#braindevelopment — Public Fediverse posts
Live and recent posts from across the Fediverse tagged #braindevelopment, aggregated by home.social.
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DATE: August 9, 2026 at 08:00PM
SOURCE: PSYPOST.ORG** Research quality varies widely from fantastic to small exploratory studies. Please check research methods when conclusions are very important to you. **
-------------------------------------------------TITLE: Decreased sleep in adolescents is linked to lasting changes in how the brain communicates
A recent study published in Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience suggests that getting less sleep is associated with specific, lasting changes in how different areas of the brain communicate with one another. By tracking adolescents over two years and observing adults who underwent a night of sleep deprivation, scientists found evidence that sleep loss tends to alter the brain’s internal network organization.
Sleep is necessary for physical and mental health, yet many young people regularly fail to get enough rest. Inadequate sleep has been linked to worse academic performance, social difficulties, and various emotional challenges. During adolescence, the brain undergoes major developmental changes that are highly sensitive to environmental factors and daily routines.
The human brain is organized into complex networks of interconnected regions, and the coordinated activity across these networks supports cognition and emotional regulation. When people rest without performing a specific task, neuroscientists can measure spontaneous brain activity, known as resting-state functional connectivity, to understand how well these networks communicate. Previous research has indicated a link between sleep duration and resting-state functional connectivity, but past studies often yielded inconsistent results and primarily looked at data from a single point in time.
It has remained largely unknown whether structural changes in brain connectivity lead to poor sleep, or if poor sleep causes these brain changes. A team of researchers led by M. Fiona Molloy and Chandra Sripada from the University of Michigan set out to clarify the relationship between sleep and the developing adolescent brain. They designed a study to examine how sleep habits track with brain connectivity changes over time. They also wanted to test the directional nature of this relationship to see if sleep deprivation directly triggers specific brain connectivity patterns.
The researchers first analyzed data from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development Study, a large observational project tracking youth in the United States. They focused on a sample of 2,991 children, aged 11 to 12 years old. To measure sleep duration, the authors combined parent reports, self-reports from the children, and objective data collected via activity trackers. They also examined the participants’ resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging brain scans, which track blood flow to measure neural activity.
Using advanced statistical modeling, the scientists identified a specific pattern of brain connectivity that strongly correlated with shorter sleep duration. They found that less sleep was associated with increased communication within the somatomotor network, a brain system traditionally linked to movement and sensory processing but increasingly recognized for its role in goal-directed behavior. The visual network, on the other hand, showed reduced internal communication in youth who slept less.
Next, the authors looked at a separate group of 1,574 participants from the same large dataset to observe changes over time. They compared sleep duration and brain scans taken when the children were 9 to 10 years old with data collected two years later. The statistical models accounted for variables like biological sex, age, and head motion during the brain scans to ensure these factors did not artificially inflate the results.
The analysis indicated that changes in a child’s sleep duration over the two-year period corresponded with changes in their brain networks. Specifically, youth who experienced a decrease in their sleep duration across the two years showed a corresponding increase in the expression of the reduced-sleep brain pattern, yielding a standardized beta effect size of 0.10. This provides evidence that as sleep habits shift, the brain’s internal communication architecture shifts in a predictable manner.
To test whether a lack of sleep directionally leads to this brain pattern, the researchers examined a completely different dataset called the Stockholm Sleepy Brain Study. This experimental sample included 76 adults who underwent brain scans on two separate occasions. One scan took place after a typical night of sleep, and the other occurred after a night of sleep deprivation where participants were restricted to three hours of sleep or less.
The authors took the specific reduced-sleep brain pattern they had identified in the youths and mathematically projected it onto the brain scans of the adult participants. They controlled for factors like sex, age group, and head movement during the scanning process. This allowed them to measure how strongly the youth-derived brain pattern appeared in the adults under different sleep conditions.
The expression of the reduced-sleep brain pattern increased in the adult participants after they were sleep-deprived. Following a normal night of sleep, the adults had a mean expression score of 2.03 for this brain pattern. After the sleep deprivation manipulation, the mean expression score rose to 3.39, indicating that a lack of rest reliably amplified this specific brain configuration.
The scientists also generated a new, independent brain pattern map based entirely on the adult sleep deprivation data. When they compared the sleep-deprivation map from the adults to the reduced-sleep map from the youth, the two patterns showed a spatial correlation of 0.38, indicating a high degree of overlap. Both maps prominently featured increased communication within the somatomotor network.
The observed relationship between sleep and brain connectivity could be bidirectional. Just as sleep loss alters brain networks, pre-existing brain connectivity patterns might also make it harder for a person to fall or stay asleep. Establishing a definitive, one-way biological cause would require artificially manipulating human brain connectivity in an experiment, which is not ethically or scientifically possible.
The methods used to track sleep habits also present some limitations. The observational data relied heavily on sleep measurements taken at yearly intervals, which may miss the constant daily or weekly fluctuations in how much rest a child actually gets. Retrospective reports from parents and children can also introduce memory biases compared to continuous objective tracking.
Future research could benefit from using more frequent, detailed sleep tracking methods over longer periods. Measuring sleep and brain activity simultaneously over a span of weeks could provide a sharper picture of how quickly the brain adapts to changes in rest. Tracking the current adolescent participants into their later teenage years will also help scientists understand how these brain connectivity patterns evolve as youth mature.
The study, “Decreased Sleep Is Linked Longitudinally and Directionally to Alterations in the Brain’s Intrinsic Functional Architecture,” was authored by M. Fiona Molloy, Aman Taxali, Mike Angstadt, Katherine Toda-Thorne, Katherine L. McCurry, Alexander Weigard, Omid Kardan, Camille Lehrmann, Joshua Vens, Cleanthis Michael, Mary M. Heitzeg, and Chandra Sripada.
-------------------------------------------------
Private, vetted email list for mental health professionals: https://www.clinicians-exchange.org
Unofficial Psychology Today Xitter to toot feed at Psych Today Unofficial Bot @PTUnofficialBot
-------------------------------------------------
#psychology #counseling #socialwork #psychotherapy @psychotherapist @psychotherapists @psychology @socialpsych @socialwork @psychiatry #mentalhealth #psychiatry #healthcare #depression #psychotherapist #SleepAndBrainConnectivity #AdolescentSleep #RestingStateFconnectivity #SomatomotorNetwork #VisualNetwork # SleepDeprivationEffects #BrainDevelopment #NeuroscienceResearch #DevelopmentalCognitiveNeuroscience #YouthSleepHealth
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DATE: August 9, 2026 at 08:00PM
SOURCE: PSYPOST.ORG** Research quality varies widely from fantastic to small exploratory studies. Please check research methods when conclusions are very important to you. **
-------------------------------------------------TITLE: Decreased sleep in adolescents is linked to lasting changes in how the brain communicates
A recent study published in Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience suggests that getting less sleep is associated with specific, lasting changes in how different areas of the brain communicate with one another. By tracking adolescents over two years and observing adults who underwent a night of sleep deprivation, scientists found evidence that sleep loss tends to alter the brain’s internal network organization.
Sleep is necessary for physical and mental health, yet many young people regularly fail to get enough rest. Inadequate sleep has been linked to worse academic performance, social difficulties, and various emotional challenges. During adolescence, the brain undergoes major developmental changes that are highly sensitive to environmental factors and daily routines.
