Psychiatric News (8/1) reports, “Smoking throughout pregnancy appears to have lasting effects on the brain development of the offspring,” investigators concluded in a study that “focused on the MRI data from 2,704 children (average age, 10 years) and the information on tobacco use during pregnancy provided by children’s parents.” The study revealed that “continued exposure to maternal tobacco use in utero was associated with lower brain volume.” The findings were published online Aug. 1 in JAMA Network Open.

Related Links:

— “Smoking Throughout Pregnancy May Have Long-Term Effects on Offspring’s Brain Development, Psychiatric News , August 1, 2022

Healio (8/1, Herpen) reports that “cognitive reserve acted as a protective factor that preserved executive function in older adults with benefits mitigated by depression level, according to” researchers who “sought to examine the relationship between cognitive reserve, depression and executive function in older adults over a 10-year period.” The findings of the “longitudinal study” were presented at the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference.

Related Links:

— “Cognitive reserve protects executive function in older adults “Robert Herpen, Healio , August 1, 2022

Kaiser Health News (8/1, Finn) reports, “Some California lawmakers want to help…parents protect their children’s mental health by targeting website elements they say were designed to hook kids – such as personalized posts that grab and hold viewers on a specific page, frequent push notifications that pull users back to their devices, and autoplay functions that provide a continuous stream of video content.” To that end, state legislators have proposed “two complementary bills” that “would require websites, social media platforms, or online products that children use – or could use – to eliminate features that can addict them, harvest their personal information, and promote harmful content.” The bills are AB 2273 and AB 2408.

Related Links:

— “Citing a Mental Health Crisis Among Young People, California Lawmakers Target Social Media “Zinnia Finn, Kaiser Health News, August 1, 2022

Medscape (7/31, Brooks, Subscription Publication) reports, “Older adults who have spent time in the intensive care unit (ICU) have double the risk of developing dementia in later years compared with older adults who have never stayed in the ICU,” investigators concluded after assessing “the impact of an ICU stay on dementia risk in 3822 older adults (mean age, 77 years) without known dementia at baseline participating in five diverse epidemiologic cohorts.” The findings were presented at the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference.

Related Links:

— Medscape (requires login and subscription)

According to HealthDay (7/29, Norton), youngsters with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (AD/HD) “may have less flexibility in the brain circuitry that allows for seamless ‘multitasking,’” investigators concluded in a study that “recruited 180 children and teenagers diagnosed with” AD/HD “and 180 without the disorder.” Each participant underwent “functional MRI.” The findings were published online July 22 in the journal Molecular Psychiatry.

Related Links:

— “Kids With ADHD Have Differences in ‘Neural Flexibility,’ Brain Study Shows “Amy Norton, HealthDay, July 29, 2022