Scientists at the University of Maryland School of Medicine have made an important discovery that could help us understand more about brain development and why some children develop conditions like autism or ADHD.
Their study found that inflammation in children might interfere with how certain brain cells grow and work.
This connection could explain part of the reason why some children develop neurodevelopmental disorders.
Neurodevelopmental disorders are problems that affect how a child’s brain grows and functions. They include conditions like autism and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).
Children with these disorders may have difficulty with learning, communication, emotions, or social interaction. These challenges can last a lifetime and affect many areas of life, including school, friendships, and daily routines.
The brain begins developing before birth and continues to grow and change through childhood and adolescence. It’s made up of billions of nerve cells, or neurons, which send messages to each other.
These messages allow us to think, feel, move, speak, and understand the world. A part of the brain called the cerebellum plays a key role in controlling movement. But scientists have also learned that the cerebellum helps with thinking, emotions, and language.
The researchers wanted to find out how inflammation—our body’s way of reacting to infection, injury, or illness—might affect the developing brain. To do this, they studied the brains of children who had passed away from inflammatory diseases and compared them to the brains of children who had died in accidents, with no signs of inflammation.
Using advanced tools to look closely at the brain tissue, they found that two important types of brain cells in the cerebellum were not developing properly in the children who had experienced inflammation.
These cells are called Golgi neurons and Purkinje neurons. Golgi neurons help control the flow of information in the brain, and Purkinje neurons act like messengers that link the cerebellum to other parts of the brain, including areas that help us think and manage emotions.
When these neurons don’t grow or function correctly, it can disrupt how the brain works overall. This might raise the risk of developing disorders like autism or ADHD. The researchers believe that inflammation, especially during key stages of brain growth, might interfere with the brain’s normal wiring and development.
This discovery is a major step forward. It suggests that inflammation in early life doesn’t just cause short-term illness—it might have long-lasting effects on how the brain develops. This raises new questions about how we might prevent or reduce the impact of inflammation during childhood, especially in children who are already at risk for neurodevelopmental problems.
The findings offer hope. If scientists can understand exactly how inflammation affects brain cells, they may be able to develop new treatments or ways to protect the brain during its most sensitive stages. That could mean better support for children who show early signs of conditions like autism or ADHD—and possibly ways to prevent some cases from developing in the first place.
There is still much to learn about the brain and how it grows. But each new study brings us closer to understanding it. This research, published in Science Translational Medicine, adds an important piece to the puzzle and reminds us of how many things—like the immune system and brain development—are deeply connected.
In the future, we may be able to use this knowledge to create better medical care for children and give families more answers and more hope.
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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