Smartphones, tablets could change children's brain structures

Children who spend more than seven hours a day on screens like smartphones and video games experience "premature thinning of the cortex," according to a new and ongoing study.
 
The study plans to follow more than 11,000 adolescents for a decade to see how childhood experiences impact the brain.

The first findings from the study is already available. By scanning brains of 4,500 participants, researchers found that children who use smartphones, tablets and video games more than seven hours a day showed premature thinning of cortex.

"That's typically thought to be a maturational process. So what we could expect to see later is happening a little bit earlier," said a Dr.  working on the project when interviewed .

Dr. said it is still early to tell whether the change was caused by the screen time, and whether or not it is a bad thing. "It won't be until we follow them over time that we will see if there are outcomes that are associated with the differences that we're seeing in this single snapshot," she said.

Early results from the study also showed that as little as two hours of screen time daily could negatively affect children: Those who have more than two hours of screen time a day got lower scores on tests focused on thinking and language skills.

As Dr. noted, a full picture of the screen-time effects won't be possible until years down the line, when the study is complete. 

THIS IS ONLY FOR INFORMATION, ALWAYS CONSULT YOU PHYSICIAN BEFORE HAVING ANY PARTICULAR FOOD/ MEDICATION/EXERCISE/OTHER REMEDIES.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        PS- THOSE INTERESTED IN RECIPES ARE FREE TO  VIEW MY BLOG-                                                                                           https://gseasyrecipes.blogspot.com/                                                                                                                                                                             FOR INFO ABOUT KNEE REPLACEMENT, YOU CAN VIEW MY BLOG-                                                                                                                             https:// kneereplacement-stickclub.blogspot.com/                                                                                       FOR CROCHET DESIGNS                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 https://gscrochetdesigns.blogspot.com 

Consumption of choline during pregnancy may boost babies' metabolism

Researchers has found that consuming more foods with choline during pregnancy may boost metabolism and brain development of babies.

Although the role of choline in neurodevelopment has been studied before in rodents, the new research was conducted on pigs, which has more relevance to humans.

A doctoral student in the Neuroscience Program said,"In pigs from choline-deficient moms, their brains were about 10 percent smaller overall."

And 11 of the 19 regions were significantly smaller in choline-deficient brains, he said. The result was the same in grey and white matter concentration of the piglets.

Conversely, piglets whose mothers consumed sufficient choline during pregnancy had higher concentrations of grey and white matter in the brain's cortical regions.

Grey matter is primarily made up of the neurons themselves, while white matter comprises the material that connects neurons and bridges in different parts of the brain.

For the study, the team gave pregnant sows choline-deficient or choline-sufficient diets through the second half of their pregnancies.

After weaning, piglets were fed choline-deficient or choline-sufficient milk replacer for 30 days. Then the month-old piglets were scanned by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).

The left and right cortex were found to be larger in the choline-sufficient pigs, as a result of the a greater density of grey matter in the brain.

As part of the study, some of the pigs from choline-deficient mothers were also given adequate amounts of choline after birth.

The results showed that it is not sufficient for the brain.

"Postnatal supplementation cannot correct for prenatal deficiency. It has to occur during development," explained the associate professor at the varsity.

"We know that the structural alteration is there, but it may not manifest in ways we can see until later in life. That's why it's important to think about this during gestation because the changes are occurring then," the Dr. noted.

THIS IS ONLY FOR INFORMATION, ALWAYS CONSULT YOU PHYSICIAN BEFORE HAVING ANY PARTICULAR FOOD/ MEDICATION/EXERCISE/OTHER REMEDIES.                                                                                                                                                                                                      PS- THOSE INTERESTED IN RECIPES ARE FREE TO VIEW MY BLOG-                                                                                           https://gseasyrecipes.blogspot.com/   

FOR INFO ABOUT KNEE REPLACEMENT, YOU CAN VIEW MY BLOG-                                                           https:// kneereplacement-stickclub.blogspot.com/                              

FOR CROCHET DESIGNS                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         https://my crochet creations.blogspot.com/

Pollution even when ‘safe’ slows down brain growth in kids

Babies exposed to even “safe” levels of air pollution in the womb may be at an increased risk of having brain abnormalities that can contribute to impaired cognitive function by school-age, finds a study. According to the European Union 25 µg/m3 is the safe level of the fine particle. Previous studies have linked acceptable air pollution levels with impact on lungs, heart, and other organs including cognitive decline and foetal growth development. However, the new study showed that air pollution levels related to brain alterations in the foetal brain, which is in developing stages and has no mechanisms to protect against or remove environmental toxins, were below those considered to be safe.

“We observed brain development effects in relationship to fine particles levels below the current EU limit,” said the lead author. The findings showed that exposure to fine particles during foetal life was associated with a thinner outer layer of the brain, called the cortex, in several regions. These brain abnormalities contribute in part to difficulty with inhibitory control — the ability to regulate self-control over temptations and impulsive behaviour which is related to mental health problems such as addictive behaviour and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder.

“The observed cognitive delays at early ages could have significant long-term consequences such as increased risk of mental health disorders and low academic achievement, in particular due to the ubiquity of the exposure,” the author said. “Therefore, we cannot warrant the safety of the current levels of air pollution in our cities,” he added. For the study, the team assessed air pollution levels, including levels of nitrogen dioxide — a prominent air pollutant caused by traffic and cigarette smoking coarse particles, and fine particles, at home during the foetal life of 783 children.

Brain imaging performed when the children were between six and 10 years old revealed abnormalities in the thickness of the brain cortex of the precuneus and rostral middle frontal region.

THIS IS ONLY FOR INFORMATION, ALWAYS CONSULT YOU PHYSICIAN BEFORE HAVING ANY PARTICULAR FOOD/ MEDICATION/EXERCISE/OTHER REMEDIES.    

