[Source:  Psych Central]

New research suggests two patterns of early symptoms appear to precede then predict bipolar disorder (BD),  and may help to identify young persons at increased risk of developing the illness.

One pattern of early BD consists mainly of symptoms and features associated with mood disorders - termed a characteristic "homotypic" pattern. The other predictive pattern or "heterotypic" pattern, includes other symptoms such as anxiety and disruptive behavior. Environmental risk factors and exposures can also contribute to BD risk.

In a new international collaborative study between The Chinese University of Hong Kong and Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago, researchers created a machine learning algorithm that uses brain scans to predict language ability in deaf children after they receive a cochlear implant. This study's novel use of artificial intelligence to understand brain structure underlying language development has broad reaching implications for children with developmental challenges. It was published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Preterm babies born early in the third trimester of pregnancy are likely to experience delays in the development of the auditory cortex, a brain region essential to hearing and understanding sound, a new study reveals. Such delays are associated with speech and language impairments at age 2, the researchers found.