The human brain is organized into complex networks of interconnected regions, and the coordinated activity across these networks supports cognition and emotional regulation. When people rest without performing a specific task, neuroscientists can measure spontaneous brain activity, known as resting-state functional connectivity, to understand how well these networks communicate. Previous research has indicated a link between sleep duration and resting-state functional connectivity, but past studies often yielded inconsistent results and primarily looked at data from a single point in time.
It has remained largely unknown whether structural changes in brain connectivity lead to poor sleep, or if poor sleep causes these brain changes. A team of researchers led by M. Fiona Molloy and Chandra Sripada from the University of Michigan set out to clarify the relationship between sleep and the developing adolescent brain. They designed a study to examine how sleep habits track with brain connectivity changes over time. They also wanted to test the directional nature of this relationship to see if sleep deprivation directly triggers specific brain connectivity patterns.
The researchers first analyzed data from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development Study, a large observational project tracking youth in the United States. They focused on a sample of 2,991 children, aged 11 to 12 years old. To measure sleep duration, the authors combined parent reports, self-reports from the children, and objective data collected via activity trackers. They also examined the participants’ resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging brain scans, which track blood flow to measure neural activity.
Using advanced statistical modeling, the scientists identified a specific pattern of brain connectivity that strongly correlated with shorter sleep duration. They found that less sleep was associated with increased communication within the somatomotor network, a brain system traditionally linked to movement and sensory processing but increasingly recognized for its role in goal-directed behavior. The visual network, on the other hand, showed reduced internal communication in youth who slept less.
Next, the authors looked at a separate group of 1,574 participants from the same large dataset to observe changes over time. They compared sleep duration and brain scans taken when the children were 9 to 10 years old with data collected two years later. The statistical models accounted for variables like biological sex, age, and head motion during the brain scans to ensure these factors did not artificially inflate the results.
The analysis indicated that changes in a child’s sleep duration over the two-year period corresponded with changes in their brain networks. Specifically, youth who experienced a decrease in their sleep duration across the two years showed a corresponding increase in the expression of the reduced-sleep brain pattern, yielding a standardized beta effect size of 0.10. This provides evidence that as sleep habits shift, the brain’s internal communication architecture shifts in a predictable manner.
To test whether a lack of sleep directionally leads to this brain pattern, the researchers examined a completely different dataset called the Stockholm Sleepy Brain Study. This experimental sample included 76 adults who underwent brain scans on two separate occasions. One scan took place after a typical night of sleep, and the other occurred after a night of sleep deprivation where participants were restricted to three hours of sleep or less.
The authors took the specific reduced-sleep brain pattern they had identified in the youths and mathematically projected it onto the brain scans of the adult participants. They controlled for factors like sex, age group, and head movement during the scanning process. This allowed them to measure how strongly the youth-derived brain pattern appeared in the adults under different sleep conditions.
The expression of the reduced-sleep brain pattern increased in the adult participants after they were sleep-deprived. Following a normal night of sleep, the adults had a mean expression score of 2.03 for this brain pattern. After the sleep deprivation manipulation, the mean expression score rose to 3.39, indicating that a lack of rest reliably amplified this specific brain configuration.
The scientists also generated a new, independent brain pattern map based entirely on the adult sleep deprivation data. When they compared the sleep-deprivation map from the adults to the reduced-sleep map from the youth, the two patterns showed a spatial correlation of 0.38, indicating a high degree of overlap. Both maps prominently featured increased communication within the somatomotor network.
The observed relationship between sleep and brain connectivity could be bidirectional. Just as sleep loss alters brain networks, pre-existing brain connectivity patterns might also make it harder for a person to fall or stay asleep. Establishing a definitive, one-way biological cause would require artificially manipulating human brain connectivity in an experiment, which is not ethically or scientifically possible.
The methods used to track sleep habits also present some limitations. The observational data relied heavily on sleep measurements taken at yearly intervals, which may miss the constant daily or weekly fluctuations in how much rest a child actually gets. Retrospective reports from parents and children can also introduce memory biases compared to continuous objective tracking.
Future research could benefit from using more frequent, detailed sleep tracking methods over longer periods. Measuring sleep and brain activity simultaneously over a span of weeks could provide a sharper picture of how quickly the brain adapts to changes in rest. Tracking the current adolescent participants into their later teenage years will also help scientists understand how these brain connectivity patterns evolve as youth mature.
The study, “Decreased Sleep Is Linked Longitudinally and Directionally to Alterations in the Brain’s Intrinsic Functional Architecture,” was authored by M. Fiona Molloy, Aman Taxali, Mike Angstadt, Katherine Toda-Thorne, Katherine L. McCurry, Alexander Weigard, Omid Kardan, Camille Lehrmann, Joshua Vens, Cleanthis Michael, Mary M. Heitzeg, and Chandra Sripada.
-------------------------------------------------
Private, vetted email list for mental health professionals: https://www.clinicians-exchange.org
Unofficial Psychology Today Xitter to toot feed at Psych Today Unofficial Bot @PTUnofficialBot
-------------------------------------------------
#psychology #counseling #socialwork #psychotherapy @psychotherapist @psychotherapists @psychology @socialpsych @socialwork @psychiatry #mentalhealth #psychiatry #healthcare #depression #psychotherapist #SleepAndBrainConnectivity #AdolescentSleep #RestingStateFconnectivity #SomatomotorNetwork #VisualNetwork # SleepDeprivationEffects #BrainDevelopment #NeuroscienceResearch #DevelopmentalCognitiveNeuroscience #YouthSleepHealth
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Growing Seeds: An Education and Psychology Blog @educationpluspsychology.wordpress.com@educationpluspsychology.wordpress.com ·Understanding Children’s Memory: A Brain-Friendly Approach to Long-Term Learning
Teachers and parents can enhance and strengthen children's memory and information retention by creating serial storytelling with meaningful and engaging narratives. This blog post explains this strategy and other practical recommendations for supporting children's cognitive, social, and emotional development. -
Growing Seeds: An Education and Psychology Blog @educationpluspsychology.wordpress.com@educationpluspsychology.wordpress.com ·Understanding Children’s Memory: A Brain-Friendly Approach to Long-Term Learning
Teachers and parents can enhance and strengthen children's memory and information retention by creating serial storytelling with meaningful and engaging narratives. This blog post explains this strategy and other practical recommendations for supporting children's cognitive, social, and emotional development. -
DATE: July 21, 2026 at 06:00PM
SOURCE: PSYPOST.ORG** Research quality varies widely from fantastic to small exploratory studies. Please check research methods when conclusions are very important to you. **
-------------------------------------------------TITLE: Socioeconomic status shapes brain networks in different ways for boys and girls
A child’s socioeconomic environment shares a measurable relationship with their physical brain architecture and cognitive test scores. A large study of elementary schoolers has found that while biological sex fundamentally alters these relationships, socially constructed categories like race do not. The findings suggest that unequal access to resources is what truly drives most observed racial differences in brain development. The study was published in Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience.
A child’s socioeconomic status encompasses more than just household income. It includes a variety of environmental factors, such as parental education, food security, neighborhood safety, and the emotional environment at home. Researchers know that children from lower socioeconomic backgrounds often experience different developmental trajectories than their wealthier peers. These differences show up in cognitive test scores and in the physical structure of the brain itself.
In the United States, systemic inequalities have led to a reality where race and socioeconomic status are heavily intertwined. Because of this, it can be difficult for researchers to isolate the effects of environmental resources from other demographic factors. Previous research often treated race as a simple statistical adjustment. But scientists have grown increasingly concerned that this approach might obscure important nuances in how poverty and resources interact with childhood development.
