September 18, 2023
- According to a recent study, the maternal use of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) during pregnancy may be associated with altered brain development in offspring. The research, which followed 3,198 mother-infant pairs from mid-childhood to early puberty, found that prenatal SSRI use was associated with less cerebral gray matter in children that persisted from 7 to 15 years of age and more significant increases in volumes of the amygdala and fusiform gyrus in children that did not continue until early adolescence. The study also found that prenatal depression was associated with a smaller volume in the rostral anterior cingulate gyrus, and postnatal depression was associated with a reduced fusiform gyrus. The authors note that further research is needed on the functional implications of their findings.
- Researchers from the Mayo Clinic and Yale University have used miniature 3D brain-like models called organoids to examine the roots of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The team found that individuals with ASD have an abnormal imbalance of excitatory neurons in their forebrain, with the imbalance varying depending on head size. The research team used a technique called single-cell RNA sequencing to study the gene expression patterns of individual brain cells and discovered that the neuron imbalance was caused by changes in the activity of specific genes known as “transcription factors” during brain formation. The team says their research aims to determine the risk of autism and prevent it in unborn children using prenatal genetic testing.
- New research suggests that a hearing test may one day help diagnose autism in newborns. Researchers at two universities and the New York State Office for People With Developmental Disabilities analyzed the results of nearly 200,000 hearing tests of newborns. They learned that babies later diagnosed with autism had a split-second delay when responding to sound. This delay may help explain why newborns later diagnosed with autism and similar neurological conditions experience sensory dysfunction. The research team believes their findings could be used to create a screening tool to identify those at risk as early as possible when the nervous system is rapidly changing and adapting to its environment and the brain-body circuitry is forming.
- A new TikTok video featuring Dr. Anthony Youn (@doctoryoun) encourages pregnant women to abstain from eating sushi while pregnant. He indicates that raw fish can contain viruses, bacteria, and parasites that can harm a developing fetus. Dr. Youn also points out that some fish have high levels of mercury that can be toxic to a developing infant’s brain and nervous system.
