Testosterone (T) and dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEAS) are two steroids integral to male primate development. For humans, both are high in early infancy (for T, this is known as minipuberty) then rapidly decline. DHEAS then increases beginning in early childhood, resulting in a process known as adrenarche, which signals the maturation of the zona reticularis of the adrenal gland. T increases a few years thereafter, marking the beginning of puberty. These processes are relatively well-studied in humans, but data is lacking for the other great apes. Particularly for adrenarche, strikingly little is known about its distribution across the primate order. Here, we draw on a large sample of wild male mountain gorilla fecal samples collected over the full course of the gorilla lifespan to examine how the hormones T and DHEAS change with age. We use enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays to quantify metabolites of both hormones, and validate these assays using high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry analyses. We find that both hormones are high in male gorilla infancy, and then decline before T rises again at 9.3 years of age. Surprisingly, DHEAS rises afterwards at 10.7 years old, showing a departure from the human developmental pattern. T then peaks at 18 years of age, while DHEAS plateaus at ~ 23 years of age. More research is needed to assess intra-order variation in primate hormonal development.
Ella R Brown, Rose Umuhoza, Carine Uwamahoro et al.
There is growing interest in identifying brain function underlying adolescent cognition, personality, and psychopathology. One promising approach is Precision Functional Mapping (PFM) of MRI functional connectivity, a data-intensive method for characterizing individualized brain networks. Foundational studies suggest that PFM can detect stable, task-responsive, and clinically relevant networks. Studies demonstrate that both functional connectivity reliability and network stability improve with increasing data quantity, although benchmark estimates vary across populations, preprocessing pipelines, and MRI acquisition approaches. Accordingly, it is important to understand how PFM performs in adolescent populations and with multi-echo fMRI acquisition. In a case study of eight youth (ages 10-17), we applied PFM to 80 minutes of combined resting-state and task-based fMRI. The resulting networks were highly modular, consistent with adult templates, and without evidence of structural registration artifacts. Functional connectivity reliability compared favorably to prior single-echo studies, with multivariate similarity and ICC estimates showing early stabilization around 10-15 min despite continued improvement with additional data. Trait-like stability increased gradually with acquisition time, and a Bayesian algorithm (MS-HBM) demonstrated higher stability than Infomap. Across algorithms, stability was greatest in the somatosensory, auditory, visual, and parietal networks. Furthermore, when evaluating task-based responses to threat and attention paradigms, only the auditory network consistently benefited from individualized mapping over group template networks. These findings suggest that, with constrained scanning time, PFM is especially effective for characterizing sensory and perceptual networks in adolescents. Bridging the methodological divide between deeply sampled individual cases and large-scale developmental studies will require further innovation and validation.
Isaac N Treves, David Pagliaccio, Gaurav H Patel et al.
INTRODUCTION: Stattin and Kerr's (2000) seminal work illustrated the importance of adolescent disclosure, rather than parents' monitoring behaviors, in predicting adolescent adjustment. Subsequent work differentiated secrecy from disclosure, yet most of the existing research has examined these constructs in early or mid-adolescence. This study examines two indices of the parent-child relationship-autonomy support and conflict frequency-as moderators of associations between secrecy/disclosure and internalizing and externalizing domains of adjustment in late adolescence. METHODS: Participants included 242 youth (50% White, 18% Black, 17% Hispanic) who participated during mid-adolescence (Mage = 15.4 years) and late adolescence (Mage = 18.7). At both time points, adolescents provided self-reports of their disclosure, secrecy, parents' autonomy support, frequency of conflict with parents, antisocial behavior problems, and depressive symptoms. RESULTS: Lower levels of disclosure and higher levels of secrecy uniquely predicted concurrent levels of antisocial behavior and depressive symptoms, and the effect of secrecy on antisocial behavior in late adolescence was exacerbated by high levels of parent-adolescent conflict. In contrast, secrecy, but not disclosure, uniquely predicted antisocial behavior longitudinally, and the association between secrecy and antisocial behavior was strongest among adolescents with highly autonomy supportive parents. CONCLUSION: Findings suggest that routine disclosure to parents protects against antisocial behavior and depressive symptoms concurrently, but not over time. Keeping secrets from parents is associated with increased risk of antisocial behavior problems, although the context of the parent-child relationship should be considered.
