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Language skills are essential to a child’s ability to communicate and develop. These skills enable children to engage with other people and learn from their surroundings and in the classroom.

New insights into communication problems like stuttering

New human and animal studies released today uncover the extensive brain wiring used in communication and provide new insights into how the brain processes and produces language, accents, and sounds. The research also explores the brain abnormalities in people with speech and language problems, such as stuttering, suggesting future treatment avenues. The new findings were presented at Neuroscience 2010, the annual meeting of the Society for Neuroscience and the world's largest source of emerging news on brain science and health.

17 Nov 2010

New AAC devices can help patients with neurological conditions to communicate

Though many people suffering from neurological conditions such as cerebral palsy and Lou Gehrig's disease have lost their ability to speak, they can communicate using augmentative and alternative communications (AAC) devices such as keyboards, head sticks, and other hands-free options.

17 Nov 2010

Study reveals true effects of malaria on African generations

Almost a third of cerebral malaria survivors developed epilepsy or other behavioral disorders in the most comprehensive study to date of the disease in African children, solidifying the link between malaria and neuropsychiatric disorders that affect hundreds of thousands of children.

17 Nov 2010

Health officials gather in Uruguay to discuss WHO anti-smoking treaty

"As sales to developing nations become ever more important to giant tobacco companies, they are stepping up efforts around the world to fight tough restrictions on the marketing of cigarettes," the New York Times reports in an article ahead of a conference in Punta del Este, Uruguay, which began on Monday. At the conference health officials are debating guidelines to enforce a global anti-smoking treaty known as the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) (Wilson, 11/13).

17 Nov 2010

Republicans confront realities of health overhaul, position themselves in Congress

The Christian Science Monitor reports that the health overhaul is resting in the GOP's crosshairs. The ultimate defense to the repeal effort is the presidential veto pen. Even with a new majority in the House come January, Republicans concede that winning a repeal vote in the Democratic-controlled Senate is unlikely and the two-thirds needed to override a presidential veto, well out of reach.

16 Nov 2010

PubDNA Finder search engine links biomedical articles to nucleic acid sequences

Researchers from the Universidad Politécnica de Madrid's Biomedical Informatics Group based at the Facultad de Informática have created a tool called PubDNA Finder. This tool is the first search engine specialized in linking biomedical articles to nucleic acid sequences.

16 Nov 2010

Journal of Alzheimer's Disease highlights latest scientific studies of AD

A supplement to the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease on "Anesthetics and Alzheimer's Disease" provides the platform to bring the latest scientific studies to the AD research and clinical communities.

15 Nov 2010

Behavioral intervention helps children to recover from autism: Study

A landmark study proves that children are capable of recovery from autism, or of making substantial gains in cognitive and adaptive functioning, as well as language skills, according to results released last night by Dr. Doreen Granpeesheh, founder of the Center for Autism and Related Disorders, Inc. (CARD).

14 Nov 2010

Progressive report recommends new practices to manage errors in HIT systems

An original and progressive report on health information technology (HIT) vendors, their customers and patients, published online today, makes ground-breaking recommendations for new practices that target the reduction or elimination of tensions that currently mar relationships between many HIT vendors and their customers, specifically with regard to indemnity and error management of HIT systems.

12 Nov 2010

Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation publishes articles on TBI

The November 2010 issue of the Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Official Journal of the American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine, has published a set of 9 articles on traumatic brain injury (TBI) that will accelerate future research in the field by establishing common language for the degree of injury, how it is measured and classified, treatment and potential outcomes.

12 Nov 2010

Tobii launches TX300 Eye Tracker for linguistics and behavioral research

Tobii Technology, the global market leader in eye tracking, announced today its new Tobii TX300™ Eye Tracker. The TX300 is the first higher-frequency eye-tracking hardware that allows research subjects the freedom of head movement, which helps scientists create more realistic testing environments for detailed and efficient research of natural behavior and higher definition samplings at 300 hertz.

11 Nov 2010

Performance in a coalition depends on genes

How well a person performs in a coalition is partly hereditary, according to a recent study.

11 Nov 2010

News stories about cancer contain language that contribute to public uncertainty

New research from North Carolina State University shows that most online news stories about cancer contain language that likely contributes to public uncertainty about the disease a significant finding, given that at least one-third of Americans seek health information online.

11 Nov 2010

Jefferson awarded $2.6M grant for study on cognitive decline in older African Americans with MCI

Researchers in the Departments of Psychiatry and Neurology at Jefferson Medical College of Thomas Jefferson University were recently awarded a $2.6 million grant from The National Institute of Health to study whether increasing participation in cognitive, physical and/or social activities prevents cognitive decline in older African Americans with Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI).

10 Nov 2010

Discovery Labs reports net operating loss of $6.2 million for third quarter 2010

Discovery Laboratories, Inc., a biotechnology company developing its novel, synthetic, peptide-containing surfactant and related aerosolization technologies as first in class therapies for severe respiratory diseases, today provides an update on key pipeline and business initiatives and a financial update for the third quarter ended September 30, 2010.

9 Nov 2010

Mobile technology improves diagnosis and treatment for mothers, newborns and children

Simple mobile technology, like basic cell phones, can be used to save the lives of mothers in childbirth, and improve the care of newborns and children, reaching underserved populations in remote areas.

9 Nov 2010

Undamaged portions of brain 'take over' and support recovery of function: Study

New research provides fascinating insight into mechanisms that underlie recovery after damage to a region of the brain important for memory and attention. The research, published by Cell Press in the November 4th issue of the journal Neuron, highlights the role of undamaged portions of the brain that can "take over" and support the recovery of function.

4 Nov 2010

'Phantom' images brain keeps for visual comparisons stored in brain's neural network

Brain research over the past 30 years has shown that if a part of the brain controlling movement or sensation or language is lost because of a stroke or injury, other parts of the brain can take over the lost function - often as well as the region that was lost.

4 Nov 2010

Scientists discover gene variant that rewires brain's circuitry in neurological disorders

Many gene variants have been linked to autism, but how do these subtle changes alter the brain, and ultimately, behavior. Using a blend of brain imaging and genetic detective work, scientists at UCLA's David Geffen School of Medicine and Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior are the first to illustrate how a gene variant tied to autism rewires the brain.

4 Nov 2010

House win would give GOP the ways, means to roll back health law

A GOP takeover of the House would give Republicans the ability to attack the new law in new ways. If Rep. Joe Barton becomes chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee next year, the Texas Republican vows to make life miserable for Democratic defenders of the health care overhaul law.

2 Nov 2010