Study of close to 400 infants found no association between interrupted sleep and later developmental problems. New parents often expect their baby to start sleeping through the night by around six months of age. Indeed, they often receive messages from paediatricians and others about the importance of early sleep consolidation. But authors of a study […]
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 […]
May 2, 2018 is World Maternal Mental Health Day Organizations around the world — from Canada, the UK, the USA, Turkey, Australia, Argentina, Malta, New Zealand, South Africa, Spain, Germany, Nigeria, and more — are leading efforts to raise awareness about maternal mental health through a collective social media push and in-country events. In response to the call, […]
World Maternal Mental Health Day 2018 – Begin Before Birth Canada Symposium Due to popular demand, we are live-streaming our Maternal Mental Health Matters symposium. On May 1st, 2018 visit the NEURO hospital’s YouTube channel to participate in the symposium from 9AM-5PM. Note: access will only be available from 9am to 5pm at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCvrUuEvxOsXxq9-T3B9liyQ/live ) Download the PDF program or visit the […]
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 […]
A new study shows that childhood adversity can get ‘under the skin’ and influence epigenetic markers in our blood. Interestingly, the study also suggests for the first time, that perinatal interventions, that tackle early adversity, might have similar effects. The findings are based on a 30-year trial of the Nurse-Family Partnership (NFP), which has shown […]
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 […]