Adolescence is a period characterized by exploration, altered risk-taking, and increased vulnerability to mental health disorders. These phenomena may reflect underlying challenges in safety evaluation. Successfully navigating adolescence may therefore be related to the maturation of neural circuits that support safety evaluation, yet how these mechanisms function during development remains unclear. Using 7-Tesla functional magnetic resonance imaging, we recorded neural response in 33 adolescents (MAge = 14.88 years, 19 females) during evaluation of threat (external cues that signal potential danger) and protection (resources available to an agent that increase safety). Our findings reveal age-related differences in neural recruitment during accurate estimation of protection, such that younger adolescents (12-14 years) exhibited greater hippocampal engagement, whereas older adolescents (15-17 years) exhibited a more integrated circuit involving the hippocampus and anterior ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC). Our results also provide insight into how competition between threat and protection is resolved within the visual cortex during adolescent safety evaluation, demonstrating enhanced perceptual sensitivity to protection signals compared to threat. Behavioral analysis across a broader developmental spectrum (N = 63, MAge = 24.18 years, range 12-40 years, 34 females, including adults from prior work) revealed a quadratic association between age and protection estimation accuracy, with lower accuracy in mid-to-late adolescence relative to early adolescence and adulthood. Together, our behavioral and neural results indicate adolescence is an important developmental period for safety processing, particularly with respect to accurately estimating safety.
Yubing Zhang, Madeline K Coates, Marta I Garrido et al.
Concerns persist regarding the potential long-term effects of general anaesthesia on brain development in children. This narrative review summarises recent preclinical and clinical evidence (2019-25) and updates consensus messages. Preclinical studies show that commonly used anaesthetic agents can interfere with neurodevelopmental processes during vulnerable developmental periods. Clinical evidence is less clear. Randomised trials indicate that a single, short exposure in infancy is not associated with measurable impairment in cognitive outcomes, whereas observational studies report mixed findings. Several large population-based studies consistently identified a small, increased risk of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder following early exposure to general anaesthesia. Emerging evidence also suggests modifications in visual development and processing, including preferential processing of global visual information, although these findings remain preliminary. Interpretation is limited by confounding related to surgery, comorbidity, and environmental factors. Communication with families should emphasise acknowledgment of parental concerns, individualised anaesthetic care, physiological stability, and that necessary procedures should not be delayed because of theoretical neurodevelopmental risks.
Jean-Philippe Salaün, Peter Frykholm, Nicolas Poirel et al.
STUDY QUESTION: Are higher ambient temperatures before oocyte retrieval associated with adverse oocyte-related outcomes in women undergoing their first IVF or ICSI cycle? SUMMARY ANSWER: Higher pre-retrieval temperatures are associated with reduced oocyte yield, an effect partially mediated through LH and partially counteracted by compensatory increases in FSH and estradiol (E2). WHAT IS KNOWN ALREADY: Evidence on the impact of ambient temperature on IVF/ICSI outcomes is emerging but limited. A recent study reported weak negative associations between higher ambient temperatures during folliculogenesis and oocyte yield, though the effect was modest and findings across populations remain inconsistent. However, these findings are further limited by small sample sizes, specific clinical subpopulations or geographic regions, which prevents the establishment of a generalizable dose-response relationship and leaves the underlying biological mechanisms largely unexplored. STUDY DESIGN, SIZE, DURATION: A retrospective cohort study of 58 468 women undergoing their first IVF/ICSI cycle with oocyte retrieval between 1 January 2018 and 31 May 2024. PARTICIPANTS/MATERIALS, SETTING, METHODS: Women undergoing their first IVF/ICSI cycle were included. The primary outcomes were total oocytes retrieved, mature oocytes retrieved, and 2PN (two pronuclei) fertilized oocytes. Secondary outcomes included rates of oocyte maturation, normal fertilization, and blastocyst formation. Basal sex hormone levels were measured during the early follicular phase (cycle days 2-4). Environmental exposure data, including both ambient temperature and apparent temperature (integrating air temperature and