A.
Surprising New Findings About Girls with ADHD
Narrator: This is Science Today. Symptoms of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, or ADHD, usually diminish in girls as they enter adolescence. But a new University of California, Berkeley study has found that certain symptoms still plague girls between ages 12 and 17 and can cause serious problems. Psychology professor Stephen Hinshaw, who led the study, explains.
Hinshaw: Risk for delinquency, risk for depression and anxiety, risk for eating problems and substance use. Things we couldn't measure in childhood. 544 In all of the domains we measured, the girls with ADHD continued to lag behind their peers and show noticeable deficits.
Narrator: Hinshaw says that relatively little is known about ADHD in girls because it was believed that it couldn't affect them until recently.
Hinshaw: For a long time, many people, well-educated people thought, Well ADHD doesn't really occur in girls. We don't see any girls referred to clinics for this problem. Well one of the reasons for that was because people thought it couldn't exist in girls, they didn't diagnose it, so no one was referred.
Narrator: For Science Today, I'm Larissa Branin.
B.
No Link Found Between Strokes and Depression & Dementia
Narrator: This is Science Today. Vascular diseases such as strokes have commonly been blamed for depression and dementia in older adults. But a University of California , San Francisco study has found that this may not be the case. Psychiatry professor Deborah Barnes explains.
Barnes: The thinking before was that vascular disease might cause, both depressive symptoms and it might lead to cognitive impairment or dementia over time. So, some people had thought that older adults might be having small brain infarcts small mini-strokes basically and that that might cause both the depression and the cognitive impairment. But basically, what we found was no link between those mini-strokes and the depression and the cognitive impairment.
Narrator : Instead, Barnes says their study revealed that depression in older adults may actually be an early sign of neurodegeneration. According to their study, the more depressed older adults are, the more likely they are to develop mild cognitive impairment within six years. For Science Today, I'm Larissa Branin.
C. New Breast Imaging Technology in the Works
Narrator: This is Science Today. Researchers at the University of California , Davis Medical Center are working on new breast imaging technology that may one day outperform mammography and improve breast cancer survival odds. It's an adaptation of computer tomography, or CT scans, and it was developed by biomedical engineer John Boone.
Boone: Mammography is better able to see fine details, so it's sharper. What CT brings to the table really is the ability to see structures with higher contrast.
Narrator: Mammograms give radiologists two-dimensional views of the breast, whereas breast CT scans now in clinical testing lets them see images in 3-D.
Boone: It is important when you're talking about breast cancer screening to screen all of the tissue at risk and that includes breast tissue that goes all the way up against the chest wall.
Narrator: In the past, imaging experts assumed CT scans required too much radiation to be practical for breast screening, but Boone and his colleagues worked to lower the radiation to the same dose levels as currently practiced mammography. For Science Today, I'm Larissa Branin.
D.
Understanding Multiple Sclerosis in Children
Narrator: This is Science Today. Multiple sclerosis can take a toll not only in adults, but in children as well. Since relatively little is known about MS in children, the symptoms may go unnoticed. Dr. Emmanuelle Waubant, a researcher at the University of California , San Francisco explains.
Waubant: Pediatric MS affects children differently from adults at various level. The first thing is in young children, symptoms may be mild enough that they are not brought up to the attention of the parents in case the child doesn't realize it's abnormal.
Narrator: Waubant describes some of the symptoms, which parents should look out for.
Waubant: The symptoms of MS can be very different from one child to the other. Some children may develop difficulty with their vision. Some may have numbness or tingling in an arm or a leg. Some may have difficulty going to the bathroom. Some may have imbalance or double-vision.
Narrator: Since these symptoms may not be MS, parents should first consult with their pediatrician. For Science Today, I'm Larissa Branin.
E. A Call to Eliminate Junk Food in Schools
Narrator : This is Science Today. Getting kids to cut back on junk food may be just be a matter of changing their options during lunchtime in school. University of California , San Diego pediatrician Howard Taras says that keeping only healthy snacks in school is good for health and will bring in the same amount of money.
Taras : Kids will eat oranges if that's all that's available. Rather than having coke. If there's both available, they'll chose coke. So I think that we can actually do just as well. We just have to change the environment. We actually can make the same amount of money or close to it by selling healthier things.
Narrator: According to Taras , keeping kids healthy is one of the most important steps in helping them do better in school.
Taras : If you go ask any school nurse or good school principal and you say to them, "Why do you have a school nurse, why do you, why are you involved with health?" They'll tell you, Oh healthy children learn better.
Narrator : Taras recently led a review of past studies looking into how health affects a child's performance in school. For Science Today, I'm Larissa Branin.