To understand how the environment alters the brain, scientists look at white matter. The brain’s white matter acts as the physical communication network between different gray matter regions. Researchers evaluate this network by looking at two main properties known as integration and segregation.
Integration describes the global efficiency of the network. A highly integrated brain resembles a system of long-distance highways that allows information to travel quickly across the entire brain with very few stops. Segregation refers to localized efficiency. A segregated network is similar to tight-knit local neighborhoods, where nearby brain regions communicate heavily with one another rather than reaching out across the brain.
To explore how these environmental and physical factors overlap, lead author Jaden Kropf and senior author Donald J. Mabbott, both based at The Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto, worked alongside their colleagues to analyze child brain data. They used information from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development study. This produced a large study of 8,064 nine- and ten-year-old children from across the United States.
The researchers gathered information on sixteen different measures of socioeconomic status. They grouped these measures into four distinct categories. These categories included general resources like parental education, material resources like food security, non-material resources like school engagement, and household dynamics like living with two parents.
The team then evaluated diffusion magnetic resonance imaging scans to map the white matter networks of each child. This imaging technique works by tracking the movement of water molecules along the brain’s fibrous pathways. Finally, they recorded general cognitive ability using a standardized battery of tests that assess memory, language, and attention. By building statistical models, the researchers could look at the associations between socioeconomic status, brain network organization, and cognitive scores.
The researchers found that all categories of socioeconomic status were linked to general cognitive ability. Increased general resources, non-material resources, and household stability were associated with higher cognitive scores. Conversely, higher material resources actually predicted lower cognitive scores. The study authors note that this specific negative association contradicts some previous research, pointing to the varied nature of socioeconomic measures.
In looking at the brain, the team uncovered unexpected patterns. They originally suspected that decreased socioeconomic status would be linked to lower levels of white matter integration and segregation. Instead, they found the opposite. Children with lower socioeconomic status tended to have more highly integrated and segregated white matter networks.
Because integration and segregation usually increase as a person ages, this means the brain networks of low-income children appeared more mature than their peers. The authors suggest this aligns with the stress acceleration hypothesis. This theory proposes that children facing early environmental adversity may experience faster biological development. In a stressful environment, the brain might accelerate its maturation to adapt to immediate survival challenges.
While a highly organized brain network is typically a sign of healthy development in adults, premature maturation might come with trade-offs. In this age group, the researchers found that increased network segregation was associated with lower cognitive test scores. Ultimately, the way the brain wired itself into segregated networks partially explained the link between socioeconomic status and cognitive ability.
After establishing these baseline associations, the researchers set out to see if demographic factors changed the modeled relationships. They first grouped the participants by race. They wanted to know if being part of a specific racial group altered how resources, brain wiring, and cognition interacted.
When the researchers simply grouped the children by race, they observed some group-specific associations. However, because wealth and resources are distributed so unequally across racial lines in the United States, the scientists ran a second analysis. In this analysis, they artificially balanced the sample so that each racial group had an equal number of participants from the exact same income brackets.
Once the socioeconomic distributions were equalized, nearly all unique racial differences vanished. The relationships between resources and cognitive ability were largely the same regardless of a child’s race. The study notes that white matter differences previously attributed to race are likely just the result of unequally distributed socioeconomic resources.
The scientists then examined biological sex, which they recorded as sex assigned at birth. Unlike race, sex is a fundamentally biological characteristic. When the researchers ran their models comparing male and female participants, they found distinct patterns.
Biological sex meaningfully changed how the environment was tied to brain development and cognition. For instance, living in a two-parent household was linked to higher cognitive ability in boys, but the results were not statistically significant for girls. Alternatively, having more non-material resources was associated with network segregation only in girls. The brain’s network segregation mediated the link between socioeconomic status and cognition in boys, but it did not do the same in girls.
These sex-based divergences might reflect different biological timelines for boys and girls. Nine- and ten-year-old children are at the onset of puberty. The authors point out that puberty has sex-specific influences on white matter development, and children in lower socioeconomic environments often enter puberty earlier.
The authors acknowledge a few limitations in their work. Because the study relies on data taken from a single point in time, it cannot demonstrate that a lack of resources causes specific changes in the brain. The associations highlight a pattern, but developmental trajectories can only be confirmed through studies that follow the same children over many years.
The mathematical models used to represent brain networks are also simplifications. Brain connectivity involves actual hierarchies that graph-based metrics do not completely capture. The researchers also note that cognitive tests inherently favor the cultural assumptions of the majorities they were designed around, meaning cultural biases could still influence test scores.
These findings advocate for a customized approach when scientists evaluate demographics. Socially constructed categories like race might not act as biological variables, but they do dictate access to resources. In contrast, biological traits like sex can fundamentally alter the pathways through which the environment shapes the growing brain.
The study, “Demographics Change the Relationships Between Socioeconomic Status, White Matter Network Organization, and Cognition in Children,” was authored by Jaden Kropf, Busisiwe Zapparoli, Julie Tseng, Amy S. Finn, Anne L. Wheeler, Nomazulu Dlamini, and Donald J. Mabbott.
-------------------------------------------------
Private, vetted email list for mental health professionals: https://www.clinicians-exchange.org
Unofficial Psychology Today Xitter to toot feed at Psych Today Unofficial Bot @PTUnofficialBot
-------------------------------------------------
#psychology #counseling #socialwork #psychotherapy @psychotherapist @psychotherapists @psychology @socialpsych @socialwork @psychiatry #mentalhealth #psychiatry #healthcare #depression #psychotherapist #socioeconomicstatus #braindevelopment #whiteMatter #cognition #childdevelopment #sexdifferences #puberty #neuroscience #educationandhealth #DevelopmentalCognitiveNeuroscience
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DATE: July 21, 2026 at 06:00PM
SOURCE: PSYPOST.ORG** Research quality varies widely from fantastic to small exploratory studies. Please check research methods when conclusions are very important to you. **
-------------------------------------------------TITLE: Socioeconomic status shapes brain networks in different ways for boys and girls
A child’s socioeconomic environment shares a measurable relationship with their physical brain architecture and cognitive test scores. A large study of elementary schoolers has found that while biological sex fundamentally alters these relationships, socially constructed categories like race do not. The findings suggest that unequal access to resources is what truly drives most observed racial differences in brain development. The study was published in Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience.
A child’s socioeconomic status encompasses more than just household income. It includes a variety of environmental factors, such as parental education, food security, neighborhood safety, and the emotional environment at home. Researchers know that children from lower socioeconomic backgrounds often experience different developmental trajectories than their wealthier peers. These differences show up in cognitive test scores and in the physical structure of the brain itself.
In the United States, systemic inequalities have led to a reality where race and socioeconomic status are heavily intertwined. Because of this, it can be difficult for researchers to isolate the effects of environmental resources from other demographic factors. Previous research often treated race as a simple statistical adjustment. But scientists have grown increasingly concerned that this approach might obscure important nuances in how poverty and resources interact with childhood development.
To understand how the environment alters the brain, scientists look at white matter. The brain’s white matter acts as the physical communication network between different gray matter regions. Researchers evaluate this network by looking at two main properties known as integration and segregation.
Integration describes the global efficiency of the network. A highly integrated brain resembles a system of long-distance highways that allows information to travel quickly across the entire brain with very few stops. Segregation refers to localized efficiency. A segregated network is similar to tight-knit local neighborhoods, where nearby brain regions communicate heavily with one another rather than reaching out across the brain.
