Research and Studies

With support from the National Institute on Drug Abuse, Dr. Caroline Boxmeyer, professor of psychiatry and behavioral medicine with the UA College of Community Health Sciences, led a study on Mindful Coping Power, a new format of the Coping Power prevention program. Mindful Coping Power provides training to increase a child's social competence and self-regulation to reduce aggressive behavior and prevent later problems such as substance use and delinquency. Mindful Coping Power also coaches parents on positive parenting and mindfulness. In previous research, the Coping Power prevention program had long-lasting effects on reducing proactive aggression, a more intentional, goal-directed form of aggression. "Our team at UA has been leading this work, nationally and internationally, through the development, testing and dissemination of the Coping Power prevention program, which has more than 25 years of evidence demonstrating its effectiveness," Boxmeyer said. "Despite the proven effectiveness of Coping Power, it can be challenging to impact behaviors that are more biologically and temperamentally based, such as impulsive and reactive anger and aggression." Boxmeyer and the other researchers, including Dr. John Lochman, the developer of Coping Power, tested the effects of the Mindful Coping Power and Coping Power programs in a one-year, school-based clinical trial that included 102 randomly selected fifth-grade students with elevated levels of reactive aggression. Children who participated in Mindful Coping Power also exhibited improved social skills at the end of sixth grade.

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Children with autism have memory challenges that hinder not only their memory for faces but also their ability to remember other kinds of information, according to new research from the Stanford School of Medicine. The research, which is published in Biological Psychiatry: Cognitive Neuroscience and Neuroimaging, clarifies a debate about memory function in kids with autism, showing that their memory struggles surpass their ability to form social memories. Memory is a key predictor of academic success, said Liu, adding that memory challenges may put kids with autism at a disadvantage. "Impairments in forming these associative memory traces could form one of the foundational elements in autism. " Comprehensive memory tests Autism, which affects about one in every 36 children, is characterized by social impairments and restricted, repetitive behaviors. Some research has also suggested that children with autism have broader memory difficulties, but these studies were small and did not thoroughly assess participants' memory abilities. To clarify the impact of autism on memory, the new study included 25 children with high-functioning autism and normal IQ who were 8 to 12 years old, and a control group of 29 typically developing children with similar ages and IQs. For children with autism, the ability to retain non-social memories was predicted by connections in a network centered on the hippocampus-a small structure deep inside the brain that is known to regulate memory.

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In the study questionnaire, 62.5% of parents agreed that their children demonstrated improvement across all six categories. The category with the greatest improvement was ‘Behavior at home’, while the category with the least improvement was ‘Eye contact’.

One of the most potent strategies they possess is the power of their parenting practices. Recent research underscores how nurturing interactions with children can fundamentally alter their brain development, building resilience in the face of stress. Learning how to manage stress early on by seeing your parents effectively handle their stress provides a lifelong model of tranquility. The children's natural tendencies to talk excessively, interrupt, or struggle with waiting their turn can often cause stress both for the child and the parent. By reframing these behaviors and implementing nurturing strategies, parents can provide their children with the tools they need to regulate their behaviors better, build resilience, and promote healthier brain development. Positive parenting has a clear and powerful impact on children's neurobiology, offering a significant shield against the detrimental effects of stress. This research underscores the importance of nurturing parenting practices in fostering resilient children, thereby highlighting the immense power and influence of positive parenting on our children's futures.

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An altered eye reflex may distinguish children with mutations in SCN2A, one of the genes most strongly linked to autism, according to a new preprint. Mice with a mutation in SCN2A also show the altered reflex, which became more typical after the researchers counteracted the mutation's effects in adolescent animals. The new study investigated the vestibulo-ocular reflex, which helps people keep a steady gaze whenever their head moves, triggering eye movements in the opposite direction of the head. In neurotypical children, this reflex is sensitive to fast head movements but less so to slower ones, whereas in autistic children it tends to be sensitive to both fast and slow movements. The children wore this apparatus while turning back and forth on a swivel chair, revealing that the reflex differs between those with and without SCN2A mutations. Involuntary actions: Some neurons in the mouse cerebellum express SCN2A and help control the eye reflex. Adolescent SCN2A mice showed typical plasticity for the reflex after the scientists used a CRISPR-based approach to boost SCN2A expression. Still, testing whether adjusting the reflex "Improves other behavioral deficits in SCN2A mice is an enticing possibility that should be explored," she says.

