory: NIH to study long-term effects of COVID-19 in pregnancy
The National Institutes of Health will support a four-year follow-up study on the potential long-term effects of COVID-19 on women infected with SARS-CoV-2 during pregnancy. The study will also follow their offspring for any potential long-term effects.
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.
Director's Corner: Reflecting on Our Commitment to Nutrition Research
As we usher in November and Thanksgiving, it’s a fitting time to reflect on NICHD’s commitment to research on nutrition.
Science Update: Anticipation of racial bias protects Korean American youth from mental health effects of discrimination, NIH-funded study suggests
For Korean American youth, parental advice to anticipate occasional racial bias from the larger society protected against the mental health effects of discrimination, suggests an NIH-funded study. In addition, for U.S.-born Filipino Americans, having parents who taught them to take pride in their ethnicity and to be wary of forming relationships with other groups was protective against discrimination’s mental health effects.
Science Update: Infant seizure risk increases after cooling therapy rewarming, NIH-funded study suggests
Newborns who undergo whole body cooling after oxygen deprivation—proven to prevent brain damage and death—have a high risk of seizures during the rewarming phase of the treatment, suggests a study funded by the National Institutes of Health. The findings indicate that infants’ brain waves should be continuously monitored for seizures during rewarming, which may otherwise go undetected and lead to disability or death.
Spotlight: Research Highlights from the Division of Intramural Research (DIR)
Read about a selection of DIR’s latest scientific advances in basic, clinical, and population-based research.
Media Advisory: Genetic testing of the siblings of newborns with cancer genes could reduce rare pediatric cancer deaths by half, NIH-funded analysis suggests
Genetic testing of the siblings of newborns found to have mutations in any one of 11 genes most commonly associated with childhood-onset cancers could reduce deaths from these rare cancers by about 50%, suggests a study funded by the National Institutes of Health.
Media Advisory: Antibody treatment for MIS-C works by depleting inflammatory immune cells
NIH-funded study explains how intravenous immune globulin helps children with rare COVID condition.
Science Update: NIH-supported scientists develop a new structural model for the nuclear pore
The architecture of the nuclear pore is shaped by the cellular environment, according to a new NIH-supported study.
Media Advisory: High dose of concentrated therapy produces several lasting benefits for children with cerebral palsy
Findings on Constraint-Induced Movement Therapy (CIMT) may inform updates to clinical practice guidelines.
Media Advisory: Oxytocin does not improve social functioning in children with autism spectrum disorder, NIH-funded study suggests
Regular doses of the hormone oxytocin do not appear to overcome deficits in social functioning among children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), suggests a study funded by the National Institutes of Health. The findings contradict earlier reports that indicated the hormone could alleviate the difficulties in social functioning characteristic of ASD. Oxytocin is associated with empathy and social bonding.
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.
Director's Corner: Empowering Kids in Challenging Times
Drs. Diana W. Bianchi and Bill Riley co-write a blog for Children’s Health Day on October 4, 2021.
Item of Interest: NICHD website seeks to foster contraceptive and infertility research
A new website offers reproductive health researchers a way to search for genes, proteins, and other molecules that could provide the basis for studies to develop new contraceptive methods and infertility treatments. The Contraceptive Infertility Target Database (CITDBase) is a free public resource developed by the Contraceptive Development Program in the NICHD’s Division of Population Health Research.
NIH will expand existing gene expression resources to include developmental tissues
NIH will award $38.5 million over five years to the Developmental Genotype-Tissue Expression (dGTEx) project, which aims to build a widely available tissue bank and database with information about human developmental gene expression in many types of tissues from children for use in basic and clinical research.