Children who suffered from cerebral palsy, another disorder linked to faulty early neural development, did not have elevated levels of the proteins.

BBC: Possible autism test for newborns

Pile likes Martek because research suggests that its products, DHA and ARA, are "essential for healthy mental, retinal and neural development in infants, " and its goal for several years has been to tap into the infant formula market.

FORBES: Martek Biosciences: Baby Formula Break Out

In addition, we might be able to play immersive apps that incorporate the best video game mechanics into brain training programs to enhance cognition, perhaps allowing people to correct neural deficiencies and even delay the development of dementia.

CNN: How mobile tech can influence our brain

Neural prosthetics had a big year in 2011, and no development in this area was bigger than an implant designed to record and replay memories.

FORBES: Ten Brain Science Studies from 2011 Worth Talking About

"Having these ways to look into the brain gives us a tool that we can then use to study the effects of music on the growth and development of the brain, " says Professor John Iversen of the Institute of Neural Computation at the University of California San Diego.

BBC: Magazine