Yurgelun-Todd, right, and colleague Staci Gruber, PhD.
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Turbulent Teens
Directed by Deborah Yurgelun-Todd, PhD,
investigators in the Cognitive Neuroimaging and Neuropsychology Laboratory, collected data from normal children that suggest the presence of underlying physical reasons for the emotional
turbulence experienced by many teens. Unlike adult brains, parts of the adolescent brain that process emotion are over-reacting while parts
controlling behavior are under-reacting. This
finding provides indirect proof of what many
parents have known for years: teenagers process language and emotions differently than adults.
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Frazier, front right, and team
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Brain Development and Disorders of Childhood
Analyses of 70 MRI brain scans, conducted by investigators in the Pediatric Psychosis Research Program, led by Jean Frazier, MD, have indicated that
children with bipolar disorder have significantly smaller hippocampal
volumes than healthy children. They also found that girls with bipolar
disorder are more susceptible than boys to this volume decrease. The
hippocampus is important because it plays a role in learning and memory. Investigators have also found that children with bipolar illness have smaller volumes of temporal lobe structures associated with language and that the size of these structures correlates with performance on some language-related cognitive tasks. These findings will help focus research on understanding the pathophysiologic underpinnings of the symptoms and cognitive impairment that affect the functioning of these children in school, in peer relationships and at home.
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Led by Martin Teicher, MD, PhD, researchers in the Developmental Biopsychiatry Research Program and the Brain Imaging Center, directed by Perry Renshaw, MD, PhD, have reported findings that could help clinicians identify children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) who will benefit most from Ritalin. The researchers monitored the effects of Ritalin, the medication of choice for this disease, on two forms of activity: overall body movement and neural activity in a highly specialized area of the brain known as the cerebellar vermis. Those who displayed high levels of both movement and neural activity were most likely to benefit from Ritalin. The results, based on two technologies developed and refined at McLean
(M-MAT and T-2 Relaxometry), could lead to more refined methods of
prescribing medications and of making diagnoses of ADHD.
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Investigators in the Developmental Psychology and Psychopathology Program, directed by Gil Noam, Dipl. Psych, EdD, have developed RALLY (Responsive Advocacy for Life and Learning in Youth), a research-based, early intervention program that focuses on the detection and prevention of depression,
violence and suicide among middle school children. The RALLY Program has been established in numerous Boston Public Schools and brings clinicians and teachers together to work toward the combined goals of mental health and academic achievement for at-risk children. This model program is now being replicated in a number of cities across the United States.
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