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Expectant mothers often play music to their unborn babies, many convinced of its positive impact on their child, even though its effect has never been scientifically-proven.

However, now, research from Johns Hopkins could have added weight to that theory for the first time, with their mice studies reporting that sounds appear to change "wiring" patterns in areas of the brain. And their study has found that this could happen earlier than scientists previously assumed, even before the ear canal opens. The experiments involve newborn mice, which have ear canals that open 11 days after birth. In human foetuses, the ear canal opens prenatally, at about 20 weeks gestation.

For much of 2020 and, indeed, for some years to come we will have discussions and debates about the changes that happened as a result of  the coronavirus pandemic. There are already many sad and distressing stories but also some examples emerge where the changes in response to covid-19 had some benefit. 

Many years ago, family doctors did clinical visits by going to patient’s homes to see them. There was time to listen patiently and for the family to understand what the doctor explained and for them to contribute any observations that might help with diagnosis and treatment. So there was a degree of collaborative memory and maybe not much discussion of recall error or bias. 

Urgent action must be taken to improve the level of technology-enabled dementia care across the country’s social care sector, a campaign group has said.

Organisations from across the UK’s health and social care sectors, including the National Care Forum and Care England, have come together to urge Prime Minister Boris Johnson to improve the financial and strategic support for dementia care of the future. By embracing the power of technology and innovation, the group say, the care for people with dementia and those who support them can be significantly improved.

With new advances in neurorestorative therapies becoming available in the UK, community-based rehabilitation for children living with spinal injuries has a bright future ahead.  

Though they are only a small percentage of the overall number of people living with spinal cord injuries, children most urgently need access to ongoing specialist rehabilitation programmes within their communities. This is because, in addition to the secondary complications suffered by people of any age with SCI, children’s bodies are still growing and are therefore susceptible to a myriad additional health and growth problems when paralysed at a young age.  On the bright side, children’s brains and neuromusculoskeletal systems are actively developing, and thus hold great potential for improvement through regular access to specialised rehabilitation programmes.

Footballer Raul Jimenez, who fractured his skull in a match last year, has chosen brain injury charity Headway as a beneficiary of a fundraising appeal on his behalf.

Wolverhampton Wanderers player Jimenez was knocked unconscious in a clash of heads while playing against Arsenal in November, prompting fans to launch a campaign to fund a banner in support of him at Molineux. After hitting the initial target of £7,500 in a matter of hours, the JustGiving fundraiser remained open and now stands at over £22,000 of additional funds.

A charity which supports people who have lost their senses of smell and taste has seen global demand for its services raised near 70-fold amidst the pandemic, with the symptoms being two of the key indicators of COVID-19.

Fifth Sense has worked nationally since its creation in 2012 to offer support and signposting to those directly affected by smell and taste loss, supporting hundreds of people during that time, as well as educating society on the vital role the senses play in our lives and how keenly their loss is felt. However, over the past few months, the charity has been deluged with enquiries from around the world after smell and taste loss became commonplace through contracting COVID-19, and they were confirmed as being among the main symptoms of the deadly virus.

A charity which supports children with brain injuries and their families is looking to reunite those it has supported to create an exhibition showcasing their journeys.

For almost 40 years, The Children’s Trust in Tadworth, Surrey, has helped children with brain injury and neurodisability. Now, through its ’Shine a Light’ exhibition, The Children’s Trust is compiling a collection of photographs featuring those who have been helped by the charity to lead the best life possible following a brain injury. The collection of images, which highlight key milestones in every child’s journey, will be shown in an online gallery from May 2021, alongside a written account detailing their story. The charity hopes to show them at an event once guidelines permit.

Following this week’s neurodiversity evidence review, organised by HM Inspectorate of Prisons, Dr Ivan Pitman, consultant clinical neuropsychologist at The Disabilities Trust, who was part of the round-table event, shares his comments.

“This follows our work over the past 20 years and which culminated in the UK Government’s formal acknowledgment in Parliament in June 2018 of the widespread prevalence of brain injury within the Criminal Justice System; a milestone in acceptance which we were proud to have reached with our colleagues in the sector. Our work at The Disabilities Trust has shown that brain injury in adult males, women and adolescents within Criminal Justice System is up to five times higher than the general population - a figure too pointed to be ignored.

Neurokinex specialises in Activity Based Rehabilitation and our approach is one that attracts a great deal of interest and intrigue.  Firstly people ask ‘what is Activity Based Rehabilitation?’

You could describe it as the best recovery opportunity for people with a spinal cord injury which redefines possibility and defies convention.  But, more accurately, Activity Based Rehabilitation (ABR) is a form of neurological rehabilitation devised to encourage functional recovery following spinal cord injury by utilising multiple strategies to encourage neuroplasticity within the nervous system.   Also known as Activity Based Therapy and commonly shortened to ABR or ABT, it is gradually gaining in popularity around the world, both because of the positive outcomes it achieves and the high levels of engagement from its participants.