Study reveals gap in screening and treatment that could improve developmental outcomes
Breathing disruptions during sleep widespread in newborns with severe spina bifida
Category: Brain development/Law/Policy
Good parenting helps, but has limits under major deprivation
Good parenting can make all the difference as newborns learn to communicate and process information, and an increasing amount of early-childhood development research has shown that parent training is a worthy investment to improve childhood outcomes. However, there may be a limit to how much skilled parenting can improve a newborn’s language and cognition skills, […]
Brain structure differences provide clues to substance use risks
When studying substance use disorders, scientists had thought some of the effects on the brain could stem from use of the substances themselves: People start drinking alcohol in early teens, that alcohol has a neurotoxic effect on the developing brain that begets more alcohol drinking, and a similar dynamic occurs with other substances. But research […]
Halting hidden hunger
Under a large tent outside a medical clinic in El Quinche, Ecuador, shiny pink streamers sway in the April breeze. It seems like an unlikely place for a baby shower, but the women gathered here are familiar with the spot. They first entered the tent months before as newly expectant mothers, referred by their health-care […]
Five factors to ensure an infant thrives
There are basic resources every baby needs for the best possible chance to develop as a healthy well-functioning human. Start with good nutrition, breast milk if possible. That baby is going to need stimulation, lots of looking, reciprocal interactions, exposure to language and interesting stimuli. If at all possible, you should live in a place […]
Preschoolers with depression at greater risk of suicide during adolescence
Preschoolers with clinical depression are more likely than their peers to have attempted suicide or to have had thoughts of killing themselves by age 12, according to a new study from researchers at Washington University in St. Louis. The findings, published recently in the Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, suggest […]
Poverty negatively impacts structural wiring in children’s brains, study indicates
A new study from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis suggests that growing up in poverty may influence the wiring of a child’s brain. The study, published June 27 in JAMA Network Open, indicates a link between both neighborhood and household poverty and the brain’s white matter tracts, which allow for communication between […]
Quinn awarded grant to compare neurotropic markers in human and primate milk
A new Leakey Foundation award will support research to better understand how certain hormones in breast milk contribute to brain growth in humans and primates. E.A. Quinn, PhD, associate professor of biological anthropology, has received a grant from the Leakey Foundation to study how neurotropic hormones in human and primate milk affect brain growth. Humans have very […]
Children’s brain scans provide clues to processing of emotional cues
Children with specific psychiatric symptoms, such as anxiety, may struggle to understand emotional cues when people around them are happy, sad or angry, and that lack of understanding can make it difficult to respond appropriately in social situations. Studying brain scans from hundreds of children ages 5 to 15, researchers at Washington University School of […]
Rogers, Smyser awarded MERIT grant for research on preterm babies
Researchers in child psychiatry and pediatric neurology at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have been named recipients of a prestigious MERIT award from the National Institute of Mental Health of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to support their research focused on preterm babies’ brains as the children age. The MERIT (Method […]
WashU research spurs changes to global guidelines for feeding malnourished kids
The brain health of millions of malnourished children stands to benefit following changes to global guidelines for the formulation of ready-to-eat therapeutic food — the standard treatment for severe malnutrition in developing countries. Results of a major clinical trial in Africa led by Mark Manary, MD, a professor of pediatrics at Washington University School of Medicine in […]
Kamilov awarded second Scialog grant
Ulugbek Kamilov, PhD, assistant professor of electrical and systems engineering and of computer science at Washington University in St. Louis’ McKelvey School of Engineering, is among 21 early-career researchers awarded funding in the second year of Scialog: Advancing Bioimaging. The project is supported by the Research Corporation for Science Advancement, the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, the […]
Barch receives Research Investigator Prize
The American Psychological Foundation has awarded its Alexander Gralnick Research Investigator Prize to Deanna Barch, PhD, chair of psychological and brain sciences in Arts & Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis. Barch is also vice dean of research in Arts & Sciences, as well as the Gregory B. Couch Professor of Psychiatry and a professor of radiology […]
Rogers named director of child psychiatry division
