The brain’s pineal gland has two kinds of pinealocytes—cells that make melatonin—the hormone that regulates the body’s sleep and wake cycles, according to a rodent study conducted by researchers at the National Institutes of Health. The findings have the potential to inform future research on disorders that involve melatonin, such as jet lag and seasonal affective disorder.
News
NICHD issues News Releases and Media Advisories to the news media. Spotlight and Research Feature articles explain NICHD research findings and public health issues to the general public. An Item of Interest is a short announcement of relevant information, such as a notable staff change.
Spotlight: Highlighting Research on Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder
NICHD’s mission includes understanding child development and behavior. Check out these scientific advances related to Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder.
Release: Neurons absorb and release water when firing, NIH study suggests
Neurons absorb and release water when they relay messages throughout the brain, according to a study by researchers at the National Institutes of Health and other institutions. Tracking this water movement with imaging technology may one day provide valuable information on normal brain activity, as well as how injury or disease affect brain function.
Science Update: NICHD researchers identify neurons that prevent sensory overload
New findings in zebrafish help explain how the brain filters information from the environment and may improve our understanding of neurological disorders.
Science Update: NICHD researchers identify protein important for neurodevelopment in mice
A protein found only in mouse embryos and not in adult mice is important for fetal neurodevelopment, according to NICHD researchers.
Science Update: NIH study uncovers protein responsible for post-nerve-injury pain and inflammation
The findings suggest new ways to treat long-term pain without opioids.
Item of Interest: NICHD enhances partnership with Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity to promote safe infant sleep
As part of NICHD’s continued partnership with the Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity®, Inc., the NICHD-led Safe to Sleep® campaign recently launched a mini-grant program to support fraternity members in conducting safe infant sleep outreach. The mini-grants will enable Kappa members to lead and host activities in their communities, where they can share safe infant sleep messages in culturally sensitive ways.
Science Update: NICHD researchers identify key enzyme for nerve cell insulation
Findings from the mouse study offer clues on myelin-related diseases that impair the nervous system in people.
Science Update: Brain stimulation treatment may help children with cerebral palsy recover limb function, NICHD funded study suggests
Using a mild electrical current to either boost or inhibit the brain’s own electrical impulses may one day help rehabilitate its function, according to researchers funded by the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development.
Release: Graduates of early childhood program show greater educational gains as adults
Students who participated in an intensive childhood education program from preschool to third grade were more likely to achieve an academic degree beyond high school, compared to a similar group that received other intervention services as children, according to a study funded by the National Institutes of Health.
Spotlight: Selected NICHD Research Advances of 2017
Over the past year, NICHD contributed to numerous scientific advances and key initiatives.
Spotlight: Zika Research after Hurricane Maria
Dr. Carmen Zorrilla, who leads NICHD’s Zika in Infants and Pregnancy (ZIP) study in Puerto Rico, reports on how Hurricane Maria affected the Island’s largest hospital in San Juan.
Media Advisory: NIH study identifies brain patterns underlying mothers’ responses to infant cries
Infant cries activate specific brain regions related to movement and speech, according to an NICHD-led study of mothers in 11 countries.
Experimental treatment for Niemann-Pick disease type C1 appears safe, effective
An experimental drug appears to slow the progression of Niemann-Pick disease type C1 (NPC1), a fatal neurological disease, according to results of a
clinical study led by researchers at the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The study appears in The Lancet.
Focus on Early Learning
Children start learning long before they start going to school. Find out how you can support your child's learning from birth.
Focus on Caring for Critically Ill Children
NICHD supports research on the unique short- and long-term care needs of children with and recovering from serious and life-threatening illnesses and injuries.
NIH scientists find rare disease clues in cell’s recycling system
Scientists have demonstrated how an investigational drug works against a rare, fatal genetic disease, Niemann-Pick type C1 (NPC1).
Children’s visual engagement is heritable and altered in autism
How children visually engage with others in social situations is a heritable behavior that is altered in children with autism, according to a study funded by the National Institutes of Health.
Malaria drug protects fetal mice from Zika virus, NIH-funded study finds
Hydroxychloroquine, a drug approved by the Food and Drug Administration to treat malaria and certain autoimmune diseases in pregnant women, appears to reduce transmission of Zika virus from pregnant mice to their fetuses, according to a study funded in part by the National Institutes of Health.
NIH launches prospective study of Zika and HIV co-infection during pregnancy
The National Institutes of Health has launched a study to determine the potential risks that infection with the Zika virus might pose for pregnancies in which the mother is also infected with HIV.