News & Updates

Newborns experiencing withdrawal symptoms after opioid exposure in the womb are more likely to be readmitted to the hospital 90 days after being discharged.

Adolescents with a concussion who exercised more than 150 minutes a week slept better than those who exercised less, a study found. Better sleep may promote faster recovery from concussion.

To avoid radiation exposure, researchers developed prediction strategies to prevent pediatric trauma patients from receiving unneeded CT scans, which slightly increase the risk for radiation induced cancers.

Children with concussion, or mild traumatic brain injury, were no more likely to experience a drop in IQ scores after their injury than were children who received injuries to the muscles or bones, according to a study funded in part by the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. The findings suggest that concussion is unlikely to affect children’s intelligence in the long term, providing reassurance to caregivers of pediatric concussion patients.

A multidimensional MRI method developed at NICHD can detect astrogliosis, a neuroinflammatory response that occurs in traumatic brain injury and many other neurological conditions, a new study suggests. Researchers had previously established that the multidimensional MRI strategy can identify diffuse axonal injury—a microscopic brain injury that, like astrogliosis, cannot be detected by conventional radiological methods.

Women and girls with a concussion are more likely than males to have a neck injury, according to an analysis of emergency department visits funded by the NICHD. The finding suggests that physicians evaluating females for concussion should also consider evaluating them for neck injury so that they can benefit from treatment as soon as possible.

Nearly a third of children experiencing a concussion had symptoms, including headache, irritability, and fatigue, up to a year after their injury, according to a study funded by the National Institutes of Health.

NICHD’s mission includes understanding child development and behavior. Check out these scientific advances related to Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder.

The month of May offers an opportunity to focus on NICHD’s Pediatric Trauma and Critical Illness Branch, which observes its 5th anniversary supporting research on preventing, treating, and reducing all forms of childhood trauma, injury, and critical illness.

Over the past year, NICHD contributed to numerous scientific advances and key initiatives.

Virginia mother Jana Monaco describes how newborn screening changed her family's life. Her experience and advocacy helped change the course of knowledge for future generations.

NICHD Director Dr. Diana Bianchi and colleagues from other NIH Institutes discuss this valuable research resource.

A device that calibrates MRI scanners to improve image and data quality has received U.S. patent approval. The inventors are researchers at NICHD and the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering.

A conversation with Dr. Sheri Crow, a pediatrician specializing in critical care at the Mayo Clinic, about her NICHD-funded research. Dr. Crow has explored the long-term health outcomes of children who experience traumatic injury or a life-threatening illness in early childhood.

A technique that monitors the brain’s electrical activity could one day be used to predict which children who have had a traumatic brain injury (TBI) are likely to suffer progressive brain damage, according to a small study funded in part by the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), a component of the National Institutes of Health.

Researchers at the National Institutes of Health found that the blood protein tau could be an important new clinical biomarker to better identify athletes who need more recovery time before safely returning to play after a sports-related concussion.

Young people who sustain a traumatic brain injury before the age of 25 may be more likely experience a psychiatric illness and die earlier than those who have not had such an injury, according to an analysis funded by the National Institutes of Health. The researchers also found that those who had a head injury may complete fewer years of school and are more likely receive a disability pension.

Violence is a leading cause of death for people 10 to 24 years old in the United States. In addition, nearly a million young people are treated for injuries each year as a result of physical violence, sexual assault, bullying, or self-harm. Youth violence also can cause long-term emotional and psychological harm.

Many U.S. hospitals may be missing the chance to find out if babies and toddlers have been physically abused. Researchers funded by the National Institutes of Health found a large difference in whether hospitals followed long-standing guidelines from the American Academy of Pediatrics to order additional x-rays for children suspected of being victims of abuse.