Scientists from the University of Maryland School of Medicine have made an important discovery about how children’s brains develop. They found that inflammation in the body during childhood could change how certain brain cells grow.
This is a big deal because it might help us understand more about conditions like autism and ADHD, which affect many kids around the world.
Neurodevelopmental disorders, such as autism and ADHD, happen when the brain doesn’t develop the way it normally should. Children with these disorders might have trouble learning, talking, making friends, or controlling their emotions. Scientists have been trying for years to figure out exactly what causes these problems, and this new study adds an important piece to the puzzle.
The human brain starts developing even before we are born and keeps growing and changing throughout childhood and into the teenage years. Inside the brain, billions of tiny cells called neurons work together so we can think, move, feel, and understand the world around us. One important part of the brain is called the cerebellum.
Although the cerebellum is best known for helping us move smoothly and keep our balance, it also plays a role in our thinking, language, and emotions.
In this study, researchers looked closely at how inflammation affects brain development, especially in the cerebellum. Inflammation is the body’s natural response when it fights infections or heals injuries.
While inflammation is usually helpful, if it happens at the wrong time or in the wrong place—like during important stages of brain growth—it might cause problems.
The researchers studied the brains of children who had died either from infections or other inflammatory conditions, and they compared them to the brains of children who had died in accidents. They used advanced tools to look closely at the neurons in the cerebellum.
What they found was striking. In children who had experienced inflammation, two important types of neurons—called Golgi neurons and Purkinje neurons—did not develop properly. These neurons are very important for brain function.
Golgi neurons help organize communication between different brain cells, while Purkinje neurons send signals from the cerebellum to other parts of the brain that control thinking and emotions.
When these neurons do not mature as they should, it could lead to problems with learning, behavior, and emotions. This could help explain why some children develop conditions like autism or ADHD after early life illnesses or other causes of inflammation.
The discovery gives scientists new ideas about how neurodevelopmental disorders might begin. It also offers hope that one day, doctors might be able to prevent or treat these conditions by finding ways to protect the brain during times of inflammation.
Our brains are incredibly complex, and scientists still have a lot to learn about how they develop and what can go wrong. But studies like this bring us one step closer to understanding these mysteries. Knowing that inflammation can interfere with important stages of brain growth could change the way we think about early childhood health.
The research, published in the journal Science Translational Medicine, reminds us how important it is to protect children’s health in their early years. Every new discovery brings hope that in the future, we will have better ways to help kids with autism, ADHD, and other brain development challenges.
For more information about ADHD, please see recent studies about Nutrition’s role in managing ADHD: what you need to know and results showing that Food additives and ADHD: what parents should know.
If you care about ADHD, please read studies about 5 signs you have ADHD, not laziness, and new drug to reduce daydreaming, fatigue, and brain sluggishness in ADHD.
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