humidity), were assessed over biologically relevant exposure windows. Generalized linear mixed-effects models were used to estimate associations between temperature exposures and oocyte-related outcomes. Restricted cubic spline models assessed nonlinearity. A counterfactual causal mediation analysis examined the roles of basal sex hormones. Stratified analyses by age, BMI, antral follicle count, anti-Müllerian hormone, season, COVID-19 period, and the distance to ART center, along with sensitivity analyses, were performed to evaluate robustness. MAIN RESULTS AND THE ROLE OF CHANCE: Each 1°C increase in apparent temperature was associated with significant decreases in total oocytes retrieved (-0.20%; 95% CI: -0.28%, -0.12%), mature oocytes retrieved (-0.17%; 95% CI: -0.26%, -0.09%), and 2PN fertilized oocytes (-0.19%; 95% CI: -0.28%, -0.09%); consistent associations were observed for ambient temperature (-0.25%, -0.22%, and -0.22% per 1°C, respectively). For rate-based outcomes, no significant associations were observed for the normal fertilization rate or blastocyst formation rate; the mature oocyte rate showed small positive associations in longer-term exposure windows (3-week and 90-day). Mediation analyses indicated that LH partially mediated these associations, accounting for up to 5.23% of the total effect, while both FSH and E2 exhibited suppression effects. LIMITATIONS, REASONS FOR CAUTION: The observational design cannot definitively establish causality. Unmeasured confounding (e.g. individual indoor climate control, occupational heat exposure) and residential address-based exposure assessment are potential sources of bias. Restricting the primary analysis to completed cycles may introduce selection bias, although sensitivity analyses incorporating canceled cycles yielded consistent estimates. WIDER IMPLICATIONS OF THE FINDINGS: Higher ambient temperatures represent a modifiable environmental risk factor for oocyte yield in ART treatment, with basal sex hormone pathways, including LH as a partial mediator and compensatory shifts in FSH and E2, providing a plausible biological basis for this effect. In the context of rising global temperatures, these findings suggest that ambient thermal exposure during the peri-folliculogenesis period warrants clinical attention, and that monitoring basal sex hormone levels may help identify patients at risk of a suboptimal ovarian response in high-temperature settings. FUNDING: This study was supported in part by the Technology Innovation and Research & Development Project of the Chengdu Science and Technology Bureau (No. 2024-YF05-02159-SN), the Open Fund of Chongqing Maternal and Child Disease Control and Public Health Research Center (No. CQFYSJ01001), the Program of Inheritance and Innovation of Traditional Chinese Medicine in Chongqing (Chongqing Traditional Chinese Medicine [2022] No. 33), and Chongqing Yuzhong District Natural Science Foundation Project (No. 20240118). DISCLOSURES: All authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest related to this study. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: N/A.
Bedtime routines established before the age of 5 are one of the most beneficial practices for children's sleep and are often used in interventions and recommended by pediatricians. However, for parents experiencing poverty, maintaining a bedtime routine can be challenging due to employment constraints and other factors. Using the Future of Families and Child Wellbeing Study, the present study assessed maternal nonstandard employment (i.e., night, weekend, variable shifts), child externalizing behavior, and maternal social capital as predictors and moderators of bedtime routine use and activities (i.e., physical contact, communication, hygiene, and nutrition) at age 3. The sample included 1,364 children (52.5% boys; Mage = 35.66 months, SD = 2.40 months) and their mothers (Mage = 28.69 years, SD = 6.07 years; 50.04% non-Hispanic Black, 23.88% non-Hispanic White, and 22.26% Hispanic, 3.82% "other"). Results showed that maternal nonstandard employment was associated with a lower probability of using a bedtime routine and communication activities. Higher social capital was also associated with a higher probability of using bedtime routines, hygiene, and communication activities. Mothers with children who show higher levels of externalizing behavior were more likely to have bedtime routines and use hygiene and nutrition activities. Higher levels of social capital eliminated the difference in the probability of using a bedtime routine by employment type. Finally, the positive association between externalizing behavior and communication activity use was only significant for mothers in standard employment. Results illustrate the importance of considering a family's social context when designing bedtime routine interventions and bedtime activities. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).
