STUDY OF BABIES’ BRAIN SCANS SHEDS NEW LIGHT ON THE BRAIN’S UNCONSCIOUS ACTIVITY AND HOW IT DEVELOPS

Full-term babies are born with a key collection of networks already formed in their brains, according to new research that challenges some previous theories about the brain's activity and how the brain develops.

The study is published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Researchers led by a team from the MRC Clinical Sciences Centre at Imperial College London used functional MRI scanning to look at 'resting state' networks in the brains of 70 babies, born at between 29 and 43 weeks of development, who were receiving treatment at Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust.

Resting state networks are connected systems of neurons in the brain that are constantly active, even when a person is not focusing on a particular task, or during sleep.

Read More..

BRAIN SCAN CAN PREDICT THERAPY RESPONSE FOR ANXIOUS KIDS

Experts say a brain scan can predict which kids with anxiety disorders will respond to one form of psychotherapy. As a consequence, Georgetown University neuroscientists say the use of psychiatric medication is not necessary for certain children.

Their study, presented at the annual meeting of the Society for Neuroscience in San Diego, utilized functional Magentic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) to map regions of brain activity. The results showed that children and adolescents, ages 8 to 16, who show fear when looking at happy faces on a screen were those who had least success with an eight-week course of cognitive-behavioral therapy.

Conversely, children who showed fear while looking at fearful faces benefitted from the treatment, the researchers found.

Read More..

Functional MRI Predicts Outcome to Talk Therapy in Children With an Anxiety Disorder

A brain scan with functional MRI (fMRI) is enough to predict which patients with pediatric anxiety disorder will respond to "talk therapy," and so may not need to use psychiatric medication, say neuroscientists from Georgetown University Medical Center.

Their study, being presented at the annual meeting of the Society for Neuroscience in San Diego, showed that children and adolescents, ages 8 to16, who show fear when looking at happy faces on a screen inside an fMRI scanner were those who had least success with an eight-week course of cognitive behavioral therapy.

Conversely, children who showed fear while looking at fearful faces benefitted from the treatment, which is also known as talk therapy, the researchers found.

Read More..