Oxford Brookes University Babylab

02/10/2026

Scientists reveal the hidden instructions that build the human brain
- University of California - Los Angeles Health Sciences

UCLA researchers have discovered two powerful influences that help guide how the human brain forms before birth. Radial glia, stem cells responsible for producing much of the cerebral cortex, change their behavior depending on how they process glucose and on physical contact with signals arriving from the thalamus. Those signals can alter which types of neurons are produced, including upper-layer neurons that are especially prominent in humans.

Before birth, the human brain is assembled through an enormous series of cellular choices. At the center of this process are radial glia, a special type of stem cell that helps create many of the features that distinguish the human brain.

These cells produce large numbers of the neurons and support cells that make up the cerebral cortex, the brain region involved in thought, memory, and language. Radial glia are also believed to contribute to the unusually large expansion of the human cortex compared with that of other species. Although most disappear before birth, similar cells can later appear again in brain cancers for reasons scientists still do not fully understand.

"Radial glia are the coolest cells that have ever existed," said Aparna Bhaduri, an assistant professor of biological chemistry at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA. "They're really key to making us human. But they're also at the center of many neurodevelopmental and neuropsychiatric disorders, as well as cancer -- so understanding how they make their decisions is one way to start understanding how those conditions arise."

Two new studies published in Cell and Science now provide a closer look at how radial glia make those developmental choices. Bhaduri and her colleagues found that the cells respond to two very different kinds of information: the way they process nutrients and direct physical signals from another part of the developing brain. Together, these findings offer new insight into how the human cortex produces its remarkable variety of cell types.

Metabolism helps direct brain stem cells

In the Cell study, researchers built a detailed map of metabolism in the developing human cortex. The project was a collaboration between Bhaduri's lab and Heather Christofk's lab and was led by co-first authors Jessenya Mil and Jose Soto.

To create the atlas, the team analyzed donated human tissue along with brain organoids grown from stem cells. Their results pointed to an unexpected conclusion: metabolism does not simply support brain development in the background. It can actively influence which kinds of cells are produced.

The researchers found that radial glia depend heavily on the pentose phosphate pathway, a metabolic process that uses glucose to make materials needed by cells that are dividing rapidly.

When the scientists lowered the amount of available glucose or interfered with this pathway, the stem cells changed what they produced. They began generating more inhibitory neurons and other cell types that normally appear later in development.

"What was surprising is that metabolism isn't just a passive thing that happens in the background," said Bhaduri, a member of both the UCLA Broad Stem Cell Research Center and the UCLA Health Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center. "It can really control how stem cells make decisions."

The results could help scientists investigate how maternal nutrition, metabolic disorders, and other environmental influences affect the developing brain. The metabolic atlas also provides one of the most detailed resources yet for researchers studying metabolism during human brain development.

A signal arrives early from the thalamus

The second study, published in Science and led by first author Claudia Nguyen, examined a completely different source of developmental information. This time, the researchers focused on signals coming from the thalamus, a structure deep inside the brain that helps relay information throughout the nervous system.

Scientists have known for years that neurons in the thalamus send long projections toward the cortex. These wire-like fibers eventually form connections with specific cortical neurons. However, anatomical studies have shown that in humans, the projections reach the cortex long before those final connections are established.

That raised an important question: Why do the fibers arrive so early?

Using human stem cell-derived brain "assembloids," the UCLA researchers found part of the answer. The thalamic projections physically touch radial glia while the brain is still developing.

That contact changed the behavior of the stem cells. It caused them to produce more excitatory neurons, the primary signal-carrying neurons in the cortex. The effect was especially strong for upper-layer neurons, which are particularly expanded in the human brain.

"We already knew that these projections influence how the cortex develops," Bhaduri said. "What we specifically found is that this influence comes through an actual physical connection between the projections and the radial glia -- a point of contact that just hasn't been identified before, and one that very likely does not exist in rodents."

A gene linked to autism enters the picture

The researchers connected this physical interaction to NRXN1, a gene already known for helping neurons form connections with one another. Mutations in NRXN1 have previously been associated with autism spectrum disorder.