To explore how these environmental and physical factors overlap, lead author Jaden Kropf and senior author Donald J. Mabbott, both based at The Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto, worked alongside their colleagues to analyze child brain data. They used information from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development study. This produced a large study of 8,064 nine- and ten-year-old children from across the United States.
The researchers gathered information on sixteen different measures of socioeconomic status. They grouped these measures into four distinct categories. These categories included general resources like parental education, material resources like food security, non-material resources like school engagement, and household dynamics like living with two parents.
The team then evaluated diffusion magnetic resonance imaging scans to map the white matter networks of each child. This imaging technique works by tracking the movement of water molecules along the brain’s fibrous pathways. Finally, they recorded general cognitive ability using a standardized battery of tests that assess memory, language, and attention. By building statistical models, the researchers could look at the associations between socioeconomic status, brain network organization, and cognitive scores.
The researchers found that all categories of socioeconomic status were linked to general cognitive ability. Increased general resources, non-material resources, and household stability were associated with higher cognitive scores. Conversely, higher material resources actually predicted lower cognitive scores. The study authors note that this specific negative association contradicts some previous research, pointing to the varied nature of socioeconomic measures.
In looking at the brain, the team uncovered unexpected patterns. They originally suspected that decreased socioeconomic status would be linked to lower levels of white matter integration and segregation. Instead, they found the opposite. Children with lower socioeconomic status tended to have more highly integrated and segregated white matter networks.
Because integration and segregation usually increase as a person ages, this means the brain networks of low-income children appeared more mature than their peers. The authors suggest this aligns with the stress acceleration hypothesis. This theory proposes that children facing early environmental adversity may experience faster biological development. In a stressful environment, the brain might accelerate its maturation to adapt to immediate survival challenges.
While a highly organized brain network is typically a sign of healthy development in adults, premature maturation might come with trade-offs. In this age group, the researchers found that increased network segregation was associated with lower cognitive test scores. Ultimately, the way the brain wired itself into segregated networks partially explained the link between socioeconomic status and cognitive ability.
After establishing these baseline associations, the researchers set out to see if demographic factors changed the modeled relationships. They first grouped the participants by race. They wanted to know if being part of a specific racial group altered how resources, brain wiring, and cognition interacted.
When the researchers simply grouped the children by race, they observed some group-specific associations. However, because wealth and resources are distributed so unequally across racial lines in the United States, the scientists ran a second analysis. In this analysis, they artificially balanced the sample so that each racial group had an equal number of participants from the exact same income brackets.
Once the socioeconomic distributions were equalized, nearly all unique racial differences vanished. The relationships between resources and cognitive ability were largely the same regardless of a child’s race. The study notes that white matter differences previously attributed to race are likely just the result of unequally distributed socioeconomic resources.
The scientists then examined biological sex, which they recorded as sex assigned at birth. Unlike race, sex is a fundamentally biological characteristic. When the researchers ran their models comparing male and female participants, they found distinct patterns.
Biological sex meaningfully changed how the environment was tied to brain development and cognition. For instance, living in a two-parent household was linked to higher cognitive ability in boys, but the results were not statistically significant for girls. Alternatively, having more non-material resources was associated with network segregation only in girls. The brain’s network segregation mediated the link between socioeconomic status and cognition in boys, but it did not do the same in girls.
These sex-based divergences might reflect different biological timelines for boys and girls. Nine- and ten-year-old children are at the onset of puberty. The authors point out that puberty has sex-specific influences on white matter development, and children in lower socioeconomic environments often enter puberty earlier.
The authors acknowledge a few limitations in their work. Because the study relies on data taken from a single point in time, it cannot demonstrate that a lack of resources causes specific changes in the brain. The associations highlight a pattern, but developmental trajectories can only be confirmed through studies that follow the same children over many years.
The mathematical models used to represent brain networks are also simplifications. Brain connectivity involves actual hierarchies that graph-based metrics do not completely capture. The researchers also note that cognitive tests inherently favor the cultural assumptions of the majorities they were designed around, meaning cultural biases could still influence test scores.
These findings advocate for a customized approach when scientists evaluate demographics. Socially constructed categories like race might not act as biological variables, but they do dictate access to resources. In contrast, biological traits like sex can fundamentally alter the pathways through which the environment shapes the growing brain.
The study, “Demographics Change the Relationships Between Socioeconomic Status, White Matter Network Organization, and Cognition in Children,” was authored by Jaden Kropf, Busisiwe Zapparoli, Julie Tseng, Amy S. Finn, Anne L. Wheeler, Nomazulu Dlamini, and Donald J. Mabbott.
-------------------------------------------------
Private, vetted email list for mental health professionals: https://www.clinicians-exchange.org
Unofficial Psychology Today Xitter to toot feed at Psych Today Unofficial Bot @PTUnofficialBot
-------------------------------------------------
#psychology #counseling #socialwork #psychotherapy @psychotherapist @psychotherapists @psychology @socialpsych @socialwork @psychiatry #mentalhealth #psychiatry #healthcare #depression #psychotherapist #socioeconomicstatus #braindevelopment #whiteMatter #cognition #childdevelopment #sexdifferences #puberty #neuroscience #educationandhealth #DevelopmentalCognitiveNeuroscience
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DATE: July 17, 2026 at 08:02AM
SOURCE: SCIENCE DAILY MIND-BRAIN FEEDTITLE: Your fingers may hold a secret of human brain evolution
URL: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/07/260717033350.htm
A study of 225 newborns suggests prenatal estrogen may have played a role in the evolution of larger human brains. Boys with finger-length patterns linked to higher estrogen exposure before birth tended to have larger head circumferences, which are strongly associated with brain size. The same connection was not seen in girls.
URL: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/07/260717033350.htm
-------------------------------------------------
Private, vetted email list for mental health professionals: https://www.clinicians-exchange.org
Unofficial Psychology Today Xitter to toot feed at Psych Today Unofficial Bot @PTUnofficialBot
-------------------------------------------------
#psychology #counseling #socialwork #psychotherapy @psychotherapist @psychotherapists @psychology @socialpsych @socialwork @psychiatry #mentalhealth #psychiatry #healthcare #depression #psychotherapist #BrainEvolution #PrenatalEstrogen #FingerLength #SexDifferences #BrainDevelopment #HeadCircumference #NewbornStudy #HumanEvolution #EstrogenExposure #NeuroscienceResearch
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DATE: July 17, 2026 at 08:02AM
SOURCE: SCIENCE DAILY MIND-BRAIN FEEDTITLE: Your fingers may hold a secret of human brain evolution
URL: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/07/260717033350.htm
A study of 225 newborns suggests prenatal estrogen may have played a role in the evolution of larger human brains. Boys with finger-length patterns linked to higher estrogen exposure before birth tended to have larger head circumferences, which are strongly associated with brain size. The same connection was not seen in girls.
