The nuts and bolts of Parkinson's Disease.
Parkinson's disease (PD) typically manifests in individuals over the age of 50, with about 5% prevalence in those over 85 years old. Most cases are sporadic with rare inherited variants, suggesting that environmental or toxin-related triggers are likely contributors. PD is characterized by symptoms such as rhythmic tremors in the hands and feet, especially at rest, bradykinesia (slow movement), and akinesia (difficulty initiating movement). These symptoms result from damage and cell death in the brain regions such as the substantia nigra in the brain stem and the locus coeruleus, leading to decreased levels of norepinephrine and dopamine (DA). The substantia nigra projects to the striatum, where DA is the principal neurotransmitter involved in relaying movement messages to the cortex. Neuromelanin, a byproduct formed from the oxidation of DA to quinones and semiquinones and subsequent metal ion binding, is evident in PD due to its black pigmentation. The disease also features Lewy bodies in the substantia nigra and other brain areas, which are composed primarily of the protein alpha-synuclein, abundant in presynaptic neuron terminals. The major treatment for PD is L-DOPA, but excessive DA can lead to the formation of hydrogen peroxide and reactive oxygen species when released into the cytoplasm. This oxidative stress contributes significantly to the neurodegeneration observed in PDActive Sensing and Autism
In autistics, active sensing and multisensory integration can manifest differently compared to NTs. Research suggests that autistics may experience variations in how sensory information is integrated, leading to differences in perceiving and responding to the environment. For example:
- Hypo- and Hypersensitivities: Autistic individuals often exhibit sensory sensitivities that can affect their active sensing behaviors. Hypersensitivities (over-responsiveness) might lead to avoidance of certain sensory inputs, while hyposensitivities (under-responsiveness) might lead to seeking out more intense sensory experiences. This can affect how they use active sensing in daily interactions.
- Attention and Filtering: Differences in attentional mechanisms in autism can influence active sensing. Autistic individuals might have difficulty filtering out irrelevant sensory stimuli, leading to challenges in focusing on specific sensory inputs necessary for effective multisensory integration.
- Motor Coordination and Planning: Difficulties with motor coordination and planning, commonly observed in autism, can also impact active sensing. If motor actions are less precise or more effortful, it may affect the ability to actively manipulate sensory inputs effectively.
- Neural Processing Differences: Studies have shown differences in neural processing pathways involved in sensory perception in autism. Research has noted that autistic individuals might process sensory inputs in a more localized manner, potentially affecting the global integration of multisensory information (Marco et al., 2011)
- Predictive Coding: Some theories, such as those involving predictive coding, suggest that autistics might have a different approach to anticipating sensory inputs, which impacts how sensory information is integrated and processed. This can lead to differences in how expected and unexpected stimuli are managed, further influencing active sensing behaviors.
Victor Pineda the new head of CIL
Excellent news about Victor Pineda getting to be the new head of Center for Independent Living.
Great pick for CIL. I remember former CIL head James Stuart referring to Victor as a "Super Crip".
- https://uniquelyhari.blogspot.com/2019/04/dr-victor-pineda.html
- https://uniquelyhari.blogspot.com/2019/02/role-of-disability-in-society.html
- https://uniquelyhari.blogspot.com/2019/02/lives-worth-living_2.html
- https://uniquelyhari.blogspot.com/2019/09/word-enabled-summer-internship.html
- https://uniquelyhari.blogspot.com/2020/04/a-chilling-waiting-game-disability-and.html
The Cocktail Party Effect
The "cocktail party effect" refers to the brain's ability to focus one's auditory attention on a particular stimulus while filtering out a range of other stimuli, as when a person can focus on a single conversation in a noisy environment. This ability involves the auditory cortex and other brain regions that manage attention. The term was coined by cognitive scientist Colin Cherry in the 1950s.
For example, at a busy party with multiple conversations happening simultaneously, you are able to listen and respond to one person speaking to you without being distracted by the surrounding noise. This phenomenon highlights our ability to selectively attend to particular sounds in a complex auditory landscape. It's often studied in contexts involving hearing, neuroscience, and psychology, particularly in understanding how attention and the sensory system interact.
In autistics, the cocktail party effect may manifest differently due to variations in auditory processing and attentional focus. Autistics often experience atypical auditory processing, which can mean that separating speech from background noise is more challenging. This difficulty is sometimes referred to as auditory filtering problems with "auditory scene analysis." Research suggests autistic children show diminished performance in tasks requiring them to attend to speech in noisy environments compared to their neurotypical peers (Alcántara et al., 2004). This can contribute to the sensory overload many autistic individuals report in noisy or crowded settings.
These auditory processing differences are an essential consideration in understanding the sensory experiences of autistic individuals and underscore the need for tailored strategies in educational, social, and occupational settings to accommodate their unique sensory profiles.
I submitted an Abstract
Keynote at Duke ACE
Rewind: Interactions with Planet X
Rewinding to something I wrote many years ago in high school.
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Interactions with Planet X
Words matter: Reframing neurodivergence in science, medicine and society
How we write and think about neurodiversity can have a profound effect on people’s lives; watch the webinar hosted by Cell Press and The Lancet.
The end of Autism Month
On April 30th there is a flood of emails and social media posts - all pointing to the fact that its the last day of autism acceptance month.
Does this mean that autism acceptance is not important for the remaining 11 months? 😔
Vanderbilt Brain Institute Graduate Student Directory
https://medschool.vanderbilt.edu/brain-institute/about-us/team-directories/#h2-graduate-student-directory
An endless cycle of labels in autism
Targeted interventions for autism don't need creation of more new labels.
The issues that need help, were present there before the label creation and still exist x years after the label.
In another 5-10 years, another new catchy trademarked label will appear
Solutions not more talk or more labels
Simultaneously reclaim and destigmatize existing labels so they can’t be used against you, instead of airtime and resources creating more and more new labels /terminology and then more airtime arguing about which is good/bad.
Last Class at Berkeley
This day 2 years ago.
OMG. My very last undergrad class at Berkeley.
Berkeley Haas Scholars at work.
Shoutout from FCAI
The NSF GRFP is a tremendous achievement and a testament to Hari's hard work, dedication, and innovative research approach. As a neurodivergent individual, Hari brings a unique perspective to the field of Neuroscience, and his work, with its potential to make a significant impact on the lives of the community, is truly inspiring.
At the Frist Center for Autism and Innovation, we are committed to promoting neurodiversity and providing opportunities for individuals like Hari to flourish in science and engineering. We believe that neurodiversity is a strength, and we are proud to support Hari and other neurodivergent researchers in their quest to make a difference in the world.
On behalf of the Frist Center for Autism and Innovation, we would like to extend our heartfelt congratulations to Hari on this well-deserved honor. We are not just proud, but deeply appreciative of all that he has accomplished and look forward to seeing all the amazing things that he will achieve in the years to come. Hari is an inspiration to us all, and we are grateful to have him as a part of our community.
hashtag#Neurodiversity hashtag#Neurodivergence hashtag#ASD hashtag#Autism hashtag#Strength hashtag#SocialModel hashtag#NSF hashtag#GraduateStudent hashtag#Fellowship hashtag#NationalScienceFoundation hashtag#GraduateFellowship hashtag#Congratulations hashtag#Awards