Cynthia E. Rogers, MD, has been named the new Blanche F. Ittleson Professor of Psychiatry and director of the William Greenleaf Eliot Division of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. Her appointment was announced by Eric J. Lenze, MD, the Wallace and Lucille Renard Professor and head of the Department of […]
Interdisciplinary ‘Politics of Reproduction’ course to explore history, implications post-Roe v. Wade
The debate over abortion has only intensified in the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court’s Dobbs v. Jackson ruling, which overturned Roe v. Wade and stripped away constitutional protections for abortion, returning the issue to states. Since the ruling, 12 states have banned or severely restricted abortion care, and at least 10 other states have bans […]
OHMB recognizes Barch with Glass Brain Award
The Organization for Human Brain Mapping (OHBM) has awarded its Glass Brain Award to Deanna Barch, PhD, chair and professor of psychological and brain sciences in Arts & Sciences and the Gregory B. Couch Professor of Psychiatry and professor of radiology at the School of Medicine at Washington University in St. Louis. OHBM is an international society […]
SSRI use during pregnancy not related to childhood depression
In one of the first studies to look at the association between selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRI) medications and brain development in young children, research from the Behavioral Research and Imaging Neurogenetics (BRAIN)Lab at Washington University in St. Louis found no association between children’s exposure to the drugs in the womb and later childhood depression. The study […]
Barch recognized for achievement, excellence
The Society for Research in Psychopathology has awarded its Joseph Zubin Lifetime Achievement Award to Deanna Barch, PhD, chair and professor of psychological and brain sciences in Arts & Sciences as well as the Gregory B. Couch Professor of Psychiatry and professor of radiology at the School of Medicine, all at Washington University in St. Louis. The award, […]
Poverty, crime linked to differences in newborns’ brains
Poverty and crime can have devastating effects on a child’s health. But a new study from researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis suggests that some environmental factors influence the structure and function of young brains even before babies make their entrances into the world. A study published online April 12 in […]
NIH funds Barch research on neurodevelopment
In order to understand healthy neurodevelopment — and the threats to that health — researchers need a more comprehensive understanding of how the brain grows throughout childhood and young adulthood. To that end, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) has awarded a $753,181 grant to Deanna Barch, PhD, chair and professor of psychological and brain […]
Gift to help SLCH, WashU develop care model to improve kids’ behavioral health
St. Louis Children’s Hospital and Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis are tackling the issue of behavioral health support that has emerged as a leading health concern in our country — for people of all ages. The challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic have revealed the number of children suffering and how few resources are […]
Prenatal, early-life influences on child brain development focus of new study
Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis are joining scientists at 24 other sites around the country to conduct a comprehensive study aimed at understanding how prenatal factors and early life experiences influence brain development and behavior in infants and young children. With more than $37 million in funding from several institutes […]
Persistent, distressing psychotic-like experiences associated with impairment in youth
In a new study, researchers examined the association between distressing and persistent psychotic-like experiences (PLEs) in youth and important risk factors for psychopathology. The researchers found that youth who indicate they have persistent, distressing PLEs show impairment in a variety of areas such as cognition and reported psychopathology, highlighting the long-term challenges these children may […]
Enhanced therapeutic foods improve cognition in malnourished children
A nutritional supplement popular in the U.S. and added to some types of yogurt, milk and infant formula can significantly improve cognition in severely malnourished children, according to a study led by researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. The researchers found that when the omega-3 fatty acid known as docosahexaenoic acid […]
Achilefu, Luby elected to National Academy of Medicine
Medical imaging scientist Samuel Achilefu, PhD, and child psychiatrist Joan L. Luby, MD, both of Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, have been elected to the National Academy of Medicine, a part of the National Academy of Sciences. Membership in the academy is considered one of the highest honors in the fields of health and […]
17-year study of children associates poverty with smaller, slower-growing subcortical regions