PS- THOSE INTERESTED IN RECIPES ARE FREE TO VIEW MY BLOG-                      
HTTP:GSEASYRECIPES.BLOGSPOT.COM/

FOR INFO ABOUT KNEE REPLACEMENT, YOU CAN VIEW MY BLOG-                                                     

HTTP://KNEE REPLACEMENT-STICK CLUB.BLOGSPOT.COM/
FOR CROCHET DESIGNS
HTTP://MY CROCHET CREATIONS.BLOGSPOT.COM

Epilepsy associated with brain volume differences

Epilepsy, a disorder in which nerve cell activity in the brain is disturbed, is linked to brain volume and thickness differences, according to a study.

Epilepsy is a neurological disorder that affects 0.6-1.5% of the global population, comprising many different syndromes and conditions, and defined by a tendency for seizures.
 
The largest-ever neuro-imaging study of people with epilepsy shows that epilepsy involves more widespread physical differences than previously assumed, even in types of epilepsy that are typically considered to be more benign if seizures are under control.

The brain abnormalities the researchers identified were subtle, and have not yet been implicated in any loss of function.

"We found differences in brain matter even in common epilepsy that are often considered to be comparatively benign. While we haven't yet assessed the impact of these differences, our findings suggest there's more to epilepsy than we realise, and now we need to do more research to understand the causes of these differences," said the study's lead author.

The study was conducted  pooled data from 24 research centres across Europe, North and South America, Asia and Australia. Structural brain measures were extracted from MRI brain scans of 2,149 people with epilepsy, and compared with 1,727 healthy controls. The epilepsy group was analysed together for common patterns, and divided into four subgroups to identify differences.

The team found reduced grey matter thickness in parts of the brain's outer layer (cortex) and reduced volume in subcortical brain regions in all epilepsy groups when compared to the control group. Reduced volume and thickness were associated with longer duration of epilepsy. 

Notably, people with epilepsy exhibited lower volume in the right thalamus - a region which relays sensory and motor signals, and has previously only been associated with certain epilepsy - and reduced thickness in the motor cortex, which controls the body's movement.

These patterns were even present among people with idiopathic generalised epilepsy, a type of epilepsy characterised by a lack of any noticeable changes in the brain, such that typically an experienced neuroradiologist would not be able to see anything unusual in their brain scans.

"Some of the differences we found were so subtle they could only be detected due to the large sample size that provided us with very robust, detailed data," said the study's first author.

The researchers also identified differences between the subgroups, which they say must reflect differences in underlying biology, as suggested by recent genetic studies.

"We have identified a common neuroanatomical signature of epilepsy, across multiple epilepsy types. We found that structural changes are present in multiple brain regions, which informs our understanding of epilepsy as a network disorder," the Dr.  said.

The authors say their findings need to be followed up by longitudinal and genetic studies which could clarify the cause of the structural differences.

"From our study, we cannot tell whether the structural brain differences are caused by seizures, or perhaps an initial insult to the brain, or other consequences of seizures - nor do we know how this might progress over time. But by identifying these patterns, we are developing a neuro-anatomical map showing which brain measures are key for further studies that could improve our understanding and treatment of the epilepsy," said the Professor.

THIS IS ONLY FOR INFORMATION, ALWAYS CONSULT YOU PHYSICIAN BEFORE HAVING ANY PARTICULAR FOOD/ MEDICATION/EXERCISE/OTHER REMEDIES.    

PS- THOSE INTERESTED IN RECIPES ARE FREE TO VIEW MY BLOG-                      
HTTP:GSEASYRECIPES.BLOGSPOT.COM/

FOR INFO ABOUT KNEE REPLACEMENT, YOU CAN VIEW MY BLOG-                                                        

HTTP://KNEE REPLACEMENT-STICK CLUB.BLOGSPOT.COM/
FOR CROCHET DESIGNS
HTTP://MY CROCHET CREATIONS.BLOGSPOT.COM

Vision involves hearing too, claims researchers

Researchers studying brain process involved in sight have discovered that the visual cortex also uses information gleaned from the ears as well as the eyes when viewing the world.
 
Professor Lars Muckli, of the Institute of Neuroscience and Psychology at the University of Glasgow, who led the research, said that sounds create visual imagery, mental images, and automatic projections.

The study involved conducting five different experiments using functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging ( fMRI) to examine the activity in the early visual cortex in 10 volunteer subjects.
In one experiment they asked the blindfolded volunteers to listen to three different natural sounds - birdsong, traffic noise and a talking crowd.

Using a special algorithm that can identify unique patterns in brain activity, the researchers were able to discriminate between the different sounds being processed in early visual cortex activity.

A second experiment revealed even imagined images, in the absence of both sight and sound, evoked activity in the early visual cortex.

Muckli said this research enhances their basic understanding of how interconnected different regions of the brain are.

The study has been published in the journal Current Biology . 

THIS IS ONLY FOR INFORMATION, ALWAYS CONSULT YOU PHYSICIAN BEFORE HAVING ANY PARTICULAR FOOD/ MEDICATION/EXERCISE/OTHER REMEDIES.

PS- THOSE INTERESTED IN RECIPES ARE FREE TO VIEW MY BLOG-

HTTP:GSEASYRECIPES.BLOGSPOT.COM/

FOR INFO ABOUT KNEE REPLACEMENT, YOU CAN VIEW MY BLOG-

HTTP://KNEE REPLACEMENT-STICK CLUB.BLOGSPOT.COM/

FOR CROCHET DESIGNS

HTTP://MY CROCHET CREATIONS.BLOGSPOT.COM