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Normal Brain Development (normal + brain_development)

Distribution by Scientific Domains

Medical Sciences	50%
Life Sciences	50%

Selected Abstracts

The Assessment of Cognitive Performance in Children: Considerations for Detecting Nutritional Influences

NUTRITION REVIEWS, Issue 12 2003
Donna Hughes MPsychClin
The accurate assessment of cognitive performance in children is critical for detecting the effects of micronutrient deficiency or supplementation on the developing brain and its functions. Relatively little attention has been paid to the selection of culturally appropriate measures that are sensitive enough to detect the subtle cognitive changes that could be expected following nutritional intervention. Normal brain development and the emergence of cognitive abilities throughout infancy and childhood is discussed in this paper, followed by a description of the more pertinent and sensitive neuropsychological tests that can be used to assess cognitive performance and investigate the effects of micronutrient deficiency and supplementation on cognitive development among children in a variety of cultures. [source]

PDGF stimulates the massive expansion of glial progenitors in the neonatal forebrain

GLIA, Issue 16 2009
M. C. Assanah
Abstract Platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) plays a major role in regulating migration, proliferation, and differentiation of glial progenitors during normal brain development and in the abnormal proliferation and dispersion that drives the formation of malignant gliomas. To further explore the relationship between PDGF's effects on normal glial progenitors and its role in the formation of gliomas, we infected progenitor cells in the subventricular zone (SVZ) of the lateral ventricle of neonatal rat pups with a retrovirus that expresses PDGF and green fluorescent protein (GFP). At 3 days post-injection (dpi), a proliferation of PDGFR,+ progenitors was seen in the SVZ and white matter around the injection site and by 10 dpi the animals had large diffusely infiltrating tumors that resembled glioblastomas. The tumors contained a massive proliferation of both infected and uninfected PDGFR,+ progenitors, suggesting that PDGF was driving tumor formation via both autocrine and paracrine signaling. Rats co-injected with two retroviruses (one that expresses PDGF-IRES-DSRED and one that expresses only GFP) formed tumors that contained a mixture of DSRED+ cells (PDGF producers) and GFP+ cells (recruited progenitors). Time-lapse microscopy of slice cultures confirmed that both DSRED+ and GFP+ cells were highly migratory and proliferative. Furthermore, adding exogenous PDGF to slice cultures generated from nontumor-bearing brains (injected with control GFP retrovirus only) stimulated the migration and proliferation of GFP+ progenitors. These findings reveal the inherent growth factor responsiveness and tumorigenic potential of PDGFR,+ progenitors and highlight the importance of paracrine signaling in stimulating glioma growth and infiltration. © 2009 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source]

Docosahexaenoic acid, the aquatic diet, and hominin encephalization: Difficulties in establishing evolutionary links

AMERICAN JOURNAL OF HUMAN BIOLOGY, Issue 1 2007
Bryce A. Carlson
Distinctive characteristics of modern humans, including language, tool manufacture and use, culture, and behavioral plasticity, are linked to changes in the organization and size of the brain during hominin evolution. As brain tissue is metabolically and nutritionally costly to develop and maintain, early hominin encephalization has been linked to a release of energetic and nutritional constraints. One such nutrient-based approach has focused on the n -3 long-chained polyunsaturated fatty acid docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), which is a primary constituent of membrane phospholipids within the synaptic networks of the brain essential for optimal cognitive functioning. As biosynthesis of DHA from n -3 dietary precursors (alpha-linolenic acid, LNA) is relatively inefficient, it has been suggested that preformed DHA must have been an integral dietary constituent during evolution of the genus Homo to facilitate the growth and development of an encephalizing brain. Furthermore, preformed DHA has only been identified to an appreciable extent within aquatic resources (marine and freshwater), leading to speculation that hominin encephalization is linked specifically to access and consumption of aquatic resources. The key premise of this perspective is that biosynthesis of DHA from LNA is not only inefficient but also insufficient for the growth and maturation demands of an encephalized brain. However, this assumption is not well-supported, and much evidence instead suggests that consumption of LNA, available in a wider variety of sources within a number of terrestrial ecosystems, is sufficient for normal brain development and maintenance in modern humans and presumably our ancestors. Am. J. Hum. Biol. 19:132,141, 2007. © 2006 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source]

Insights into early brain development from modern brain imaging and outcome studies

ACTA PAEDIATRICA, Issue 7 2010
Michael Weindling
Abstract Recent brain imaging and outcome studies of infants born at very early gestation have cast new light on brain development at a vulnerable stage. Some of these new developments are reviewed in this editorial. Conclusion:, The anatomical differences between the brains of babies born extremely prematurely and those born at term appear to translate into disturbances of function. The challenge for paediatricians is to discover the causes, with the aim of promoting normal brain development. [source]