Children in poverty are more likely to have cognitive and behavioral difficulties than their better-off peers. Plenty of past research has looked into the physical effects of childhood poverty, or documented mental health disparities between socioeconomic classes. But Deanna Barch, chair and professor in the Department of Psychological & Brain Sciences in Arts & Sciences at […]
Luby honored for advancing understanding of brain, behavior disorders
Joan L. Luby, MD, the Samuel and Mae S. Ludwig Professor of Psychiatry at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, has received the Ruane Prize for Child & Adolescent Psychiatry from the Brain & Behavior Research Foundation. The prize honors important advances in the understanding and treatment of early-onset brain and behavior disorders. […]
Specific bacteria help explain stunted growth in malnourished children
Many children treated for childhood malnutrition in developing countries never fully recover. They suffer from stunted growth, immune system dysfunction and poor cognitive development that typically cause long-term health issues into adulthood. Now, new research from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and the International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research involving malnourished children […]
Davis, Luby receive 2020 faculty achievement awards; Covey to be honored for innovation and entrepreneurship
Adrienne Davis and Joan Luby will receive Washington University in St. Louis’ 2020 faculty achievement awards, Chancellor Andrew D. Martin announced. Davis, vice provost, the William M. Van Cleve Professor of Law and inaugural director of the university’s Center for the Study of Race, Ethnicity & Equity, will receive the Arthur Holly Compton Faculty Achievement […]
4 Ways to Help if Your Kid Is Depressed
A couple of weeks ago, I noticed a worrying shift in my 9-year-old. His characteristic silliness — his goofy giggles and incessant bad jokes — had disappeared. He stopped wanting to go outside and said he was too tired to play. He crawled under his bed covers and lay quietly in his room, while the […]
$13.7 million to further adolescent brain development study
Washington University scientists will receive $13.7 million in additional funding for ongoing research into adolescent brain development. Their work is part of the largest long-term study of brain development ever conducted in the United States. Washington University is one of 21 study sites around the country participating in the project. Launched in 2015, the Adolescent Brain […]
Brown School researchers awarded $3.2 million grant to study child growth, development in Haiti
Trish Kohl and Lora Iannotti, associate professors at the Brown School at Washington University in St. Louis, have received a five-year $3.2 million grant from the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development of the National Institutes of Health to study stunted growth and development in children in Haiti. “Recent estimates show 250 […]
Potential biomarker for autism identified in infants
Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and Stanford University have identified a biomarker in newborns that may signal autism spectrum disorder months or even years before troubling symptoms develop and such diagnoses typically are made. The researchers found that babies diagnosed with autism later in childhood had in their cerebrospinal fluid, […]
Brain and Behavior Research Foundation awards grants to five researchers
Five researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have received Young Investigators Grants from the Brain and Behavior Research Foundation. The foundation is committed to alleviating the suffering caused by mental illness by supporting research that will lead to advances and breakthroughs in scientific research. The $70,000 grants help junior investigators launch […]
Why Zika virus caused most harmful brain damage to Brazilian newborns
Due to Zika virus, more than 1,600 babies were born in Brazil with microcephaly, or abnormally small heads, from September 2015 through April 2016. The epidemic took health professionals by surprise because the virus had been known since 1947 and was not linked to birth defects. As scientists scrambled to figure out what was going […]
Suicidal thoughts in 9- and 10-year-olds correlate to family dynamics, study found
Death by suicide in children has reached a 30-year high in the United States. During middle and high school, 10% to 15% of kids have thoughts of suicide, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. How early in a child’s life do these thoughts begin? New research from Washington University in St. Louis […]
The bullied brain
The TV show “Survivor,” now in its 39th season, has spawned hosts of spin-offs and adaptations. Most cater to reality-TV lovers worldwide, but one surprising variation has become part of the toolbox researchers use to understand the effects of bullying on adolescents. Bullying is known to be a risk factor for depression, especially among young […]
Nature vs. nurture
Compelled by the potential to improve the lives of vulnerable children, emeritus trustee Walter Metcalfe and his wife, Cynthia, have committed nearly $4 million through outright and estate gifts to support the work of Joan L. Luby, MD, a highly regarded child psychiatrist. Luby and her colleagues have linked adversity, including poverty and neglect in the […]
Vogel-Hammen receives award for research in child, adolescent psychiatry
