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How childhood stress can undermine memory skills

Experts say that children are more stressed than adults. This is due to constantly having to face new and confusing situations. Researchers have found that childhood stress can affect memory skill of students.

Veena M A

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Image credit: Gen Matic from Pixabay

Many children today transition from playfulness and innocence to mental stress and other worries during adolescence. It is crucial to understand children’s issues and actively seek solutions rather than fretting over them. These challenges during a critical stage of development can significantly impact children’s memory and intelligence.

A world full of happiness and no worries… Such is the view of parents and guardians about the world of children. They don’t have to worry about work to be done or responsibilities, so what’s the stress on them? But the data coming out about children’s mental health suggests that these are all just our misconceptions.

The number of children seeking counseling and mental health treatment is increasing day by day. To those who wonder what tension they have for this alone, they say, many. At a very young age, children experience minor stress or mental tension!

What is stress?

What is stress if it affects even children? Stress is the body’s coping mechanism to deal with and adapt to challenging situations. A balance of demands from multiple sources or the ability to meet them leads to stress. Such demands may come from family, work, school, or friends, and sometimes one’s own demands can also lead to stress. Stress occurs when the demand and the ability to meet it do not match.

Dr Rashmi Prakash, a member of the Australian Psychological Society, says that a small amount of stress is beneficial to children. But stress can have long-term effects on children if it goes too far

Stress occurs in children for many reasons. The worry of missing parents at a very young age, academic issues later in life, social pressures, mental and physical abuse, problems between parents and isolation all contribute to stress in children. Dr Rashmi Prakash, a member of the Australian Psychological Society, says that a small amount of stress is beneficial to children. But stress can have long-term effects on children if it goes too far. Recently Indian researchers have found that childhood stress can affect memory skill of students.

Research conducted by a team consisting of Radha Raghuraman, Anoop Manakadan, Gal Richer Levin, and Sreedharan Sajikumar, in 2022, found that childhood stress can have a detrimental effect on memory.

How to spot stress in children

Stress and related problems in children can be difficult to identify, but sudden anger, mood swings, misbehaviour, changes in sleep patterns, and bedwetting can all be considered signs of stress. Some may also experience physical effects due to stress. For example, stomach ache and headache. Others have symptoms such as lack of concentration and inability to complete studies. Apart from this, being away from everyone and spending a lot of time alone is a sign of stress. Signs of stress include thumb-slapping, hair-twisting, nose-picking in young children, and lying, bullying, and backbiting in adults. Stressed out children can get into big fights even over small things. Falling behind in studies is also a symptom of stress.

Image credit: Pixabay

The connection between stress and memory

Experts say that children are more stressed than adults. This is due to constantly having to face new and confusing situations. Children are greatly influenced by the expectations placed on them by the adults around them, especially parents and teachers. Children often judge themselves by those expectations. When those expectations are not met or when their skills, abilities, and pride are called into question, they are unable to cope.

Separation from parents especially mother, physical or mental abuse, fear etc. can lead children of any age to stress

Recent studies have shown that stress levels in children have been on the rise over the past few decades. Radha Raghuraman says that exposure to stress during childhood can affect the ability to connect different types of memories as adults. The research team conducted studies on this in mice. As the juvenile phase in mice is equivalent to the adolescent phase in humans, adolescent stress is the main concern here. Radha explains that since the structures of the memory-related brain regions of mice and humans are almost identical, their findings may hold true for humans as well.

Separation from parents especially mother, physical or mental abuse, fear etc. can lead children of any age to stress. Depending on the age at which stress occurs, how long it has lasted, the intensity, and the type of stress, the changes it causes in the body and behaviour will vary.

Adolescent stress stimulates certain epigenetic factors. Like a gene, a piece of DNA that carries information necessary for specific functions in a cell, an epi-gene is a factor that causes a gene to decide whether or not to express the information in the gene, and if so, how much to express.

Parental proximity also plays a major role in reducing stress in adolescents. Even after work, you should be interested in sitting with the children and asking about their affairs.

Through their study, Radha and his team found that stress during adolescence results in increased activation of the epi-gene G9a/GLP. It affects the formation of certain proteins that stabilise newly formed memories. As a result, memories that have already been formed are perfected and as they grow, there is no room for other memories that come in connection with them. Associative memory is the ability to connect existing memories with recent or recent events and find similarities and dissimilarities between them. Adolescent stress mainly affects associative memory. Radha says that G9a/GLP was found to be significantly higher in stressed mice. The researchers also found that associative memory was restored when G9a/GLP was blocked with the drug.

How to save children from stress

Adequate rest, nutritious food, closeness, attention and care of parents can give children a lot of relief from stress. Parents should try to be with their children when they want. If you notice that there are any problems, talk to them openly instead of thinking that they will tell you here.