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As a neurosteroid hormone, vitamin D exerts multi-dimensional influence on the nervous system. It regulates synaptic transmission and synapse growth, as well as influences cognition and behaviors (Figure 2). Numerous epidemiological, molecular, and animal studies have revealed a link between vitamin D deficiency/insufficiency and an increased risk of ASD and ADHD. On the other hand, some studies demonstrated that vitamin D supplementation could reduce the symptoms in children with ASD and ADHD. Animal studies indicated that vitamin D might influence social process-related neural circuits like BLA-NAC and ACC-BLA pathways. Moreover, vitamin D might reduce the repetitive and aberrant social behaviors in ASD via regulating the mTOR pathway and oxytocin pathway. In addition, the prefrontal cortex circuits, as well as the dopaminergic and serotonergic pathways, which are frequently linked to the etiology of ADHD, may be impacted by inadequate vitamin D. More direct evidence on how vitamin D might affect the onset and progress of these disorders mechanistically is still missing. Nevertheless, vitamin D has the potential to be a treatment for neurodevelopmental disorders such as ASD and ADHD. It has the benefits including high safety, little side effects, and low cost. However, the precise therapeutic dose and effects, treatment duration and age of intervention for vitamin D remain to be determined. More clinical evidence is required before vitamin D can be extensively applied as a treatment strategy for ASD and ADHD. Most importantly, understanding how vitamin D contributes to the neurodevelopmental disorders will provide a solid foundation for the transition from the bench to the bedside.

cross-posted from: https://discuss.divergentparenting.space/post/3558

Cross-posted from: https://fediverse.boo/m/bbc_news/t/23981

Summary

There has been an unusual rise in the number of children and teenagers around the world diagnosed with type 1 diabetes since Covid, say researchers.

The incidence rate of childhood type 1 diabetes was already increasing - by about 3% a year.

Researchers from the University of Toronto say, regardless of the cause, more resources and support may be needed for the growing number of children and adolescents affected by type 1 diabetes.

Another hypothesis is that exposure to some germs in childhood can help guard against a number of conditions, including diabetes.

Hilary Nathan, Policy Director at type 1 diabetes charity JDRFUK, said: "This research reflects a life-changing reality for so many families here in the UK.".

Theo, now 9, was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes a year ago.

Dr Faye Riley, from Diabetes UK, said: "Research worldwide has identified higher than expected numbers of diabetes diagnoses in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic. This study adds to the evidence."Future studies that examine longer-term trends will be important to disentangle the impact of the pandemic from natural fluctuations in incidence of type 1 over time, as well as establishing the range of factors that could be behind any apparent rise.

cross-posted from: https://discuss.divergentparenting.space/post/11890

Specialists from the University of Rochester in the United States claim that the visual illusion test can help quickly identify mild autism, especially in children. According to the researchers, if a person is unable to easily locate the white square while focusing on the black markers, they likely have mild autism. The study authors explain that individuals with autism process information differently. According to Knight, the findings suggest that children with autism "May not be as able to predict and fill in missing visual information as their neurotypical peers." The study involved 60 children, 29 of whom were diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder. The team used a classic optical illusion technique, involving simple lines or shapes like circles with missing parts. From the brain activity of 7- to 17-year-olds with autism, the researchers noted a delay in delusional processing.

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cross-posted from: https://discuss.divergentparenting.space/post/20473

Children taking a prescription stimulant to manage symptoms of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder do not have more substance use or substance use disorder as adolescents or young adults, according to a new study by researchers at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. Published today in JAMA Psychiatry, the study may provide some reassurance to parents and clinicians who may be hesitant to prescribe ADHD stimulant medications for fear that they may lay the groundwork for future substance use. Molina and her colleagues assessed patients with ADHD over a 16-year period from childhood through adolescence to early adulthood to see if there was any association between stimulant treatment and subsequent substance use. The study conducted at Pitt is among the first to address the relationship between childhood use of prescription stimulants and later SUD by accounting for dozens of demographic, clinical and psychosocial factors that may predispose an individual to treatment and substance use. When factoring in age and other time-varying characteristics, such as household income, behavior problems and parental support, Pitt researchers found no evidence that prescription stimulant treatment in childhood provided protection against developing a SUD for adolescents or young adults with ADHD. However, researchers likewise did not find an association between stimulant use during childhood and increased substance misuse in the future. While some study participants self-reported an increase over time in heavy drinking, marijuana use, daily cigarette smoking and using other substances, an association with age was also found for stimulant treatment, with older participants being less likely to continue taking medication. When these trends were paired with rigorous statistical analysis, results provided no evidence that prolonged stimulant use is associated with reduced or increased risk for SUD. "We hope the results of this study will help educate providers and patients," Molina said.

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cross-posted from: https://discuss.divergentparenting.space/post/20666

Mutation minimization: Prompting specialized loops to form in the genome can help remove genetic repeats associated with fragile X syndrome. Hun-Goo Lee did not set out to discover a new way to potentially treat fragile X syndrome. He just wanted to solve a mystery: Why do some cells with a fragile X mutation remain unaffected? The mutation - more than 200 copies of the trinucleotide string 'CGG' in the FMR1 gene - typically silences the gene's expression and prevents production of the protein FMRP. Under some lab conditions embryonic cells that carry these long CGG repeats still produce FMRP. That FMRP production arises because the culture conditions enable the cells' DNA repair machinery to spot the CGG repeats and remove them, according to a new study from Lee and his colleagues. In fragile X syndrome, the CGG repeats in FMR1 accumulate epigenetic tags called methyl groups, which silence the gene. This genomic 'bump' - stabilized by the large number of CGG repeats in the fragile X cells - activates a cell's DNA repair machinery, which removes repeats. People with 55 to 200 repeats have a fragile X "Premutation" - one that may not result in intellectual disability but can cause other symptoms early in life, including fragile X-associated neuropsychiatric disorder, anxiety and depression.

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