To investigate its role, the team created assembloids from patient-derived cells carrying an NRXN1 mutation. In these models, the altered thalamic signals behaved differently from signals made by unaffected cells.

Those changes shifted the balance between the number of stem cells and the neurons they generated. The result offers researchers a possible way to study how disturbances early in brain development could influence the formation of the cortex.

The developing brain is in constant communication

Although the two studies focused on very different mechanisms, they point toward the same broader idea. One examined metabolism, while the other explored neural connections, yet both showed that radial glia do not make their decisions in isolation. Their behavior is continuously shaped by signals from the environment around them.

The studies also demonstrate how dramatically organoid technology has changed the study of human brain development. About a decade ago, scientists had few practical ways to directly investigate how uniquely human neural stem cells behave.

Today, brain organoids and related models allow researchers to recreate important features of human brain development in the laboratory. These systems also make it possible to test questions that cannot be addressed through animal models alone.

Bhaduri hopes the findings will encourage scientists to view metabolism and physical cellular connections as active drivers of development rather than as background processes.

"Ultimately, these studies give us a glimpse under the hood of how these cells make decisions," she said. "Understanding those decisions is a first step toward understanding normal brain development, disease vulnerability and, potentially, how similar stem-cell programs operate in brain cancer."

Source: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/09/260904000308.htm

UCLA researchers have discovered two powerful influences that help guide how the human brain forms before birth. Radial glia, stem cells responsible for producing much of the cerebral cortex, change their behavior depending on how they process glucose and on physical contact with signals arriving fr...

01/10/2026

A longer exhale may push your brain toward bolder decisions
- German Center for Diabetes Research (DZD)

A new study suggests that deliberately changing the rhythm of your breathing can influence how you make decisions by altering activity in both the heart and brain. Researchers from the German Institute of Human Nutrition Potsdam-Rehbruecke (DIfE) and Charité -- Universitätsmedizin Berlin found that longer exhalations increased heart rate variability and made the brain more responsive to rewards, which was associated with bolder choices. The findings were published in Neuron.

Fast breathing and an elevated heart rate are often linked with rapid decision-making. Under pressure, people may become more cautious in an effort to avoid losses, whether they are making an investment, handling a tense workplace situation, or choosing a meal quickly. Slower breathing and a calmer cardiovascular state, by contrast, may encourage a more positive assessment of potential outcomes and make people more willing to take risks.

How Breathing Connects the Body and Brain

Decision-making has traditionally been viewed as a process centered mainly in the brain. The new research examined a broader possibility: that signals from other parts of the body can change brain activity and influence the choices people make.

The study was led by Prof. Soyoung Q Park in collaboration with researchers from institutions including the Neuroscience Research Center at Charité -- Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Freie Universität Berlin, and the German Naval Institute of Maritime Medicine.

"Our decisions are rarely determined solely by external information. Rather, our judgment emerges from the interplay between cognitive processes and our current bodily state. It was previously unknown how the conscious regulation of our body, for example through targeted breathing, could actively control our decision-making process. We wanted to create a physiological shift using a slow breathing pattern to change the quality of our decisions," explains Soyoung Q Park, head of the Department of Decision Neuroscience and Nutrition at DIfE, summarizing the research question.

Testing Whether Longer Exhales Change Decisions

The researchers studied 41 healthy participants while they made risky choices under carefully controlled breathing conditions. Participants followed visual breathing instructions and either breathed at their normal individual pace or slowed their breathing while extending the exhalation phase (2:8 inhale-exhale ratio).

As the participants completed a series of risk-related decisions, the research team measured several aspects of their physical and neurological responses. Functional magnetic resonance imaging was used to track brain activity, while breathing patterns, heart activity, skin conductance, and pupil responses were monitored at the same time.

This combination of measurements allowed the researchers to test whether extending the exhale did more than simply lower heart rate. They also wanted to determine whether the breathing pattern directly changed how the brain processed potential rewards.

Longer Exhalation Shifted Choices Toward Reward

The results showed that extended exhalation slowed heart rate and was associated with riskier choices. Importantly, the change appeared to come from greater attention to possible rewards rather than reduced concern about potential losses. Participants still responded to losses in a similar way.

