Biomed Radio - Washington University School Of Medicine In St. Louis

Babies born prematurely face an increased risk of neurological and psychiatric problems that may be due to weakened connections in brain networks linked to attention, communication and the processing of emotions, new research shows. In presentations at the annual meeting of the Society for Neuroscience, Cynthia Rogers, MD, a child psychiatrist at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, reports that her team is zeroing in on differences in the brain's networks that may underlie problems such as attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), anxiety and autism spectrum disorders. BABIES WHO ARE BORN PREMATURELY ARE AT HIGHER RISK FOR A NUMBER OF PROBLEMS, LIKE MOTOR DIFFICULTIES AND COGNITIVE DEFICITS, AND THOSE BABIES ALSO HAVE AN ELEVATED RISK FOR PSYCHIATRIC DISORDERS. NOW, COMPARING BRAIN SCANS OF FULL-TERM BABIES TO THOSE FROM BABIES BORN AT LEAST 10 WEEKS BEFORE THEIR DUE DATE, WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY RESEARCHERS HAVE IDENTIFIED DIFFERENCES THAT MAY CONTRIBUTE TO THE RISK FOR SOME OF THOS