Women could enhance the development of their unborn child’s eyesight and brain function by regularly eating fatty fish during pregnancy. This is the suggestion from a small-scale study led by Kirsi Laitinen of the University of Turku and Turku University Hospital in Finland, in the Springer Nature-branded journal Pediatric Research. The research supports previous findings that show how important a prospective mother’s diet and lifestyle choices are for the development of her baby. Continue reading “Fish-rich diets in pregnancy may boost babies’ brain development”
Even mild physical activity immediately improves memory function
Researchers at the University of California, Irvine and Japan’s University of Tsukuba found that even very light workouts can increase the connectivity between parts of the brain responsible for memory formation and storage. Continue reading “Even mild physical activity immediately improves memory function”
Breastfeeding changes gene activity that may make babies less reactive to stress
It has long been known that there are many physical and mental health benefits of breastfeeding for mothers and babies. But can these benefits be due to genetic changes induced by breastfeeding? New research suggests that connection. Continue reading “Breastfeeding changes gene activity that may make babies less reactive to stress”
Does our environment affect the genes in our brains?
Is there a link between differences in IQ test performance and the activity of certain genes? Researchers from Charité — Universitätsmedizin Berlin have shown that modifications in the structure of a specific gene have a negative impact on individual test performance. This suggests that environmentally-induced epigenetic changes to our genetic material have a greater impact on intelligence than previously thought. Results from this study have been published in Translational Psychiatry. Continue reading “Does our environment affect the genes in our brains?”
Prenatal stress changes brain connectivity in-utero
The time babies spend in the womb is far from idle. The brain is changing more rapidly during this time than at any other time in development. It is an active time for the fetus to grow and explore, and of course connect to its mother. And new evidence from in-utero fetal brain scans shows, for the first time, that this connection directly affects brain development: A mother’s stress during pregnancy changes neural connectivity in the brain of her unborn child. Continue reading “Prenatal stress changes brain connectivity in-utero”
Increase in lifestyle-related cancers over past decade spotlights need for prevention
Lifestyle-related cancers, such as lung, colorectal, and skin cancers, have increased globally over the past decade, according to the most comprehensive analysis of cancer-related health outcomes and patterns ever conducted. Continue reading “Increase in lifestyle-related cancers over past decade spotlights need for prevention”
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