Category: ADHD

A new Swedish study suggests anemia early in pregnancy may increase the risk of autism, ADHD and intellectual disability in children. Anemia is a common condition in late pregnancy and researchers discovered anemia toward the end of pregnancy did not have the same correlation. The findings, published in JAMA Psychiatry, underscore the importance of early screening for iron status and nutrition counseling. An estimated 15-20% of pregnant women worldwide suffer from iron deficiency anemia — lower blood oxygen levels due to a lack of iron. By the third trimester, pregnant…

A new Spanish study shows a link between prenatal exposure to air pollution and changes in the corpus callosum, a region of the brain associated with neurodevelopmental disorders such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The findings are published in the journal Environmental Research. Over the past few decades, several studies have looked at the effects of air pollution on cognitive capacities in children. However, very little research has been done on the changes that air pollution could induce in children’s growing brains. The new…

Autism and attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) share changes in the same genes, according to researchers from iPSYCH, Denmark’s largest psychiatry research project. In Denmark, approximately one percent of schoolchildren have autism and two to three percent are diagnosed with ADHD. Autism and ADHD can share certain common symptoms. For example, children with either disorder can demonstrate violent or aggressive behaviors, be impulsive, and have problems in school and with social relations. The new study, published in the journal Nature Neuroscience, reveals that the similarities between the two diagnoses can be…