URL: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/07/260717033350.htm
-------------------------------------------------
Private, vetted email list for mental health professionals: https://www.clinicians-exchange.org
Unofficial Psychology Today Xitter to toot feed at Psych Today Unofficial Bot @PTUnofficialBot
-------------------------------------------------
#psychology #counseling #socialwork #psychotherapy @psychotherapist @psychotherapists @psychology @socialpsych @socialwork @psychiatry #mentalhealth #psychiatry #healthcare #depression #psychotherapist #BrainEvolution #PrenatalEstrogen #FingerLength #SexDifferences #BrainDevelopment #HeadCircumference #NewbornStudy #HumanEvolution #EstrogenExposure #NeuroscienceResearch
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DATE: July 17, 2026 at 09:00AM
SOURCE: PSYPOST.ORG** Research quality varies widely from fantastic to small exploratory studies. Please check research methods when conclusions are very important to you. **
-------------------------------------------------TITLE: Autistic brains show differences in a fetal fold linked to social cognition
URL: https://www.psypost.org/autistic-brains-show-differences-in-a-fetal-fold-linked-to-social-cognition/
The physical arrangement of brain folds in an area linked to social and emotional processing appears altered in young males with autism spectrum disorder. A recent analysis of brain imaging data shows that neurotypical boys often exhibit a lopsided folding pattern that is less common in their autistic peers. The researchers published their work in the journal Cerebral Cortex.
The human brain is characterized by its heavily wrinkled outer layer, known as the cerebral cortex. This structure is packed with elevated ridges and deep grooves. Together, these folds function to maximize the sheer amount of neural tissue that can fit inside the cramped space of the human skull.
The valleys or grooves pushing deep into the brain tissue are called sulci. Most of the surface area of the cerebral cortex actually sits buried within these hidden grooves. Because the cortex coordinates higher-order mental functions, scientists actively study the shape and location of these folds to better understand human cognition and neurodevelopment.
One specific sub-region of this outer layer is the anterior cingulate cortex. This region operates as a central hub for emotional regulation, cognitive control, and social cognition. These represent broad areas of mental processing that are often affected in individuals with autism spectrum disorder, or ASD.
A prominent anatomical feature stretching within the anterior cingulate cortex is the paracingulate sulcus. The paracingulate sulcus is a tertiary brain fold that runs parallel to the main groove of the region. Unlike some major brain folds that appear practically identical in every human, this specific groove exhibits extreme physical variation across the population.
Some people develop a long, prominent paracingulate sulcus in both the left and right hemispheres of their brain. Others completely lack this secondary fold on both sides. When the fold is present, its exact shape and trajectory differ wildly from person to person.
In neurotypical populations, the presence of the paracingulate sulcus is usually asymmetrical. People frequently develop this fold in the left hemisphere of the brain, while the right hemisphere remains relatively smooth in that specific area. Past studies indicate that variations in this left-to-right pattern correlate with performance in executive function tasks and the ability to infer what others are thinking.
Because these cognitive traits closely overlap with the varied expressions of autism, researchers wanted to map the paracingulate sulcus in autistic individuals. Ethan Willbrand and Enrique Martinez, neuroscientists at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and the University of California, Berkeley, led the investigative team. They aimed to outline the precise characteristics of this particular sulcus in young people with autism.
The research team utilized existing structural magnetic resonance imaging, or MRI, scans of 200 young males ranging in age from five to 18. Half of the participants were previously diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder. The other half were neurotypical individuals.
To ensure their analytic frameworks were robust and accurately represented reality, the scientists split these participants equally into a primary discovery group and a secondary replication group. This split-sample method allows researchers to verify their initial statistical models against an entirely separate batch of data.
Trained raters manually evaluated the MRI scans of each participant to determine the presence or absence of the paracingulate sulcus in both brain hemispheres. A fold had to measure at least 20 millimeters in length and four millimeters in depth to be officially classified as functionally present. Defining the limits of an elusive fold manually is recognized as the gold standard in neuroanatomy research.
In addition to checking for the basic presence of the fold, the team used computer algorithms to extract exact geometrical proportions. They measured the overall length of the paracingulate sulcus by tracing its longest unbroken path. They also calculated the maximum sulcal depth and the average thickness of the gray matter lining the inside of the groove.
The analysis revealed a consistent difference in how the paracingulate sulcus was distributed across the left and right brain hemispheres. Neurotypical participants were highly likely to have an asymmetrical folding pattern, typically featuring the groove on the left side of the brain but lacking it on the right side. In contrast, participants with autism spectrum disorder exhibited increased structural symmetry.
For the autistic participants, the specific left-heavy asymmetry was greatly reduced. They were much more likely to possess a matching set of features, either harboring the groove on both sides of the brain or lacking it uniformly across both sides. The likelihood of having an asymmetric paracingulate sulcus was substantially higher for neurotypical boys than for autistic boys.
This structural difference remained constant even when the researchers adjusted their statistical models to account for potential confounding variables. The team controlled for the participants’ ages, their measured intelligence quotients, and the physical location of the medical centers where the MRI scans were conducted.
While the overall structural symmetry behaved differently among the groups, the specific physical dimensions of the groove did not. Statistical tests indicated that the length, depth, and cortical thickness of the paracingulate sulcus did not differ between the autistic and neurotypical brains. The findings for these specific geometric measurements were not statistically significant in either the primary discovery group or the replication group.
This contrast highlights a well-known distinction between different features of human neuroanatomy. Tertiary brain folds like the paracingulate sulcus begin to form internally well before birth, usually initiating around the 36th week of human gestation. This structural blueprint reflects very early biological constraints placed on the growing fetal brain.
Such early formation suggests a prenatal origin for the observed symmetry differences in autistic youth. The relatively symmetrical layout found in the autistic brains likely points to early biological variations in the genetic factors or cellular mechanics that dictate how the fetal brain physically folds itself. Once these basic folds are set in utero, their layout remains largely stable throughout life.
Measurements like a fold’s depth or the thickness of its outer gray matter, on the other hand, are remarkably dynamic. Cortical thickness changes throughout childhood development, shrinking or growing in response to life experiences, learning, and physical maturation. Because these dynamic measurements did not differ between the groups, the researchers suggest the neuroanatomical differences associated with autism operate primarily at distances rooted in a person’s earliest prenatal development.
While the anatomical variation is notable, the current study comes with multiple limitations. The participant pool included only young males under the age of 20. Autism spectrum disorder presents with immense biological diversity, and brain folding patterns are occasionally known to differ heavily based on biological sex. This means the researchers’ findings cannot simply be generalized to autistic females or older adults.
Additionally, the researchers could not directly link the anatomical differences to specific behavioral or cognitive traits in this exact population. The public imaging database they relied upon did not include uniform cognitive testing details for all 200 participants. Understanding how the symmetry of this central brain fold actually influences everyday mental tasks will require a dedicated follow-up project.
Mapping human brain folds by hand also takes a substantial amount of time. This limits the total number of scans scientists can reasonably analyze in a single anatomical project. The research team recommends that future work direct investments into the development of automated computer-based tools that can accurately trace brain folds that are not instinctively universally present.
Such advanced technology would allow anatomical experts to process thousands of scans simultaneously. This would eventually help map the highly variable physical landscape of the human brain on a much larger scale, revealing exactly how a tiny prenatal fold shapes human behavior over an entire lifetime.
The study, “Anterior cingulate folding pattern is altered in autism spectrum disorder,” was authored by Ethan H. Willbrand, Enrique Martinez, Jacob J. Ludwig, Samira A. Maboudian, and Kevin S. Weiner.
URL: https://www.psypost.org/autistic-brains-show-differences-in-a-fetal-fold-linked-to-social-cognition/
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DATE: July 17, 2026 at 09:00AM
SOURCE: PSYPOST.ORG** Research quality varies widely from fantastic to small exploratory studies. Please check research methods when conclusions are very important to you. **
-------------------------------------------------TITLE: Autistic brains show differences in a fetal fold linked to social cognition
URL: https://www.psypost.org/autistic-brains-show-differences-in-a-fetal-fold-linked-to-social-cognition/
The physical arrangement of brain folds in an area linked to social and emotional processing appears altered in young males with autism spectrum disorder. A recent analysis of brain imaging data shows that neurotypical boys often exhibit a lopsided folding pattern that is less common in their autistic peers. The researchers published their work in the journal Cerebral Cortex.