Olivia Martín-Piñón, Adrienne Duke-Marks, Cynthia A Frosch et al.
BACKGROUND: Family disciplinary practices typically combine nonviolent strategies, psychological aggression, and physical punishment, yet they are rarely examined together in Caribbean contexts. OBJECTIVE: This study identified disciplinary typologies and their associations with children's socioemotional and behavioral difficulties during early middle childhood. PARTICIPANTS AND SETTING: Participants included 2535 primary caregivers of children aged 5-9 years in Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago. METHODS: Data were drawn from the 2022 UNICEF Multiple Indicator Cluster Surveys (MICS6). RESULTS: Latent class analysis identified three typologies that emerged across both countries: High Mixed, Verbal Mixed, and Low Discipline. Two additional typologies appeared among Jamaican children aged 5-6. Harsh typologies were associated with greater behavioral difficulties and depression than low-discipline typologies in Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago. Inconsistent mixed patterns were particularly consequential for behavioral control during the transition to school. CONCLUSIONS: Disciplinary practices should be examined in combination to better understand children's adjustment in global majority contexts, with implications for family intervention and child protection policy.
Wusirige, Jaipaul L Roopnarine, Ambika Krishnakumar
BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Prenatal visceral (VAT) and total (TAT) adipose tissue are associated with gestational diabetes and preeclampsia risk, yet cannot be routinely assessed in clinical or epidemiologic settings. Although anthropometric measures reflect adiposity in non-pregnant individuals, their utility in early pregnancy remains unclear. We examined associations between anthropometrics and TAT and VAT in the early second trimester and evaluated differences by prepregnancy BMI. SUBJECTS/METHODS: Among pregnant women (n = 61) in the Mother and Infant NuTrition (MINT) cohort, TAT and VAT were assessed via whole-body MRI at 15-weeks gestation. Anthropometrics included waist (WC), hip (HC), mid-upper arm (MUAC), calf (CC), thigh (TC), and skinfolds (SF) for iliac crest, subscapular, thigh, and triceps. Linear regression evaluated predictors of TAT and VAT by BMI category. RESULTS: TAT demonstrated strong positive correlations with BMI, WC, HC, MUAC, and TC (r = 0.76-0.92) while VAT demonstrated moderate positive correlations with BMI, MUAC, HC (r = 0.48-0.58), and strongest with WC (r = 0.60). The healthy BMI (n = 36) TAT prediction model included MUAC, HC, and iliac SF (R2 = 0.86), and VAT model included MUAC and iliac SF (R2 = 0.60). The overweight and obesity (n = 25) TAT prediction model (R2 = 0.93) included WC and HC and the VAT model (R2 = 0.79) included HC and subscapular SF. CONCLUSIONS: Anthropometric measures associated with prenatal adiposity differed by prepregnancy BMI. The TAT prediction model showed an acceptable R2 and included HC, MUAC, and iliac SF for healthy BMI, and WC and HC for overweight or obesity. Incorporating comprehensive anthropometrics into prenatal research and clinical care may improve risk identification and understanding of prenatal adiposity.
Marcela R Abrego, Sara Dube, Daniel A Powers et al.
Hypertension in sub-Saharan Africa is escalating, with many cases undiagnosed and poorly controlled, even among children, despite its significant contribution to cardiovascular disease. Poor blood pressure control is largely due to limited national guidelines, underfunded programs, and a shortage of trained health professionals. Simplified protocols for non-physician health workers, who deliver most of the primary care, are essential. Cultural myths and misconceptions further delay care, underscoring the need for community-based education. Early and opportunistic screening, including in schools, markets, and places of worship, is vital across the life course. Sustainable progress depends on tailored strategies, investment in equipment and training, and leveraging existing infrastructure to improve hypertension detection and management. Africa-centred hypertension guidelines are now a priority because international models fail to address the continent's unique clinical, cultural and resource realities. The African Regional Advisory Group of the International Society of Hypertension worked with the Pan African Society of Cardiology to develop simplified protocols for primary care, particularly for non-physician health care workers, by considering the special situation and condition for managing the vast majority of cases within hypertension in Africa.