The researchers also detected stronger activity in the ventromedial prefrontal cortex and the precuneus. These brain regions are involved in reward processing and in regulating the timing between heartbeats, a measure known as heart rate variability.

"Our study thus underscores the transformative role of breath-based interventions. The interplay between breathing and cardiac dynamics makes the brain more receptive to rewards," explains lead author Wenhao Huang, interpreting the results.

What the Findings Could Mean for Breathing Techniques

The work adds to a growing field focused on body-brain communication and supports neurovisceral models, which propose that a person's physical state can strongly shape cognitive processes.

Park explains: "Breathing techniques have accompanied humanity for millennia across various religions and cultures. With this study, we provide scientific proof that it is a reliable and targeted method capable of controlling our decisions."

Because controlled breathing is simple, inexpensive, and relatively easy to learn, the researchers say it could have value as a tool for everyday self-regulation. It may also have potential as a supportive, non-pharmacological approach in clinical settings, particularly for conditions such as anxiety disorders or depression, which can involve disrupted autonomic regulation and altered responses to reward.

Could Breathing Influence Eating Behavior?

Future studies will need to determine whether the same effects appear in broader clinical populations, including people with overweight. The researchers are particularly interested in whether breathing techniques could influence food-related decisions, since eating behavior is strongly affected by both reward processing and a person's physical state.

"Since dietary decisions are strongly influenced by reward assessment and physical state, targeted breath regulation could also play a role in consciously perceiving and more effectively managing eating behavior," Park summarizes for future research activities.

Source: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/09/260904000320.htm

Slow breathing with a prolonged exhale made people more willing to take risks by changing heart activity and increasing the brain’s sensitivity to rewards. The findings suggest that something as simple as controlling your breath can directly influence how you evaluate choices.

01/10/2026

The Oxford Brookes Babylab is excited to announce that Meet the Researchers is back for Baby Week UK! Have you ever wondered how babies learn language so quickly? If so, sign up to join our free talk for parents, caregivers and practitioners on Monday 16th November at 1:30pm at Oxford Brookes University. There will be play areas set up for babies and young children.

Dr Nayeli Gonzalez-Gomez will be talking about language development for babies and young children, providing tips for supporting your child’s language development and answering your questions!

Book your place and free parking now: bit.ly/BabyWeekLanguage

30/09/2026

Can baby monitors protect children without data security risks?
by Erika Sanchez-Velazquez (Deputy Head of School, Computing and Information Science, Anglia Ruskin University)

For parents, keeping children safe is not only instinctive but a priority. We babyproof the house, we check the car seat twice, we wake up in the middle of the night at the smallest sound.

As technology has evolved, it also offered a promise to help parents watch over our kids even when we are not in the same room as them.

Throughout the different stages of kids’ lives, parents now rely on different technology to help keep kids safe. This tech now includes trackers, location-sharing apps and parental control apps. But at the earliest stages of our kids’ lives, we rely on baby monitors.

Monitors allow parents to keep an eye on babies without having to be in the same room. The first model was the Zenith Radio Nurse, released on sale in 1938.

More recent products have many advanced features, including contactless breathing and vital signs monitoring, AI-powered sleep analytics, cry and sound analysis, and environmental monitoring. However, these new levels of functionality depend on ever more sensors, more cloud processing, and more data being collected on children.

Parents now have to weigh up the privacy of the data these devices collect, as well as the security risks they bring into the home. In May 2026, a security researcher in France named Sammy Azdoufal decided to probe some of the weaknesses behind budget smart cameras.

Azdoufal discovered that he could pull up other people’s live and recorded footage without needing to guess a password or do anything that really counts as “hacking”. His findings, reported by CyberNews, traced back to a shared system used behind the scenes by more than 300 different camera brands sold on retailers such as Amazon.

He estimated that more than one million devices were affected, many of them baby monitors in bedrooms.

Shared vulnerabilities
What most parents don’t realise is that the brand on the box is rarely the company that built the camera or wrote its software. Many monitors, even from well known sellers, come out of a small number of factories. They get sold under dozens of different names, so one weakness underneath can affect them all.

