How talking to toddlers boosts early brain development

Talking to toddlers

Talking to toddlers helps shape their developing brain, according to new research from the University of East Anglia. Researchers captured thousands of hours of language data from babies and toddlers wearing small recording devices. They also carried out MRI scans to study the structure of their developing brains, looking in particular at a substance called […]

Read More… from How talking to toddlers boosts early brain development

Researchers shed light on how human vision perceives scale

researchers

Researchers from Aston University and the University of York have discovered new insights into how the human brain makes perceptual judgements of the external world. The study, published on 8 May in the journal PLOS One, explored the computational mechanisms used by the human brain to perceive the size of objects in the world around […]

Read More… from Researchers shed light on how human vision perceives scale

Advances in Motor neuron disease treatments

Motor neuron disease treatments

Advances in Motor neuron disease treatments: Research at The University of Queensland could eventually help develop viable treatments – and ultimately a cure – for motor neuron disease (MND). Dr Adam Walker and co-authors Dr Rebecca San Gil, Dr Wei Luan and PhD student Sean Keating from the Queensland Brain Institute have identified biochemical changes […]

Read More… from Advances in Motor neuron disease treatments

Fluoxtine increases brain plasticity

fluoxetine

A recent study, published in Neuropsychopharmacology, conducted by researchers from the University of Helsinki and the University of Eastern Finland, sheds light on the mechanisms of neural plasticity induced by the antidepressant fluoxetine. Previous research by the same team showed that chronic treatment with antidepressants increased neural plasticity through direct binding to neurotrophic receptor TrkB, […]

Read More… from Fluoxtine increases brain plasticity

Why Dungeons and Dragons is good for the workplace

Dungeons

Why Dungeons and Dragons is good for the workplace: A D&D-inspired mindset could help change how we think about our workplaces and working together as a team, By Dr Jesse Olsen, University of Melbourne. This article first appeared in Pursuit. A team of adventurers traverse a dungeon to defeat a mighty dragon and, through their […]

Read More… from Why Dungeons and Dragons is good for the workplace

Me, My Autism & I

Me, My Autism & I

For many autistic people, like Ash, familiar clothes can be a lifeline. Helping with sensory regulation and providing a source of comfort. So making them last longer really matters. Currently, autistic girls are three times less likely to receive a diagnosis than boys. Ash was diagnosed at 14. Share the film. Join in on social […]

Read More… from Me, My Autism & I

Long-term safety confirmed for common ADHD medication

ADHD medication

Long-term safety of common ADHD medication for children and adolescents, global team finds. Long-term use of methylphenidate, the most commonly prescribed medication for treating ADHD, does not increase the risk of adverse developmental and psychiatric outcomes in children and adolescents, an international research team has found. The findings have led experts to argue for the […]

Read More… from Long-term safety confirmed for common ADHD medication

Why is everyone talking about Dementia?

dementia

Dementia is a public health priority with a huge human and economic burden. 50 million people are living with dementia globally and 850,000 of those are in the UK. As the population grows it is predicted that by 2025 over one million people in the UK may have dementia and by 2050, 152 million people […]

Read More… from Why is everyone talking about Dementia?

Illicit cannabis use often linked to insomnia

illicit cannabis

A study of illicit cannabis use for medical reasons by the Centre for Medicinal Cannabis in 2019, suggested that an estimated 182,583 individuals in the UK self-medicate with illicit cannabis for insomnia. Despite this, there is a paucity of high-quality data in humans to determine its effectiveness and as such it is an unlicensed medication […]

Read More… from Illicit cannabis use often linked to insomnia

65% of neurodivergent employees fear discrimination

neurodivergent

65% of neurodivergent employees fear discrimination while UK businesses promote neurodiverse workplaces. New research from Birkbeck, University of London’s Research Centre for Neurodiversity at Work commissioned by charity Neurodiversity in Business (NiB) has found significant barriers to neurodivergent employees disclosing their neurodivergence to employers. Led by Birkbeck Professors Almuth McDowall and Nancy Doyle, the research […]

Read More… from 65% of neurodivergent employees fear discrimination