Image credit: Pixabay

Parental proximity also plays a major role in reducing stress in adolescents. Even after work, you should be interested in sitting with the children and asking about their affairs.

Studies remind us that stress during adolescence should be viewed more cautiously than stress at any other time. Adolescence is also a period of growth in children. Facing stress at a time when the development of many important organs including the brain is not complete can lead to many types of consequences while growing up.

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Society

INM: MIT’s Bold Push to Regain America’s Productive Edge

The ambitious initiative aims at reinvigorating U.S. manufacturing with cutting-edge innovation

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MIT President Sally A. Kornbluth. Image credit: Jake Belcher/MIT

In a move to reshape the future of American industry, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) has launched its Initiative for New Manufacturing (INM), an Institute-wide effort aimed at revitalizing U.S. manufacturing through next-generation technologies, research, education, and deep collaboration with industry.

Announced today, INM seeks to strengthen key sectors of the U.S. economy and spark nationwide job creation. The initiative will bring together MIT’s extensive research capabilities and educational resources to help companies of all sizes increase productivity and build a more resilient and human-centered manufacturing landscape.

“We want to work with firms big and small, in cities, small towns and everywhere in between, to help them adopt new approaches for increased productivity,” MIT President Sally A. Kornbluth wrote in a letter to the Institute community this morning. “We want to deliberately design high-quality, human-centered manufacturing jobs that bring new life to communities across the country.”

“We want to work with firms big and small, in cities, small towns and everywhere in between, to help them adopt new approaches for increased productivity

Kornbluth emphasized the significance of the effort, stating in a media statement: “Helping America build a future of new manufacturing is a perfect job for MIT — and I’m convinced that there is no more important work we can do to meet the moment and serve the nation now.”

Industry Collaboration

INM has already attracted strong industry support, with its first five founding consortium members — Amgen, GE Vernova, PTC, Siemens, and Sanofi — joining forces to fund initial research projects, particularly in the area of artificial intelligence for manufacturing.

“There is tremendous opportunity to bring together a vibrant community working across every scale — from nanotechnology to large-scale manufacturing,” said Anantha Chandrakasan, MIT’s chief innovation and strategy officer and dean of engineering. “MIT is uniquely positioned to harness the transformative power of digital tools and AI to shape the future of manufacturing.”

The initiative will support research, education, and real-world applications — including new manufacturing labs, a “factory observatory” program to connect students with live production sites, and thematic pillars ranging from semiconductors and biomanufacturing to defense and aviation.

Workforce development is also central to INM’s mission. It will include TechAMP, a program designed to bridge the gap between technicians and engineers through collaboration with community colleges, along with AI-powered teaching tools and expanded manufacturing education on campus.

The initiative is co-directed by three MIT faculty: John Hart, head of mechanical engineering; Suzanne Berger, an Institute Professor and political scientist; and Chris Love, professor of chemical engineering. Julie Diop serves as executive director.

At a recent MIT symposium titled “A Vision for New Manufacturing,” Berger underscored the urgency of the moment: “The rationale for growing and transforming U.S. manufacturing has never been more urgent than it is today. What we are trying to build at MIT now is not just another research project. … Together, with people in this room and outside this room, we’re trying to change what’s happening in our country.”

Love added: “We need to think about the importance of manufacturing again, because it is what brings product ideas to people… There is a real urgency about this issue for both economic prosperity and creating jobs.”

Echoing the sentiment, Hart emphasized the long-term significance of the initiative: “While manufacturing feels very timely today, it is of enduring importance… Working with industry — from small to large companies, and from young startups to industrial giants — will be instrumental to creating impact and realizing the vision for new manufacturing.”

A Continuum of Commitment

INM builds on a legacy of MIT initiatives aimed at supporting manufacturing, including the 1989 book Made in America, the Production in the Innovation Economy project, and The Engine, a venture fund launched in 2016 to back hardware-based startups.

As Kornbluth noted in her letter, “We want to reimagine manufacturing technologies and systems to advance fields like energy production, health care, computing, transportation, consumer products, and more… and we want to reach well beyond the shop floor to tackle challenges like how to make supply chains more resilient, and how to inform public policy to foster a broad, healthy manufacturing ecosystem that can drive decades of innovation and growth.”

With its launch, MIT’s Initiative for New Manufacturing marks a renewed commitment to restoring American manufacturing leadership through innovation, collaboration, and education — aimed squarely at building a stronger, more equitable industrial future.

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EDUNEWS & VIEWS

Harvard Pledges $250 Million for Research After Federal Funding Slash

The administration has defended the funding freeze as part of a broader campaign to address what it characterizes as pervasive anti-Semitism on campuses and to roll back diversity programs

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Image credit: Kalhh from Pixabay

Harvard University has announced a $250 million investment to sustain vital research programs in the face of steep federal funding cuts imposed by the Trump administration.
The move follows a sweeping $2.6 billion reduction in government grants to the Ivy League institution, citing alleged discriminatory practices and refusal to comply with federal oversight mandates. The cuts, which Harvard is actively challenging in court, have already suspended or canceled dozens of projects—some of which were considered critical to public health and technological innovation.