The cybersecurity operations company Rapid7 published some of the first well known research into these cameras years ago, and a 2026 academic study found the same pattern repeating in newer devices and their apps.

Regulators have started responding. Updated in 2022, new cybersecurity rules under the EU’s Radio Equipment Directive have applied to any internet-connected wireless device sold in the EU. These new rules require manufacturers to protect users’ data, stop devices being hijacked and guard against fraud.

Some manufacturers are taking steps to improve security. For example, the baby monitor manufacturer Owlet announced in late 2025 that its newest model was the first baby monitor awarded the SGS Cybersecurity mark. This mark requires manufacturers to include encryption, a unique passwords and a channel for researchers to report flaws. The certification gives parents something concrete to look for.

Security is only half of it. Even a monitor that’s never hacked can still raise data privacy issues. Many collect more than video. They gather information on feeding times, as well as sleep and growth data, and share it with third parties for analytics or advertising under vague “partner” clauses.

Sleep pattern data from a baby monitor isn’t classed as medical information under GDPR, so companies can use it for analytics or advertising unless parents opt out. This data often isn’t as anonymous as companies claim once combined with other details.

Cry detection and sleep analysis add to this, since both usually mean sending audio and video to the cloud, where it may also help train a company’s algorithms.

Because these features depend on cloud processing rather than staying on the device, the data often leaves the home network, increasing both privacy and security exposure.

Privacy and long-term protection
The UK has rules covering both sides of this. The Product Security and Telecommunications Infrastructure Act, in force since 2024, bans default passwords and forces manufacturers to say how long they’ll support a device.

On the data side, the UK goes further than most countries through the Information Commissioner’s Office Children’s Code, which applies to any connected device likely to be used by children.

The code requires the highest privacy settings by default, and gives parents a genuine right to see, or delete, what’s been collected, backed by fines of up to 4% of global turnover. Most parents just don’t know to ask.

None of this means every camera monitor is dangerous, or that the reassurance they offer isn’t real. But the trade-off keeps showing up in the research. Internet-connected monitors carry more risk than simple closed ones that talk directly between two devices in your home.

Treat the password like a banking one, keep the app updated, and check how long the manufacturer will support it. The bigger issue isn’t something one password can fix. The underlying issues in the industry mean new vulnerabilities will keep appearing, so the safest path is staying informed and choosing devices with transparent security and support policies.

Source: https://theconversation.com/can-baby-monitors-protect-children-without-data-security-risks-290094

Connected devices could expose more data than parents expect.

30/09/2026

On NICU Awareness Day, we would like to thank all of the amazing people that support these babies and their families.

We are working on the Womb to World project in the John Radcliffe Neonatal Care Unit, and we see how hard the consultants, nurses and all of the teams work to support these babies.

We also want to recognise the incredible work of charities such as SSNAP (Support for the Sick Newborn and their Parents) who support families throughout their journey.

NICU Awareness Month may be ending, but at the Babylab, we will continue our work supporting preterm infants' earliest language experiences.

30/09/2026

💚💚💚 Today on NICU awareness day, OBU Babylab are celebrating all the amazing NICU staff, preemie babies and their families and the fantastic work done by SSNAP (Support for the Sick Newborn and their Parents) in supporting them. 💚💚💚

💙 NICU Awareness Day 💙

Today marks NICU Awareness Day and brings NICU Awareness Month to a close.

Throughout September, we’ve shared stories, celebrated the incredible neonatal team, remembered precious babies, highlighted the support available to families and shone a light on just some of the experiences that come with having a baby needing neonatal care.

A huge thank you to everyone who has read, liked, shared or commented on our posts this month. Every interaction helps us raise awareness of neonatal care and the journey so many families unexpectedly find themselves on.

Most importantly, thank you to the families who have trusted us with their stories and experiences, and to the wonderful neonatal team at the John Radcliffe Hospital who are there for babies and their families every single day.

NICU Awareness Month may be ending, but our work doesn’t. 💙

SSNAP will continue to be there, supporting sick and premature babies, their families and the incredible NHS neonatal team throughout the year.

