Birth Defects News

April 20, 2025

Top Headlines

New Study Reveals How Cleft Lip and Cleft Palate Can Arise

Apr. 17, 2025 — Biologists have discovered that disruptions in transfer RNA function can lead to the development of cleft lip and cleft ...

New Genetic Cause of Neurodevelopmental Disorders

Apr. 10, 2025 — A seminal study has uncovered a new genetic cause of neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs). The discovery offers both closure and hope to potentially thousands of families worldwide who have long been searching for answers. The study reveals that ...

Gestational Diabetes Linked to ADHD in Children

Apr. 14, 2025 — A new study has found children born to mothers who experienced gestational diabetes (GDM) during pregnancy are more likely to develop attention-deficient hyperactive disorder (ADHD) and externalizing ...

One in 3,000 People at Risk of Punctured Lung from Faulty Gene -- Almost 100 Times Higher Than Previous Estimate

Apr. 7, 2025 — As many as one in 3,000 people could be carrying a faulty gene that significantly increases their risk of a punctured lung, according to new estimates. Previous estimates had put this risk closer to ...

Latest Headlines

updated 9:14am EDT

Researchers Identify Growing List of Genetic Disorders Treatable Before or Immediately After Birth

Apr. 9, 2025 — Researchers have identified nearly 300 genetic disorders that can be treated before or immediately after a baby is born. This 'treatable fetal ...

Groundbreaking Study Reveals Changes in Brain Cell Composition and Gene Activity in Tourette Syndrome

Apr. 8, 2025 — In the first comprehensive, cell-by-cell analysis of brain tissue from individuals with Tourette syndrome, researchers have pinpointed exactly which ...

Brain's Own Repair Mechanism: New Neurons May Reverse Damage in Huntington's Disease

Apr. 7, 2025 — New research shows that the adult brain can generate new neurons that integrate into key motor circuits, findings that may point to a new way to ...

New Brain Organoid Model

Apr. 2, 2025 — Organoids have revolutionized science and medicine, providing platforms for disease modeling, drug testing, and understanding developmental processes. While not exact replicas of human organs, they ...

Using Everyday Products During Pregnancy Can Affect Newborn's Metabolism, Study Finds

Apr. 2, 2025 — A newly published study found that a mother's exposure to phthalates during pregnancy can affect their newborn's metabolism and brain development. ...

Early Signs of Heart Problems Linked to Smaller Brain Volumes

Mar. 26, 2025 — People who have early signs of heart problems may also have changes in brain health that can be early signs of dementia, such as loss of brain volume, according to a meta-analysis. The meta-analysis ...

Could an Arthritis Drug Unlock Lasting Relief from Epilepsy and Seizures? Promising Results in Mice

Mar. 25, 2025 — A drug typically prescribed for arthritis halts brain-damaging seizures in mice that have a condition like epilepsy, according to researchers. If the ...

Embryo Development Holds Key to Healthy Lifestyles

Mar. 18, 2025 — Researchers have discovered that the earliest days of embryo development have a measurable impact on a person's future health and ...

Re-Purposed FDA-Approved Drug Could Help Treat High-Grade Glioma

Mar. 13, 2025 — A study shows that high-grade glioma tumor cells harboring DNA alterations in the gene PDGFRA responded to the drug avapritinib, which is already approved by the United States Food and Drug ...

Study Pinpoints the Impact of Prenatal Stress Across 27 Weeks of Pregnancy

Mar. 10, 2025 — Researchers found new insights on the timing of prenatal stress and its effect on infant stress reactivity and temperament -- including differences between ...

Prenatal Maternal Stressors Linked to Higher Blood Pressure During First Year After Birth, Study Shows

Mar. 4, 2025 — Psychosocial stress during pregnancy could lead to higher blood pressure during the first year postpartum according to new ...

School Absence Patterns Could ID Children With Chronic GI Disorders, Research Suggests

Mar. 4, 2025 — Children who frequently miss school because of abdominal complaints are far more likely to be suffering from chronic disorders such as irritable bowel syndrome than diseases that can be detected with ...

Strong Link Between Western Diet During Pregnancy and ADHD

Mar. 3, 2025 — New research reveals that a mother's diet during pregnancy -- characterized by a Western dietary pattern high in fat and sugar and low in fresh ingredients -- may increase the risk of ...

