https://medicalxpress.com/childrens-health-news/ en-us Latest health news and information about Children's Health It's been said that eyes are a window to the soul, but new research has found that an adolescent's brain response to a face might open a window to their social future. A new study at the University of California, Davis Center for Mind and Brain found that high activity in the amygdala when an adolescent looks at a face showing emotion predicts their social health two years later. Increased amygdala activity for girls predicted more involvement with their peers but less involvement for boys. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-07-adolescent-brain-reacts-social-future.html Mon, 13 Jul 2026 15:20:08 EDT news703165622 Like other teenagers, teens on the autism spectrum are itching to exercise their social muscles. They hope for new friends, fun with people who share their interests, maybe even a romantic relationship. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-07-brains-teens-autism-tune-unfamiliar.html Mon, 13 Jul 2026 15:00:06 EDT news703140918 In "Llama Llama Mad at Mama," a popular children's book from 2007, a little Llama Llama goes to the grocery store with his mama and becomes overwhelmed by all the sounds, sights, smells and shopping decisions happening around him. In a scene familiar to every parent, the cartoon animal has an epic meltdown in his shopping cart, screaming and throwing the contents of his mama's shopping list on the floor. Mama Llama gets down to his level and calms him down by turning shopping into a fun game. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-07-screens-calm-child-bad.html Mon, 13 Jul 2026 14:59:04 EDT news703173493 Testosterone may play a bigger role in the emotional development of girls entering puberty than previously thought, according to new research from the University of Georgia published in Psychoneuroendocrinology. Greater changes in the hormone were linked to more emotional difficulties among girls ages 10–12, even when accounting for levels of other hormones. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-07-hormonal-puberty-linked-emotional-distress.html Mon, 13 Jul 2026 14:40:01 EDT news703164002 Exposure to high temperatures during pregnancy and early infancy is associated with slower growth of the thalamus later in childhood, according to a study led by the Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal), a center supported by the "la Caixa" Foundation. The findings, published in Environment International, suggest that heat exposure during the earliest stages of life may have lasting effects on brain development. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-07-exposure-pregnancy-infancy-children-brain.html Mon, 13 Jul 2026 11:13:20 EDT news703159963 A new study from Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (BGU) has found that children exposed to secondhand smoke have significantly poorer sleep quality and greater sleep fragmentation, independent of the severity of their breathing problems. The prospective clinical trial, published Monday in the journal Scientific Reports, uses objective sleep-lab data and biological markers to demonstrate that tobacco smoke directly disrupts pediatric sleep per se, rather than simply worsening existing airway blockages. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-07-secondhand-independently-disrupts-children.html Mon, 13 Jul 2026 11:08:40 EDT news703159692 Future therapies for respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) must target both the virus and the immune response to ensure babies get the best possible outcomes, a new study by researchers at UCL and Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children (GOSH) finds. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-07-clues-treatment-rsv-babies.html Mon, 13 Jul 2026 05:00:03 EDT news702890283 A mother's warm, timely and appropriate responses to her child's needs support the child's development and help protect against emotional and behavioral difficulties later in life. New research shows that sensitive parent–child interactions help reduce risks associated with preterm birth. The large international study led by the University of Oulu in Finland and published in Developmental Medicine & Child Neurology shows that early interaction between parent and child plays a key role in child development. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-07-mother-sensitivity-children-born-preterm.html Fri, 10 Jul 2026 11:20:04 EDT news702901070 Rare DNA changes are most strongly linked to cognition in early childhood, but the link fades as children age, while common DNA changes show stronger links later in childhood, a new study finds. The research was reported July 10 in Nature Human Behaviour by researchers at the Wellcome Sanger Institute, who analyzed data from U.K. birth cohorts to investigate how genetic makeup affects cognitive ability across early life. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-07-links-genetics-cognition-childhood.html Fri, 10 Jul 2026 10:50:01 EDT news702896207 The ongoing legalization of cannabis in the United States has elicited cheers, boos and a host of questions. How much is safe? Isn't it just a plant? What are the long-term effects of chronic use? https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-07-adolescents-cannabis-disorder-higher-psychiatric.html Fri, 10 Jul 2026 10:00:01 EDT news702895502 Walk into a crowded coffee shop, and what catches your eye as you take in the scene could say as much about you as the spirals on your fingertips or the mutations in your DNA. Eye movements are so unique, in fact, that they could be used to identify you through objects that have personal meaning, according to a new study by Dartmouth researchers in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-07-eye-movements-reveal-personal-fingerprints.html Thu, 09 Jul 2026 17:20:06 EDT news702832812 A new systematic review has found that both the way a baby is born and exposure to antibiotics around the time of birth could be linked to differences in the development of the infant gut microbiome. The review also found that exclusively breastfeeding babies born by cesarean section or exposed to antibiotics may reduce these differences. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-07-birth-method-antibiotics-babies-gut.html Thu, 09 Jul 2026 16:30:01 EDT news702822125 A new therapy helps achieve a healthier BMI in people whose weight has become dysregulated following treatment for a brain tumor, a clinical trial has found. The results of the trial have been published in the New England Journal of Medicine. The new drug, setmelanotide, offers hope for improved health and quality of life for children and adults with hormonal and metabolic dysfunction caused by a brain tumor. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-07-treatment-healthier-bmi-people-weight.html Thu, 09 Jul 2026 12:00:09 EDT news702807912 Women diagnosed early in pregnancy with a fetus lacking adequate kidney function to make the urine that serves as vital amniotic fluid have long faced virtually no chance of the fetus's survival after birth. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-07-womb-fluid-infusions-fetuses-kidney.html Wed, 08 Jul 2026 19:40:04 EDT news702747239 A study led by researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis suggests that an intestinal disorder linked to malnutrition and stunted growth may be transmitted from one generation to the next via the small intestinal microbiome. Analyzing mouse models of the disorder using bacteria cultured from children who themselves suffer from stunting and its detrimental effects, the researchers identified specific bacteria responsible for the inflammatory chemical signals that are characteristic of the disease, which damages the lining of the intestine and impairs nutrient absorption. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-07-gut-bacteria-linked-malnutrition-younger.html Wed, 08 Jul 2026 19:00:01 EDT news702746022 U.S. teens are seriously underestimating how lethal the synthetic opioid fentanyl can be, a new study says. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-07-teens-underestimate-fentanyl-survey.html Wed, 08 Jul 2026 13:40:03 EDT news702728142