Thank you for being part of our SSNAP community. 💙

29/09/2026

Fatigue in teenage girls linked to heavy periods and lifestyle – not iron deficiency
by Moa Wolff (Postdoctoral Fellow, Family Medicine and Community Medicine, Lund University) and Anna Stubbendorff (Postdoctoral Fellow, Nutrition Epidemiology, Lund University)

Fatigue is common among teenage girls and can have a substantial impact on their everyday life, including school attendance and social functioning.

Iron deficiency and anaemia are often considered the most probable explanations for the symptoms of fatigue that teenage girls experience. But our recent findings suggest that the cause is more complicated.

We studied 485 Swedish female high school students. Participants completed questionnaires about fatigue, quality of life, menstrual patterns, diet, ni****ne use and dietary supplement use. They also provided blood samples to measure haemoglobin and ferritin – key markers to assess iron status. Low ferritin and low haemoglobin levels typically indicate iron deficiency and anaemia, respectively.

In earlier analyses of the same group, we found iron deficiency was present in 38% of participants. It was strongly associated with both heavy periods (reported by 54% of the participants) and eating a diet with little or no meat (reported by 27% of participants).

In our latest study, the group reported experiencing high levels of fatigue. However, our analyses revealed that neither iron deficiency nor anaemia were associated with higher levels of fatigue or lower quality of life.

In fact, the opposite was true. Lower ferritin and lower haemoglobin levels were linked to less fatigue – even after accounting for confounding factors.

Instead, we found that heavy periods were associated with greater fatigue and poorer quality of life. This was true even after adjusting for ferritin and haemoglobin levels.

This suggests that the association between heavy periods and fatigue is not explained by iron deficiency or anaemia. Other consequences of heavy periods – such as menstrual pain, disturbed sleep or missing school, sports and social activities – may instead contribute.

Skipping breakfast, lunch or both meals on one or more days per week was also associated with greater fatigue and poorer wellbeing. Daily ni****ne use, including snus or smoking, was likewise associated with greater fatigue and poorer wellbeing.

These are important results because heavy periods, skipped meals and ni****ne use are modifiable factors that may be overlooked if iron deficiency is assumed to be the only cause of fatigue.

Understanding fatigue
Our study did not capture everything that might influence fatigue. For example, we lacked information on socioeconomic status, physical activity levels, mental health and sleep – factors that may also be related to fatigue.

We also cannot determine cause or effect. For instance, girls may skip breakfast because they’re tired. Ni****ne use may be a marker of other lifestyle factors linked to fatigue – rather than a direct cause of fatigue.

Iron deficiency still matters, however. It’s the leading cause of anaemia worldwide. Iron is essential for transporting oxygen to the organs, for good muscle health and normal brain function.

Teenage girls are particularly prone to iron deficiency because their iron needs increase during growth. Menstruation and dietary habits can further reduce iron stores.

Our research will now evaluate a newly developed five-question screening tool for identifying iron deficiency. We will also continue to investigate which symptoms or other indicators are most useful for detecting iron deficiency, and which treatment strategies work best in this population.

These novel results matters because fatigue in teenage girls is often reduced to a question of iron deficiency. Our findings suggest that the picture is more complex. Heavy periods, skipped meals and ni****ne use are common and potentially modifiable factors. Overlooking them may mean missing important opportunities to support teenage girls’ health and wellbeing.

Source: https://theconversation.com/fatigue-in-teenage-girls-linked-to-heavy-periods-and-lifestyle-not-iron-deficiency-289749

Overlooking the key causes of fatigue may mean missing important opportunities to support teenage girls’ health and wellbeing.

28/09/2026

How a little stress may help our cells protect themselves
by Ian Copple (Professor of Pharmacology & Toxicology / MRC Senior Fellow Pharmacology & Therapeutics, University of Liverpool)

The cells of our body are frequently exposed to hazards that can cause them to be damaged, malfunction or die. Yet they have defence systems that can sometimes be strengthened by small doses of stress, a phenomenon known as hormesis. Scientists are investigating whether food compounds and medicines can harness these protective processes to benefit health.

The hazards of modern life are often discussed in terms of their potential to damage major organs. For example, air pollution can damage the lungs and contribute to asthma and other breathing disorders.