Alecia Vogel-Hammen, MD, PhD, an instructor in child psychiatry at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, has received the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry’s 2019 Pilot Research Award for Attention Disorders. The award, supported by the academy’s Elaine Schlosser Lewis Fund, provides up to $15,000 in funding to junior faculty and […]
Human gut microbes could make processed foods healthier
A new study from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis sheds light on how human gut microbes break down processed foods — especially potentially harmful chemical changes often produced during modern food manufacturing processes. Eating processed foods such as breads, cereals and sodas is associated with negative health effects, including insulin resistance and […]
Childhood obesity in low-income Missouri families aim of CDC grant
Obesity researchers from around Missouri, led by scientists at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, have received a grant to help evaluate and put in place family-focused weight-management programs designed to reduce childhood obesity, particularly among children from low-income families. With a five-year, $3.7 million grant from the Centers for Disease Control and […]
Brain Scans, Saliva Tests, and Baby Teeth: Inside the Massive, Government-Funded Effort to Understand How Kids’ Brains Develop
Researchers expect this massive endeavor, receiving $30 million in federal funding per year, will transform our understanding of brain development. Neuroscientists are positively giddy about ABCD, and for good reason: It is larger and more racially and socioeconomically diverse than any comparable study to date. “We’re going to be working with this dataset for decades,” […]
$785K NIMH grant awarded to Brown School’s Mary McKay
Mary McKay, the Neidorff Family and Centene Corporation Dean of the Brown School, has received a five-year, $785,000 grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH)’s National Institute of Mental Health for a project titled “Navigating Resource-Constrained Systems and Communities to Promote the Behavioral Health of Black Youth.” Sean Joe, the Benjamin E. Youngdahl Professor of Social Development […]
Stable home lives improve prospects for preemies
As they grow and develop, children who were born at least 10 weeks before their due dates are at risk for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), autism spectrum disorder and anxiety disorders. They also have a higher risk than children who were full-term babies for other neurodevelopmental issues, including cognitive problems, language difficulties and motor delays. Researchers […]
A Mix Of These Foods Could Restore Healthy Microbes In Malnourished Kids
When children suffer from severe malnourishment, they don’t just lose weight. The condition wreaks havoc on biological systems throughout the body — including the microbiome, the healthy bacteria and other microbes that live in our digestive tracts. Those bacteria number in the trillions in every person and include hundreds of different species. They’re essential for […]
For malnourished children, new therapeutic food boosts gut microbes, healthy development
A new type of therapeutic food, specifically designed to repair the gut microbiomes of malnourished children, is superior to standard therapy in an initial clinical trial conducted in Bangladesh. An interdisciplinary team of investigators from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and the International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research in Dhaka, Bangladesh, have […]
Metcalfe gift supports study of adversity’s effects on children’s brains
Compelled by the potential to improve the lives of vulnerable children, emeritus trustee Walter Metcalfe Jr. and his wife, Cynthia, have made a commitment of nearly $4 million through outright and estate gifts to support the work of Joan L. Luby, MD, a highly regarded child psychiatrist at Washington University School of Medicine in St. […]
E3 Nutrition Lab Links Child Nutrition, Economics and Evolution
A transdisciplinary laboratory at the Brown School is undertaking research across the world to address “hidden hunger”— poverty-related nutritional deficiencies in mothers and young children. The founder and director of the E3 Nutrition Lab is Lora Iannotti, associate professor and associate dean for public health. The three “E”s represent the lab’s principles for nutrition interventions: […]
Cannabis during pregnancy bumps psychosis risk in offspring
Pregnant women who use cannabis may slightly increase the risk their unborn child will develop psychosis later in life, suggests new research from Washington University in St. Louis. Fine “Our research shows that prenatal marijuana exposure after maternal knowledge of pregnancy is associated with a small increase in psychosis proneness during middle childhood or about […]
How team sports change a child’s brain
Adult depression has long been associated with shrinkage of the hippocampus, a brain region that plays an important role in memory and response to stress. Now, new research from Washington University in St. Louis has linked participation in team sports to larger hippocampal volumes in children and less depression in boys ages 9 to 11. […]