One Gene Variant Is Poised to Cure a Devastating Inherited Disease

Feb. 27, 2025 — For more than 15 years, a pulmonologist has tried to understand the random path of devastation that a rare genetic condition carves through the families it ...

Lifestyle Choices During Pregnancy Can Impact Child's Motor Development Up to the Age of 5-6 Years

Feb. 25, 2025 — A healthy diet in early pregnancy supports the child's motor development at the age of 5-6 years. Higher maternal body fat mass, on the other hand, has an adverse effect on the child's ...

Research Suggests Common Viral Infection Worsens Deadly Condition Among Premature Babies

Feb. 24, 2025 — Researchers say they found that infection with a common virus that can be transmitted from mother to fetus before birth significantly worsens an often-fatal complication of premature birth called ...

Child ADHD Risk Linked to Mother's Use of Acetaminophen

Feb. 20, 2025 — Fetal acetaminophen exposure increases the likelihood that a child will develop attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), according to a new ...

Hidden Genetic Causes of Congenital Heart Disease Identified

Feb. 20, 2025 — Scientists have identified novel genetic interactions that may contribute to congenital heart disease (CHD), a common birth ...

Promising Results from First Prenatal Therapy for Spinal Muscular Atrophy

Feb. 19, 2025 — Scientists report results from a promising new approach to treat the rare neurodegenerative ...

Gene Therapy for Rare Epilepsy Shows Promise in Mice

Feb. 14, 2025 — Recent research takes aim at the a variant in gene SCN1B, which causes a severe form of developmental epileptic ...

Air Pollution Exposure Late in Pregnancy Increases NICU Admission Risk

Feb. 14, 2025 — In a study measuring neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) admissions and satellite-based air pollution data, newborns exposed to higher levels of NO2 have a 30-35% higher risk of NICU admission and an ...

What Causes Reproductive Complications?

Feb. 12, 2025 — Our cells constantly receive DNA damage from factors such as ultraviolet rays, irradiations, toxins and chemicals. For women, that can lead to poor egg quality, which in turn can cause infertility, ...

New Blood Test Accurately Predicts Preeclampsia

Feb. 12, 2025 — A new blood test has an 80% accuracy in predicting preterm preeclampsia, according to a new study. The condition, which results in over 70,000 maternal deaths and 500,000 fetal deaths each year ...

Pregnancy Complications Linked to Cardiovascular Disease in the Family

Feb. 7, 2025 — Women who have experienced pregnancy complications have an increased risk of cardiovascular disease. Now, a new study shows that sisters of women with complicated pregnancies are also at higher risk, ...

Is CBD Use During Pregnancy as Safe as People Think? New Study Uncovers Potential Risks to Babies

Feb. 5, 2025 — A new study has uncovered potential risks, including impaired fetal growth, associated with the use of both tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the primary psychoactive component of cannabis, as well as CBD, ...

Maternal Stress During Pregnancy Could Leave Traces in the Placenta That Could Affect the Baby's Development

Feb. 4, 2025 — Maternal stress could leave epigenetic imprints on genes in the placenta associated with cortisol -- a necessary hormone for fetal development -- and this would affect the baby's development ...

Music Can Touch the Heart, Even Inside the Womb

Feb. 4, 2025 — Researchers have used mathematical analysis tools to study the effect of classical music on a fetal heartbeat and identify patterns in heart rate variability. They recruited 36 pregnant women and ...

Vitamin D Matters During First Trimester

Feb. 3, 2025 — Maternal vitamin D levels in the first trimester were related to both prenatal growth and pregnancy outcomes, according to a new study. Low vitamin D levels during the first trimester of pregnancy ...

Researchers Identify Protective Properties of Amniotic Fluid

Jan. 31, 2025 — Researchers have made new discoveries about amniotic fluid, a substance historically not well understood in medical research due to the difficulty in obtaining it during pregnancy, especially across ...

Study Shows Potential of Resveratrol to Aid Fertility

Jan. 30, 2025 — A new study has highlighted the potential of resveratrol, a natural compound found in grapes, blueberries, and raspberries, to enhance female fertility. The systematic review found that resveratrol ...