Cohort study
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Is frontoamygdalar connectivity in the resting brain linked with externalising behaviours during development?
Externalising problems tend to vary over the course of development, but often peak in late adolescence. Data suggest that the frontoamygdalar brain circuitry (involved in emotion regulation) might have an important role in mediating externalising behaviour.
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Does early androgen exposure contribute to autistic traits?
Researchers in Hong Kong and Cambridge have explored the influence of early androgen exposure on autistic traits during childhood.
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Cord blood metabolites linked with an ADHD diagnosis in childhood
Researchers in the USA have analysed whether the levels of branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs) detectable in maternal plasma and newborn cord blood are associated with the development of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) later in childhood.
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Childhood behaviour patterns linked with romantic partnering in adulthood
Children with behavioural disorders, such as ADHD or conduct disorder, are more likely to experience partnership problems in adulthood, including partner conflict and lower relationship satisfaction.
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Which genetic mechanisms underlie the relationship between preschool vocabulary and later literacy skills?
Preschool vocabulary acquisition is associated with later language and literacy skills. Genetic factors might partially explain this link, but the precise mechanisms are unclear. Thus far, twin-based studies have implicated mechanisms involving genetic amplification or genetic innovation.
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Progressive cortical thinning might identify children at risk of developing psychotic spectrum symptoms
Offspring of patients with schizophrenia or bipolar disorder have an increased risk of developing these conditions. However, our capacity to predict the long-term outcomes of these at-risk individuals is limited. Now, researchers have investigated whether longitudinal changes in brain structure differ in individuals at high familial risk who develop psychotic spectrum symptoms, compared to those who do not and to low-risk controls.
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Child soldiers exposed to more violence and combat are at greater risk of mental health problems
Sadly, the involvement of children in armed conflict is increasing,1 and leads to a higher risk of developing mental health problems.
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Preterm infants have social cognition deficits which improve in childhood
Researchers at the University of Edinburgh have investigated social attentional preference and its relationship with neurodevelopment in preterm infants.
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Can childcare attendance reduce externalising behaviour in children exposed to adversity?
Childcare attendance has been proposed as a public health initiative to help close the developmental gap between children from disadvantaged families and their wealthier peers.1,2 Now, Marie-Pier Larose and colleagues have investigated whether childcare attendance might modify the association between exposure to family adversity early in life and later externalising behaviour by buffering cognitive function.
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Emotional abuse during childhood is linked with differences in brain structure
Delia Gheorghe and colleagues at the University of Oxford have harnessed data from the UK Biobank to delineate the relationship between adverse experiences and brain structure. The researchers accessed brain imaging data together with retrospective reports of childhood adversity and adulthood partner abuse from more than 6,000 adults (mean age, 62.1 years).
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