The human brain is characterized by its heavily wrinkled outer layer, known as the cerebral cortex. This structure is packed with elevated ridges and deep grooves. Together, these folds function to maximize the sheer amount of neural tissue that can fit inside the cramped space of the human skull.
The valleys or grooves pushing deep into the brain tissue are called sulci. Most of the surface area of the cerebral cortex actually sits buried within these hidden grooves. Because the cortex coordinates higher-order mental functions, scientists actively study the shape and location of these folds to better understand human cognition and neurodevelopment.
One specific sub-region of this outer layer is the anterior cingulate cortex. This region operates as a central hub for emotional regulation, cognitive control, and social cognition. These represent broad areas of mental processing that are often affected in individuals with autism spectrum disorder, or ASD.
A prominent anatomical feature stretching within the anterior cingulate cortex is the paracingulate sulcus. The paracingulate sulcus is a tertiary brain fold that runs parallel to the main groove of the region. Unlike some major brain folds that appear practically identical in every human, this specific groove exhibits extreme physical variation across the population.
Some people develop a long, prominent paracingulate sulcus in both the left and right hemispheres of their brain. Others completely lack this secondary fold on both sides. When the fold is present, its exact shape and trajectory differ wildly from person to person.
In neurotypical populations, the presence of the paracingulate sulcus is usually asymmetrical. People frequently develop this fold in the left hemisphere of the brain, while the right hemisphere remains relatively smooth in that specific area. Past studies indicate that variations in this left-to-right pattern correlate with performance in executive function tasks and the ability to infer what others are thinking.
Because these cognitive traits closely overlap with the varied expressions of autism, researchers wanted to map the paracingulate sulcus in autistic individuals. Ethan Willbrand and Enrique Martinez, neuroscientists at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and the University of California, Berkeley, led the investigative team. They aimed to outline the precise characteristics of this particular sulcus in young people with autism.
The research team utilized existing structural magnetic resonance imaging, or MRI, scans of 200 young males ranging in age from five to 18. Half of the participants were previously diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder. The other half were neurotypical individuals.
To ensure their analytic frameworks were robust and accurately represented reality, the scientists split these participants equally into a primary discovery group and a secondary replication group. This split-sample method allows researchers to verify their initial statistical models against an entirely separate batch of data.
Trained raters manually evaluated the MRI scans of each participant to determine the presence or absence of the paracingulate sulcus in both brain hemispheres. A fold had to measure at least 20 millimeters in length and four millimeters in depth to be officially classified as functionally present. Defining the limits of an elusive fold manually is recognized as the gold standard in neuroanatomy research.
In addition to checking for the basic presence of the fold, the team used computer algorithms to extract exact geometrical proportions. They measured the overall length of the paracingulate sulcus by tracing its longest unbroken path. They also calculated the maximum sulcal depth and the average thickness of the gray matter lining the inside of the groove.
The analysis revealed a consistent difference in how the paracingulate sulcus was distributed across the left and right brain hemispheres. Neurotypical participants were highly likely to have an asymmetrical folding pattern, typically featuring the groove on the left side of the brain but lacking it on the right side. In contrast, participants with autism spectrum disorder exhibited increased structural symmetry.
For the autistic participants, the specific left-heavy asymmetry was greatly reduced. They were much more likely to possess a matching set of features, either harboring the groove on both sides of the brain or lacking it uniformly across both sides. The likelihood of having an asymmetric paracingulate sulcus was substantially higher for neurotypical boys than for autistic boys.
This structural difference remained constant even when the researchers adjusted their statistical models to account for potential confounding variables. The team controlled for the participants’ ages, their measured intelligence quotients, and the physical location of the medical centers where the MRI scans were conducted.
While the overall structural symmetry behaved differently among the groups, the specific physical dimensions of the groove did not. Statistical tests indicated that the length, depth, and cortical thickness of the paracingulate sulcus did not differ between the autistic and neurotypical brains. The findings for these specific geometric measurements were not statistically significant in either the primary discovery group or the replication group.
This contrast highlights a well-known distinction between different features of human neuroanatomy. Tertiary brain folds like the paracingulate sulcus begin to form internally well before birth, usually initiating around the 36th week of human gestation. This structural blueprint reflects very early biological constraints placed on the growing fetal brain.
Such early formation suggests a prenatal origin for the observed symmetry differences in autistic youth. The relatively symmetrical layout found in the autistic brains likely points to early biological variations in the genetic factors or cellular mechanics that dictate how the fetal brain physically folds itself. Once these basic folds are set in utero, their layout remains largely stable throughout life.
Measurements like a fold’s depth or the thickness of its outer gray matter, on the other hand, are remarkably dynamic. Cortical thickness changes throughout childhood development, shrinking or growing in response to life experiences, learning, and physical maturation. Because these dynamic measurements did not differ between the groups, the researchers suggest the neuroanatomical differences associated with autism operate primarily at distances rooted in a person’s earliest prenatal development.
While the anatomical variation is notable, the current study comes with multiple limitations. The participant pool included only young males under the age of 20. Autism spectrum disorder presents with immense biological diversity, and brain folding patterns are occasionally known to differ heavily based on biological sex. This means the researchers’ findings cannot simply be generalized to autistic females or older adults.
Additionally, the researchers could not directly link the anatomical differences to specific behavioral or cognitive traits in this exact population. The public imaging database they relied upon did not include uniform cognitive testing details for all 200 participants. Understanding how the symmetry of this central brain fold actually influences everyday mental tasks will require a dedicated follow-up project.
Mapping human brain folds by hand also takes a substantial amount of time. This limits the total number of scans scientists can reasonably analyze in a single anatomical project. The research team recommends that future work direct investments into the development of automated computer-based tools that can accurately trace brain folds that are not instinctively universally present.
Such advanced technology would allow anatomical experts to process thousands of scans simultaneously. This would eventually help map the highly variable physical landscape of the human brain on a much larger scale, revealing exactly how a tiny prenatal fold shapes human behavior over an entire lifetime.
The study, “Anterior cingulate folding pattern is altered in autism spectrum disorder,” was authored by Ethan H. Willbrand, Enrique Martinez, Jacob J. Ludwig, Samira A. Maboudian, and Kevin S. Weiner.