University President Alan Garber and Provost John Manning issued a joint statement on Wednesday, emphasizing the urgent need to protect research initiatives. “While we cannot fully offset the financial blow from halted federal support, we are committed to backing essential research during this transitional period,” they said. The university is also working with faculty to secure alternative funding channels.

Harvard has strongly criticized the federal measures, calling the termination of grants “unlawful” and accusing the administration of interfering with academic independence. The university contends that the loss of funding not only halts groundbreaking work but also threatens years of scientific progress.

At the heart of the dispute is a broader political clash over university governance. Harvard, whose endowment reached $53.2 billion in 2024, has become a focal point of the Trump administration’s efforts to reshape higher education policy. The White House has demanded greater control over admissions, hiring, and the political climate on campus—demands Harvard has resisted.

The administration has defended the funding freeze as part of a broader campaign to address what it characterizes as pervasive anti-Semitism on campuses and to roll back diversity programs. Critics argue these moves are part of a larger effort to suppress progressive academic culture and penalize dissent over U.S. foreign policy, especially in light of recent student protests against the war in Gaza.

In recent weeks, federal authorities have also taken steps to revoke visas of international students involved in these demonstrations, accusing them of ties to militant organizations—allegations civil rights groups and university leaders have strongly disputed.

With tensions between the federal government and top academic institutions mounting, Harvard’s legal challenge could set a precedent for how universities navigate political interference while safeguarding research, free speech, and academic autonomy.

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Health

Robot Helps Elderly Sit, Stand, and Stay Safe from Falls

The innovation comes at a time when the United States faces a dramatic demographic shift

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Image credit: MIT News/ Courtesy of the researchers

As America’s population ages faster than ever before, a team of engineers at MIT is turning to robotics to meet the growing eldercare crisis. Their latest invention, the Elderly Bodily Assistance Robot—or E-BAR—aims to provide critical physical support to seniors navigating life at home, potentially reducing the risk of injury and relieving pressure on a strained care system.

The innovation comes at a time when the United States faces a dramatic demographic shift. The nation’s median age has climbed to 38.9, nearly ten years older than in 1980. By 2050, the number of adults over 65 is projected to surge from 58 million to 82 million. As demand for care rises, the country is simultaneously grappling with shortages in care workers, escalating healthcare costs, and evolving family structures that leave many elderly adults without daily support.

“Eldercare is the next great challenge,” said Roberto Bolli, a graduate student in MIT’s Department of Mechanical Engineering and one of E-BAR’s lead designers, in a media statement. “All the demographic trends point to a shortage of caregivers, a surplus of elderly persons, and a strong desire for elderly persons to age in place.”

E-BAR is designed to address exactly that challenge. The mobile robot acts as a robotic support system, following a user from behind and offering both steadying handlebars and rapid intervention in case of a fall. It can support a person’s full weight and includes side airbags that inflate instantly to catch users if they begin to fall—without requiring them to wear any equipment or harnesses.

“Many older adults underestimate the risk of fall and refuse to use physical aids, which are cumbersome, while others overestimate the risk and may not exercise, leading to declining mobility,” said Harry Asada, the Ford Professor of Engineering at MIT, in a media statement. “Our design concept is to provide older adults having balance impairment with robotic handlebars for stabilizing their body. The handlebars go anywhere and provide support anytime, whenever they need.”

The robot consists of a heavy, 220-pound base equipped with omnidirectional wheels, allowing it to maneuver easily through typical home spaces. From its base, articulated bars extend and adjust to assist users in standing or sitting, and the handlebars provide a natural, unrestrictive grip. In testing, E-BAR successfully helped an older adult complete everyday movements such as bending, reaching, and even stepping over the edge of a bathtub.

“Seeing the technology used in real-life scenarios is really exciting,” said Bolli.

The team’s design, which will be presented later this month at the IEEE Conference on Robotics and Automation (ICRA), aims to eliminate the physical constraints and stigmas often associated with eldercare devices. Their approach prioritizes both independence and safety—key values for aging Americans seeking to remain in their homes longer.

While E-BAR currently operates via remote control, the team plans to add autonomous capabilities and streamline the device’s design for home and facility use. The researchers are also exploring ways to integrate fall-prediction algorithms, developed in a parallel project in Asada’s lab, to adapt robotic responses based on a user’s real-time risk level.

“Eldercare conditions can change every few weeks or months,” Asada noted. “We’d like to provide continuous and seamless support as a person’s disability or mobility changes with age.”

As the nation prepares for the realities of an aging population, MIT’s work offers a glimpse into a future where robotics play a central role in eldercare—enhancing both quality of life and personal dignity for millions of older adults.

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