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NEWS:
Why Epilepsy in Children Is Easily Missed
Q&A With Cedars-Sinai Guerin Children’s Deborah Holder, MD
Parents often miss the signs that their child has epilepsy, according to Deborah Holder, MD, a neurologist at Cedars-Sinai Guerin Children’s and a pediatric epilepsy expert.
"Every day in clinic I see children who have had for years what many people call ‘funny spells,’" Holder said. "Sometimes I start talking to a parent and find out the parent has had ‘funny spells’ for years, but had no idea they were epileptic seizures."
That’s because many people with epilepsy experience subtle symptoms, such as not being able to talk for a few seconds, Holder said. When the momentary symptoms disappear, people tend to forget to look for the source.
"Sometimes children experiencing seizures will see flashing lights or have temporary blurred vision, which leads them being misdiagnosed with migraine," Holder said.
About 1 in 26 Americ
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Physical Fitness Since Childhood Predicts Cerebellar Volume In Adolescence
Physical fitness since childhood is associated with cerebellar grey matter volume in adolescents. According to a recent study conducted at the University of Jyväskylä and the University of Eastern Finland, those who were stronger, faster and more agile, in other words, had better neuromuscular fitness since childhood, had larger Crus I grey matter volume in adolescence.
Despite the importance of the developing cerebellum on cognition and learning, the associations between physical fitness and cerebellar volume in adolescents have remained unclear. This study examined the associations of physical fitness with grey matter volume of cerebellar lobules related to cognition in adolescents, and whether these associations differed between females and males.
Those adolescents with better neuromuscular fitness since childhood had larger Crus I grey matter volume. However, adolescents with bette
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Combined, High Maternal Stress And Prenatal COVID-19 Infection May Affect Attention Span In Infants
For mothers who experience high stress during their pregnancy, prenatal COVID-19 infection may be associated with an increased risk for impaired attention and delayed socioemotional and cognitive functioning in their infants, according to a small study funded by the National Institute of Mental Health, part of the National Institutes of Health. The findings highlight maternal stress as a modifiable target to potentially reduce negative outcomes from prenatal COVID-19 infection and the possible protective benefits to expectant mothers of getting vaccinated for COVID-19 during their pregnancy.
The study, which appears in Pediatric Research, was led by Denise Werchan, Ph.D., Moriah Thomason, Ph.D., and Natalie Brito, Ph.D., at New York University, New York. It included 167 mothers and their infants—50 who reported COVID-19 symptoms or a positive COVID-19 test during their pregnancy and 117
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Nyle DiMarco Named 2023 Recipient of ASHA’s Prestigious Annie Glenn Award
Nyle DiMarco Named 2023 Recipient of ASHA’s Prestigious Annie Glenn Award
(Rockville, MD–November 6, 2023) Advocate and ambassador for the Deaf community Nyle DiMarco will receive the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association’s (ASHA) most prestigious public honor, the Annie Glenn Award, at ASHA’s annual Convention, which will be held in Boston November 16–18.
Born deaf, DiMarco is from a multigenerational deaf family. He gained wide public recognition as a winning contestant on CW’s America’s Next Top Model. Later, he competed on ABC’s Dancing With the Stars, which he also won.
“Nyle DiMarco’s public profile has helped change the way Americans view the diversity of language, communication, and hearing,” said ASHA President Robert M. Augustine, PhD, CCC-SLP. “We are thrilled to honor his work in ensuring accessibility of communication for everyone.”
A dedicated champion for a more