Although effects at the organ level are important, this view can miss the challenges faced by the individual cells that make up the lungs and every other part of the body. Our cells are frequently exposed to stresses including ultraviolet radiation from the sun, alcohol, pollutants and the byproducts of some medicines.

These hazards can damage DNA, which carries a cell’s genetic instructions, as well as proteins and the fatty membranes surrounding cells. If the damage becomes severe enough, it can cause cells to malfunction or die. Yet, despite this seemingly constant barrage of potential stresses, most of our cells adapt, survive and function effectively throughout our lives.

Stress responses

Our cells possess specialised stress responses that detect particular hazards and alter the activity of genes involved in protecting the cell. One of the best-studied examples is NRF2, a protein that acts as a molecular switch for hundreds of protective genes. When activated, these genes help cells limit damage and remove potentially harmful chemicals.

Other stress responses increase the ability of cells to remove and recycle damaged proteins, repair DNA or slow down cell division to conserve energy and prevent damage from spreading. Severe or prolonged stress can still overwhelm these defences and cause lasting harm.

One of the most remarkable features of these responses is their ability, under certain circumstances, to convert a small challenge into a useful adaptation that can leave cells better able to cope with a later challenge. This dose-dependent pattern, in which a limited exposure to a stressor stimulates a protective response while a stronger exposure causes harm, is known as hormesis.

Exercise provides a familiar comparison. Placing muscles under temporary strain, followed by recovery and repeated exertion, stimulates adaptations that make them stronger and better able to cope with future demands. Some cellular stress responses may work according to a similar principle, leaving cells better prepared to face a repeat challenge.

Researchers have proposed that these responses may also help us cope with some of the chemical compounds produced by plants to deter predators and pests. When we eat plants as fruits and vegetables, some of their compounds may create a mild challenge that activates protective responses in our cells.

Broccoli and other cruciferous vegetables provide one example. When they are chopped or chewed, they produce sulforaphane, a compound that can activate NRF2 in laboratory-grown cells and animals.

The evidence that consumption of broccoli or sulforaphane stimulates the NRF2 response in people remains uncertain. A systematic review of 18 human studies found mixed results, and many of the studies had methodological limitations that could have distorted their findings. One barrier has been a lack of ability to measure effects on stress responses by taking a blood sample. Researchers are trying to identify such biomarkers to allow them to investigate the human health benefits of sulforaphane and other compounds in more detail.

Stress response targeting medicines
Fruits and vegetables supply fibre, vitamins, minerals and many other compounds. Their health effects arise through numerous interacting processes, with adaptive cellular stress responses potentially contributing alongside these other mechanisms.

Scientists have spent decades studying the intricate ways in which cells sense and adapt to different stresses. Learning how these protective responses are switched on could be useful beyond nutrition. Researchers are now using this knowledge to develop medicines that activate cellular defence systems as treatments for different diseases.

One example is omaveloxolone, which activates NRF2. In April 2025, it became the first medicine approved in the UK specifically for Friedreich’s ataxia, a rare inherited condition that progressively damages the nervous system and causes problems with movement. In a 48-week clinical trial, people receiving the medicine performed better on an assessment of physical impairment than those receiving a placebo.

As with all medicines, there are potential risks. Activating a cellular stress response too strongly or for too long may have harmful effects, so researchers must establish which stress responses can be targeted safely and which diseases could benefit.

Hormesis does not mean that deliberate exposure to pollution, ultraviolet radiation or other hazards are beneficial. Neither does it show that supplements marketed as NRF2 activators are beneficial in healthy people. The dose, duration and type of stress all influence how cells respond.

The cells of our body are constantly exposed to potential sources of damage. When a challenge is limited, cell defence systems may adapt, leaving them better able to cope with later stress. This process, hormesis, may help explain some of the health benefits of regular exercise and a diet rich in fruits and vegetables.

As scientists learn more about the process of hormesis and how cells defend themselves, carefully targeted medicines may offer new ways to treat specific diseases.

Source: https://theconversation.com/how-a-little-stress-may-help-our-cells-protect-themselves-290178

Small challenges can activate cells’ protective systems. Scientists are exploring whether food compounds and medicines can make use of this effect.