When it comes to maternal mental health, sadly, Canada lags behind other countries, like Australia and the UK, where pre- and post-natal mental health are subject to regular screening. Listen to CTV’s News at Noon, where Dr Kieran O’Donnell discussed the impact of prenatal anxiety and depression on the mother’s and the child’s long-term mental health with news […]
Those administering policies that separate children from their parents clearly don’t understand the effects of early childhood trauma on the developing brain. In an interview with Quirks & Quarks host Bob McDonald, Dr Michael Meaney explains how parents insulate their children from stresses while their brains mature. When children are traumatically separated from parents their brain is forced to […]
Eczema may be an early warning sign for potential mental health problems. According to Dr Patricia P Silveira, “When treating young girls for childhood cutaneous allergies, such as eczema, healthcare professionals should be aware of the increased potential for vulnerability for mental health problems. Understanding and investigating these types of associated risks is crucial to […]
A new study in mice provides molecular-level proof that the environment we are raised in continues to exert significant influence on brain development beyond childhood into adolescence. The study, published in Nature Communications, demonstrated that the environment in which an adolescent is raised causes measurable epigenetic modifications that influence which genes are activated or muted […]
The long-term consequences of poor infant nutrition, particularly in the first weeks after birth, are becoming clearer thanks to a new study. Preterm, underweight babies who benefited from a higher energy intake –specifically more protein and fats- during the first three weeks of life had healthier body weights in their 20s (as measured by a […]
Moving beyond the overly simplistic unhealthy lifestyle paradigm, researchers are slowly uncovering the genetic and epigenetic mechanisms behind obesity. Recent research by Ludmer Centre researcher Dr Patricia P Silveira at McGill and the Douglas Institute and her colleagues has shown that altered dopamine signaling may increase a preference for more palatable high-sugar foods leading to a risk […]
We can now project the potential impact of adversity in the womb on a child’s development and their risk of developing a mental illness as an adult. Ludmer Centre researchers and an international team led by Dr Patricia P Silveira at the Douglas Mental Health University Institute and McGill University have created the first screening […]
New research highlights the limitations of using standard birth-weight cutoffs to define long-term vulnerability. Children born too small or too large are at increased risk for several diseases later in life, including metabolic and mental-health problems. Early identification is important to initiating proper and close follow-up; however, Ludmer Centre researchers and collaborators led by […]
Do you remember what you had for dinner last night? The hippocampus, a brain structure linked to memory formation, participates in this mental process. Memory impairment, such as an inability to remember what you ate, is an early sign of hippocampal damage due to insulin resistance, which itself further disrupts a person’s feeding patterns. […]