URL: https://www.psypost.org/autistic-brains-show-differences-in-a-fetal-fold-linked-to-social-cognition/
-------------------------------------------------
Private, vetted email list for mental health professionals: https://www.clinicians-exchange.org
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-------------------------------------------------
#psychology #counseling #socialwork #psychotherapy @psychotherapist @psychotherapists @psychology @socialpsych @socialwork @psychiatry #mentalhealth #psychiatry #healthcare #depression #psychotherapist #AutismResearch #BrainFolds #ParacingulateSulcus #CerebralCortex #AutismSpectrumDisorder #Neuroimaging #BrainDevelopment #SocialCognition #PrenatalBrain #Neuroanatomy
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People who are blind from birth never develop schizophrenia – what this tells us about the psychiatric condition
#Health #Schizophrenia #Neuroscience #MentalHealth #BrainScience #CognitiveScience #MedicalScience #BrainDevelopment #Psychiatry #Blindness
https://the-14.com/people-who-are-blind-from-birth-never-develop-schizophrenia-what-this-tells-us-about-the-psychiatric-condition/ -
People who are blind from birth never develop schizophrenia – what this tells us about the psychiatric condition
#Health #Schizophrenia #Neuroscience #MentalHealth #BrainScience #CognitiveScience #MedicalScience #BrainDevelopment #Psychiatry #Blindness
https://the-14.com/people-who-are-blind-from-birth-never-develop-schizophrenia-what-this-tells-us-about-the-psychiatric-condition/ -
90% pregnant moms lack choline in diet affecting baby’s brain: French biochemist suggests ways to meet daily needs
Eating whole foods and exercising regularly are impo…
#dining #cooking #diet #food #Frenchdiet #braindevelopment #choline #fetalgrowth #francais #france #French #frenchdiet #howtogetcholineinfood #neurologicaldefects #pregnantmoms
https://www.diningandcooking.com/2571642/90-pregnant-moms-lack-choline-in-diet-affecting-babys-brain-french-biochemist-suggests-ways-to-meet-daily-needs/ -
90% pregnant moms lack choline in diet affecting baby’s brain: French biochemist suggests ways to meet daily needs
Eating whole foods and exercising regularly are impo…
#dining #cooking #diet #food #Frenchdiet #braindevelopment #choline #fetalgrowth #francais #france #French #frenchdiet #howtogetcholineinfood #neurologicaldefects #pregnantmoms
https://www.diningandcooking.com/2571642/90-pregnant-moms-lack-choline-in-diet-affecting-babys-brain-french-biochemist-suggests-ways-to-meet-daily-needs/ -
Elevated levels of lead in childrens' blood from mining? We'd rather not know
NSW Health continues to use machine known to produce inaccurate results to test child blood lead levels >>
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2026/mar/09/nsw-health-children-blood-lead-levels-test-machine-inaccurate-resultsEnvironment watchdog buried report on lead in children’s blood to placate mining companies, emails show >>
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2025/sep/05/
#mining #contamination #children #BrainDevelopment #lead #WillfulIgnorance #NSW #NegativeExternalities #EPA #harm -
Elevated levels of lead in childrens' blood from mining? We'd rather not know
NSW Health continues to use machine known to produce inaccurate results to test child blood lead levels >>
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2026/mar/09/nsw-health-children-blood-lead-levels-test-machine-inaccurate-resultsEnvironment watchdog buried report on lead in children’s blood to placate mining companies, emails show >>
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2025/sep/05/
#mining #contamination #children #BrainDevelopment #lead #WillfulIgnorance #NSW #NegativeExternalities #EPA #harm -
It may feel like just another nappy change: wipes, cream, fresh nappy, repeat.
But each cuddle, smile and sing‑song voice is helping your baby’s brain build powerful connections for learning, trust and emotional regulation.
In this piece, Dr Raphaela Itzikowitz, Specialist Paediatrician, shares her insights on how everyday baby care builds brilliant brains.Read more here:https://zurl.co/jfdmH
#BabyYumYum #BYY #ParentingTips #BabyCare #BrainDevelopment #EarlyLearning
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👶 A due mesi i neonati comprendono già il mondo che li circonda, dimostrando un'innata intuizione sensoriale. L'infanzia ci meraviglia ogni giorno! #BrainDevelopment #IncredibleBabies
🔗 https://www.tomshw.it/scienze/neonati-di-due-mesi-gia-interpretano-il-mondo-2026-02-06
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The first 1000 days of a child's life aren’t just important, they’re powerful. 🌱
This window shapes your child’s brain, emotions and long-term wellbeing.
Understanding it helps parents make small choices that create a big impact. 💛Read more here https://zurl.co/iM0k6
#BabyYumYum #BYY #First1000Days #ChildDevelopment #ParentingSupport #EarlyLearning #EarlyChildhood #BrainDevelopment
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No, your brain doesn’t suddenly ‘fully develop’ at 25. Here’s what the neuroscience actually shows
#Science #Neuroscience #BrainDevelopment #FrontalLobe #Psychology #BrainHealth #Neuroplasticity #Research #GenZ #ScienceExplained #MentalHealth #HumanBrain
https://the-14.com/no-your-brain-doesnt-suddenly-fully-develop-at-25-heres-what-the-neuroscience-actually-shows/ -
No, your brain doesn’t suddenly ‘fully develop’ at 25. Here’s what the neuroscience actually shows
#Science #Neuroscience #BrainDevelopment #FrontalLobe #Psychology #BrainHealth #Neuroplasticity #Research #GenZ #ScienceExplained #MentalHealth #HumanBrain
https://the-14.com/no-your-brain-doesnt-suddenly-fully-develop-at-25-heres-what-the-neuroscience-actually-shows/ -
RE: https://mastodon.green/@gerrymcgovern/115650272749921009
One of this article's many great points: Using #GenAI is a "metacognitive mirage".
> When participants used #ChatGPT to draft essays, brain scans revealed [-47%] in neural connectivity across regions associated with memory, language, and critical reasoning. Their brains worked less, but they felt just as engaged
> Students aren’t just learning less; their brains are learning not to learn.#cognitiveDebt #StochasticParrots #MRI #brainDevelopment
#Chatversity replaces learning with cheating.
-
RE: https://mastodon.green/@gerrymcgovern/115650272749921009
One of this article's many great points: Using #GenAI is a "metacognitive mirage".
> When participants used #ChatGPT to draft essays, brain scans revealed [-47%] in neural connectivity across regions associated with memory, language, and critical reasoning. Their brains worked less, but they felt just as engaged
> Students aren’t just learning less; their brains are learning not to learn.#cognitiveDebt #StochasticParrots #MRI #brainDevelopment
#Chatversity replaces learning with cheating.
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Another reason why you really can't beat yourself up over mistakes in the past -
Human #brains have 5 distinct 'epochs' in a lifetime, study finds https://www.nbcnews.com/science/science-news/human-brains-5-epochs-development-rcna245663
#braindevelopment #research #neuroimaging #neuralnetwork #mentalhealth #brainarchitecture
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Another reason why you really can't beat yourself up over mistakes in the past -
Human #brains have 5 distinct 'epochs' in a lifetime, study finds https://www.nbcnews.com/science/science-news/human-brains-5-epochs-development-rcna245663
#braindevelopment #research #neuroimaging #neuralnetwork #mentalhealth #brainarchitecture
-
Brain has five 'eras' with adult mode not starting until early 30s
#HackerNews #BrainDevelopment #CognitiveScience #AdultLife #Stages #Neuroscience
-
Brain has five 'eras' with adult mode not starting until early 30s
#HackerNews #BrainDevelopment #CognitiveScience #AdultLife #Stages #Neuroscience
-
Lead Limited Brain and Language Development in Neanderthals and Other Hominids?
#HackerNews #LeadExposure #BrainDevelopment #Neanderthals #Hominids #LanguageEvolution
-
Lead Limited Brain and Language Development in Neanderthals and Other Hominids?
#HackerNews #LeadExposure #BrainDevelopment #Neanderthals #Hominids #LanguageEvolution
-
Too much alone time during teenage years may do more than affect friendships. While some solitude is normal, persistent withdrawal may raise the risk of mental health issues later in life https://english.mathrubhumi.com/lifestyle/health/too-much-alone-time-in-teen-years-may-alter-the-brain-says-research-ae4nm7wf?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=mastodon #MentalHealth #BrainDevelopment #Adolescence
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Today's the day! My new hypothesis revealing the biological adaptation connecting regressive autism to genius and everything in between.
