Washington D.C., May 8: The prime time for brain development in a child's life is the first year, where the infant spends most of the time asleep. It is the time when neural connections form and sensory memories are encoded.
However, when sleep is disrupted, as occurs more often among children with autism, brain development may be affected, too.
New research led by the University of Washington finds that sleep problems in a baby's first 12 months may not only precede an autism diagnosis but also may be associated with altered growth trajectory in a key part of the brain, the hippocampus.
The study, which was published in the American Journal of Psychiatry, researchers report that in a sample of more than 400 taken of 6- to 12-month-old infants, those who were later diagnosed with autism were more likely to have had difficulty falling asleep.
It also states that this sleep difficulty was associated with altered growth trajectories in the hippocampus.
"The hippocampus is critical for learning and memory, and changes in the size of the hippocampus have been associated with poor sleep in adults and older children.
As many as 80 per cent of the children with autism spectrum disorder have sleep problems," said Annette Estes, director of the UW Autism Center and senior author of the study.
"In our clinical experience, parents have a lot of concerns about their children's sleep, and in our work on early autism intervention, we observed that sleep problems were holding children and families back," added Estes, who is also a UW professor of speech and hearing sciences.
"It could be that altered sleep is part-and-parcel of autism for some children. One clue is that behavioural interventions to improve sleep don't work for all children with autism, even when their parents are doing everything just right. This suggests that there may be a biological component to sleep problems for some children with autism," said Estes.
To consider links among sleep, brain development, and autism, researchers at the IBIS Network looked at MRI scans of 432 infants, surveyed parents about sleep patterns, and measured cognitive functioning using a standardized assessment.
At the outset of the study, infants were classified according to their risk for developing autism: Those who were at higher risk of developing autism -- about two-thirds of the study sample -- had an older sibling who had already been diagnosed.
Infant siblings of children with autism have a 20 per cent chance of developing autism spectrum disorder -- a much higher risk than children in the general population.
In the current study, 127 of the 432 infants were identified as "low risk" at the time the MRI scans were taken because they had no family history of autism.
They later evaluated all the participants at 24 months of age to determine whether they had developed autism. Of the roughly 300 children originally considered "high familial risk," 71 were diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder at that age.
Problems with sleep were more common among the infants later diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder, as were larger hippocampi. No other subcortical brain structures were affected, including the amygdala, which is responsible for certain emotions and aspects of memory, or the thalamus, a signal transmitter from the spinal cord to the cerebral cortex.
The authors note that while parents reported more sleep difficulties among infants who developed autism compared to those who did not, the differences were very subtle and only observed when looking at group averages across hundreds of infants.
Sleep patterns in the first years of life change rapidly as infants transition from sleeping around the clock to a more adult-like sleep/wake cycle. Until further research is completed, Estes said, it is not possible to interpret challenges with sleep as an early sign of increased risk for autism.
Comments
Ahmd
What are u teaching vedas to them. they are not following vedas, because they are worshiping Devils.
Ganapathi's father Shiva, Could not recognize his own son Ganapathi, How will he Recognise u.
master plan of MELVIN.. he need post in BJP.. tiz move is very danger to christian community please dont believe MELWIN and RSS ....
OMG...Christian Hindu Bhai Bhai....Hum Saath Saath Hain..Dear Father's And Sister's Dont forget Church attack incident that took place in Mangalore. These are the same people who beat innocent Nuns, Womens and Children. MIND IT.
why don't Chaddis go to churches and masjid..???? why don't they show unity..????. Chaddis wants other religion people to live like their slaves. (vinashakala vipareetha buddi)
This is not communal harmony ....this is an act of cowardness .....
Communal Harmony does not mean worshiping another God or another god of any other religion ...Harmony means give and take respect and love each other. and do respect all religion ....
DOnt misuse Communal Harmony
Guys in movies u have watched khans dancing , praising In front of Hindu Gods....but It doesnt Mean They worship or Believe...its a Part of Movie To entertain.....this Is Also same Its Part to Maintain harmony....plz take Things In different Angles....
Prem ...Jesus never Denied When His Follower Called him God.
VIREN #6
Muslims are NOT ABUSING but telling the TRUTH.
Vedas says NA TASYA PRATImA ASTI which means there is no image of God... it also says God is one ...
Muslims are telling that what VEDAS says is right and we ask U guys to PONDER on Y VEDAS says the following
*NA TASYA PRATIMA ASTI (S upanishad 4:19)
*They enter Darkness those who worship natural things, They sink deeper in DARKNESS those who worship Sambhuti (Created things) - Yajurveda 40.09
*God is one without a secong (Chondogya 6:02 1)
*Of that God there is no image primita (YV 32:3)
* All those whose intelligence has been STOLEN by material desires, they worship many Gods - Bhagwat Gita 7:20
READ to understand ...
Remove your hatred and use your intellect to know the reality of IDOL Worship.
You pray Ganapati and throw him in the sea at the end of the day....pity on you guys....I have seen people take drinks and dance behind it...no God fearing...no honesty....no devotion at all...looking for creating problems around....very bad....
They could have gone and prayed some other temples but not in RSS HQ....shame on them....they are scared of.....Muslims would not do this type of shirks....
Dear Vimala... #7
It is better to obey God (Who says worship him alone) rather than disobeying cheddis who want people to bow down to idols.
U will never recognise the devils trap in worshiping many man made created objects UNLESS U READ the manual from God...
QURAN challenges human being to create a book like that or a verse similar to it.
If U not read, then please read it and use your intellect to know what God says about the CREATION and life of this World... Please
Recognise YOUR CREATOR and worship him alone... it will be better for our life and hereafter.
Here some Zakir Naik Bhakts are trying to preach their religion. I request the moderator to remove the unnecessary out of the topic comments.
You have done a good job by posting a news report that spread the message of unity. But, some readers trying to create communal disturbance.
God Created man with intellectual power which we need to use it.
Stones are created lifeless by God
When we dont use our intelligence, We bow down to lifeless objects instead of God himself.
Its a great injustice done by human being to God..
God created U and U worship the STONES.
People should know who is their CREATOR rather than bowing down to lifeless object which cannot benefit nor harm the intelligent mankind... which blessed with life itself.
if U R TRUTHFUL in searching God ... He will guide u, if u are HONEST.
Dont fall trap to LIARS and AGGRESSORS of our Society.. God's help comes when we stand with the TRUTH....
Ok Ok.. I fully agree that these are peace loving people. By the way where were they when true Indians were fighting for the freedom of the nation? Both of them were with ......?
This is the spirit of truth. It attracts people of all faiths. Hats off the Christian nuns and fathers for their open minded gesture. Muslims should learn from Christians how to live in a multi cultural society.
As rightly pointed out by V Nagraj ji, these nuns and priests have proved their honesty. Can the peace loving Hindu community expect same gesture from one umma gang? Or they will continue to abuse all Hindu gods as per the teaching of their scripture ?
I think they did not woship Ganapati. They just offered a saree and took prasadam. Actual worship takes place in the heart and it cannot be seen by anyone. This is just a harmony visit.
If God cannot recognise his own son... Then how will he recognise his creation ....
If God cannot replace his son's head , Then how can we depend on him for our blessings.
Something is wrong.. either cheddis are against NA TASYA PRATIMA ASTI or those who worship idols are ignorant about God...
Please search for TRUTH.. God guides those who are HONEST from their heart..
No need to Fear cheddis and sell your souls to cheddis..
Worship the Creator and not his creation...
Jesus never said worship me but the father.... (God).
Na Tasya Pratima Asti - There is no image of God.. (What U worship in the form of idol cannot be god as per Vedas)
Add new comment