News by Subject Medicine & Health

A newborn baby's brain responds to being touched on the face, according to new research co-led by UCL. Babies use this sense of touch -- facial somatosensation -- to find and latch onto their mother's nipple, and should have this ability from birth. Premature babies often have difficulty feeding, and underdevelopment of their facial sensitivity may be one of the main causes.

For decades, scientists have examined how regions of the brain communicate to understand autism. Researchers at University of Utah Health believe the symptoms of autism may result from sustained connections between regions of the brain.

Decades after two brothers died in childhood of a mitochondrial disease, researchers pinpointed the exact cause in a founder mutation among Ashkenazi Jews. The discoverers say the mutation should be added to prenatal carrier screening programs for prospective parents.

Researchers report the first direct evidence that the cerebellum does more than just control muscle activity. It also plays a role in cognitive functions.

A new Tel Aviv University study finds that the drug candidate CP201, also known as NAP, may improve vocal communication abilities in patients with ADNP syndrome, a rare genetic condition.

Three-quarters of prisoners struggling to sleep have reported major improvements after receiving cognitive behavioural therapy to treat their insomnia. In the first study of its kind in the world, experts from Northumbria University have found that a single one-hour session of cognitive behavioural therapy was effective in preventing the development of chronic insomnia in 73% of prisoners. Inmates also reported that the therapy made notable improvements to their anxiety and depression.

Academic researchers have examined raw data from a company-funded safety evaluation of the pesticide chlorpyrifos. They discovered an effect on the brain architecture of the exposed laboratory animals at all tested doses, which was not included in the reported conclusions. Karolinska Institutet in Sweden led this independent study, which is published in the scientific journal Environmental Health.