DOI: 10.32388/s5nhh0#Neurodiversity
#AutismSpectrum
#RegressiveAutism
#AutismResearch
#Neuroscience
#CognitiveScience
#BrainDevelopment
#ScienceCommunication
#ResearchMatters
#BiologicalAdaptation
#ConnectingTheDots
#CreativeMinds
#GiftedAndAutistic
#HiddenPotential -
Our new research on cannabinoid signaling in cerebellar development and function is published in eNeuro.
#cannabinoid #cerebellum #Purkinje #DevelopmentalNeuroscience #endocannabinoid #indianauniversity #synapses #braindevelopment -
Autism Masking Leaves a Mark on the Brain
Summary: Some autistic teens mask their traits to “pass” as non-autistic in social settings, but a new study…
#NewsBeep #News #US #USA #UnitedStates #UnitedStatesOfAmerica #Health #ASD #autism #Autismmasking #braindevelopment #brainresearch #developmentalneuroscience #DrexelUniversity #neurobiology #neurodevelopment #Neuroscience #Psychology #socialneuroscience
https://www.newsbeep.com/us/27607/ -
ADHD-Linked Genes Raise Risk of Childhood Maltreatment
Summary: Children with higher genetic risk for ADHD are more likely to experience childhood maltreatment, a new study…
#NewsBeep #News #US #USA #UnitedStates #UnitedStatesOfAmerica #Genetics #AarhusUniversity #ADHD #braindevelopment #brainresearch #Childabuse #childmaltreatment #developmentalneuroscience #neurobiology #neurodevelopment #Neuroscience #Science
https://www.newsbeep.com/us/27496/ -
Molecular Glue of the Brain: Cell Adhesion Molecules and Synaptic Stability
#Neuroscience #BrainScience #Synapses #NeuronalCircuits #Neuroplasticity #ExcitatoryInhibitoryBalance #DendriticSpines #ExtracellularMatrix #Interneurons #CognitiveHealth #Neurobiology #BrainDevelopment #NeuralConnections #Neuropsychiatry #BrainFunction
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Babies have more of this Alzheimer’s-linked protein than dementia patients – study raises hope for future treatments
#Alzheimers #BrainDevelopment #MedicalResearch #Neuroscience #TauProtein #Tau #Dementia #Newborns #CognitiveHealth #Health
https://the-14.com/babies-have-more-of-this-alzheimers-linked-protein-than-dementia-patients-study-raises-hope-for-future-treatments/ -
Babies have more of this Alzheimer’s-linked protein than dementia patients – study raises hope for future treatments
#Alzheimers #BrainDevelopment #MedicalResearch #Neuroscience #TauProtein #Tau #Dementia #Newborns #CognitiveHealth #Health
https://the-14.com/babies-have-more-of-this-alzheimers-linked-protein-than-dementia-patients-study-raises-hope-for-future-treatments/ -
Mapping the Mind: A Tour Through the Brain’s Fascinating Landscape
#HumanBrain #Neuroscience #BrainScience #MindAndBody #BrainMapping #NeuroJourney #BrainDevelopment #Mindfulness #BrainFacts #NeuroscienceExplained
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How A2 Ghee Benefits Children’s Health
https://www.reachingworld.live/how-a2-ghee-benefits-childrens-health/
#Food #Health #A2BilonaGhee #A2Ghee #BrainDevelopment #Children #ChildrenHealth #DigestiveHealth #ImmuneBoosting #Thyroid #WeightGain
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Brain scans of infants reveal the moment we start making memories - A team from Columbia and Yale University scanned the brains of 26 infants and toddlers aged 4 to 25 months as they completed a memory task. They found that at roughly a year old, a part of the brain crucial to memory formation spun into action and began generating neural signals related to things the kids remembered from the tests. #memory #brain #physiology #BrainDevelopment #thinking #ChildGrowthAndDevelopment #consciousness
https://singularityhub.com/2025/03/20/new-baby-brain-scans-reveal-the-moment-we-start-making-memories/ -
Brain scans of infants reveal the moment we start making memories - A team from Columbia and Yale University scanned the brains of 26 infants and toddlers aged 4 to 25 months as they completed a memory task. They found that at roughly a year old, a part of the brain crucial to memory formation spun into action and began generating neural signals related to things the kids remembered from the tests. #memory #brain #physiology #BrainDevelopment #thinking #ChildGrowthAndDevelopment #consciousness
https://singularityhub.com/2025/03/20/new-baby-brain-scans-reveal-the-moment-we-start-making-memories/ -
Scientists discover babies form memories, even if they can't recall them later! 🤱🧠 New brain scans reveal the hippocampus encodes early experiences, but they remain inaccessible in adulthood 📚💭 #InfantMemories #BrainDevelopment #MemoryFormation #newz
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Scientists discover babies form memories, even if they can't recall them later! 🤱🧠 New brain scans reveal the hippocampus encodes early experiences, but they remain inaccessible in adulthood 📚💭 #InfantMemories #BrainDevelopment #MemoryFormation #newz
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From Zygote to Neurocircuitry: The Marvelous Journey of Brain Development
#BrainDevelopment #Neuroscience #CognitiveEmotions #NatureVsNurture #SensoryInput #Neurocircuitry #ChildDevelopment #HumanGrowth #Psychology #LearningJourney #NeuroscienceEducation #VisualSystem #AuditoryProcessing #EmotionalIntelligence
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In Millions of Homes, High #Fluoride in #TapWater May Be a Concern
In communities across the U.S., water contains levels of fluoride some experts say could be harm developing brains.
"The town of #Seagraves sits on the high plains of #WestTexas, not far from the New Mexico border. Nearby, water pumped from the #OgallalaAquifer irrigates fields of peanuts and cotton.
"Dissolved in that West Texas water are copious amounts of fluoride. The tap water in Seagraves contains levels of the mineral that many experts believe could have #neurotoxic effects, lowering children’s IQs. The science on that effect is unsettled, and most experts say better research is needed. But nearly everyone agrees that at some point, high fluoride levels ought to be a matter of greater concern — even if they don’t always agree on what that point is.
"Many cities add low levels of fluoride to drinking water in a bid to prevent tooth decay, but the policy has long been controversial. Lost in that debate are the roughly 3 million Americans whose water naturally contains higher concentrations of fluoride — often at levels that even some fluoridation advocates now acknowledge could have neurodevelopmental effects.
"People in Seagraves and similarly affected communities are unlikely to be notified of those potential risks. Federal and state regulations require water utilities to tell customers receiving high-fluoride water that it could leave brown patches on children’s teeth, or even, at high levels, cause a rare skeletal condition.
"But, at least so far, the emerging science on neurological effects is not reflected in regulations. Consumer notices rarely, if ever, mention the possibility that fluoride could affect brain development. Nor do they contain advisories for pregnant women, even as many scientists, including some federal government researchers, now say there’s substantial evidence that such elevated fluoride levels can be harmful to developing fetuses."
https://undark.org/2024/05/06/tap-water-high-dose-of-fluoride/?utm_source=pocket-newtab-en-us
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10 Times as Much of This #Toxic #Pesticide Could End Up on Your #Tomatoes and #Celery Under a New #EPA Proposal
Against the guidance of scientific advisory panels, the EPA is relying on industry-backed tests to relax regulations on #acephate, which has been linked to #neurodevelopmental disorders. “It’s exactly what we recommended against,” one panelist said.
