March Snowfall, a Climate Change Call

Snow flurries gently fall

Mercury dips to a 27F crawl.
Bits of fluff dance and sway
Cherry blossoms on a spring day
I watch from my window, in awe of this display.

Calendar March, the weather all wrong
Days should be bright and long
Unexpected snowfall, sign of larger exchange?

World upended by climate change

CRH who?

Neuroscience humor. Studying CRH-PVN neurons and stress this week. 

Knock knock.

Who's there? 

CRH. 

CRH who? 

CRH releasing PVN, causing stress to you!

Stress v Anxiety in Autism - what's the difference.

First a lighthearted take

Stress is when you're stuck in traffic and late for an important meeting, while anxiety is when you're stuck in traffic and your brain starts to imagine all the worst-case scenarios that could happen at the meeting. They both make you feel like you're about to lose your mind, but with anxiety, you have to deal with the added bonus of your own overactive imagination!

Before you speak, ask yourself

Before you speak, ask yourself: 

Is it kind?

Is it necessary?

Does it improve the silence?

-Sri Sathya Sai Baba

Empathy is the ability to understand without judgement

Contemplation, one line a day.Towards a more humane society, an empathic society. 

 

SSTPQ - The Self, Space, and Time Perception Questionnaire

Lexicon [Measures] - SSTPQ

 

The SSTPQ consists of 13 questions and measures three distinct constructs and aims to capture individuals' subjective experiences and perceptions related to cognition areas of.

• perception of time
• differentiation between self-voice and other-voice
• perception of PPS

Scoring is on a Likert scale and individual scores provide a total score.  Interpretation may involve comparing the scores to established norms/controls

Limitations:

• Reliance on self report means social desirability bias and the limitations of introspection.
• Sub measures not explicitly stated

Potential Limitation in Autism Populations:

• Autistics may have atypical perceptions of time, self-voice and other-voice, and PPS.
• Sensory and cognitive processing differences in autism may influence the accuracy of self-report measures.
• Some may have difficulties expressing their experiences or perceiving these constructs in the same way as NT
• The SSTPQ may not capture the full range of submeasure variations observed in autism, as the questionnaire's dimensions and items may not align with the unique experiences and challenges faced by autistics

Frustration

Nothing seems to go my way

Stuck in this rut, I cannot escape

Remembering Judy @DREDF

Last year, I had been invited to join the DREDF board, my response to joining was a resounding YES. 

At the first board meeting on Aug 12,2022, it was the late Judy Heumann who nominated me to the board and the motion was seconded by Christina Mills. The board voted unanimously to have me join the board. 

Thinking of you Judy, as we head into the next board meeting without you today. You were there at start of DREDF to make it a reality and later on its board, and we will miss your presence. 

Testing Neural Knowledge

Sharpen your mind, it's time for a quiz

Neuroscience is the topic, don't you miss 

Clear those distractions, focus your wit 

Perk up and prepare, let's get on with it

Getting mentally ready for the tough Neuroscience quiz on Fridays.

Empathy is the bridge that closes the gap between us and them

Contemplation, one line a day.Towards a more humane society, an empathic society. 

 

The Three T's

My classmate James and I met with Prof Christine Konradi to discuss our presentation strategy for the paper on the CRH-PVN neuron for our neuroscience class next friday.

"You start out by you telling them what you're going to tell them, then tell them, and then you tell them what you told them," was her starting advice.

She was referring to the Three T's approach - Tell Them, Tell Them, Tell Them -  a strategy for organizing a speech or presentation into three parts:

• introduction where you preview what you will discuss
• the body of content /message
• Conclusion where you summarize what you covered.

The idea is to make your message clear and memorable by emphasizing the key points multiple times.

Next week we'll be learning about mood disorders, the HPA axis, which the CRH neurons are part of. 

Each week, we have a different professor teaching the class in an area that's their specialty. Next week its with Professor Konradi who also picks the paper that we present. 

 I asked what had motivated her to pick this paper. She said, we were learning about mood disorders this week and the HPA axis  which the CRH neurons were part of. So not only is this topic related to what we have been learning for the week but also it is relevant for us in neuroscience because the kind of tools and methods used are very state of the art.  

So fingers crossed we do a good job. It's a lot of work putting a presentation together. and i've noticed my other classmates looking absolutely worn out during their presentation week. 

The politics of studying the brain

I learned a little bit about the politics of research during a conversation with a professor, for instance researching the dopaminergic system belongs to people studying strictly study movement disorders. 

Which is a real pity really. I have wondered why that is not looked at in the context of autism. Its like the two are never considered together for autism. But disabilities like autism have so many areas involved. Like challenges in movement, is such a critical piece for autistics like me, and worth investigating. How else will we get to solutions.  

Autistic Cre v Autism Mouse Models

Autistic Cre mice and autism mouse models are both animal models used to study autism. Both  have their own strengths and limitations and can complement each other in understanding the complex etiology of autism. However, there are some key differences between the two.

Autistic Cre mice are genetically modified mice that express mutations or deletions of specific genes that have been associated with human autism. These mice are created by introducing a Cre recombinase gene under the control of a promoter specific to the gene of interest. The Cre recombinase then catalyzes the recombination of loxP sites, leading to the deletion or mutation of the targeted gene.

On the other hand, autism mouse models are created through a variety of methods, including genetic manipulation, exposure to environmental toxins, or maternal infection during pregnancy. These models aim to replicate some of the behavioral and neurobiological features of autism in humans, such as impaired social interaction and communication, repetitive behaviors, and altered brain development and function.

One of the main differences between the two is the level of specificity in targeting autism-related genes. Autistic Cre mice allow researchers to study the effects of specific gene mutations or deletions on behavior and brain function, whereas autism mouse models often involve a broader range of genetic or environmental factors that may contribute to the development of autism.

Additionally, autistic Cre mice are often used to study the cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying autism, such as changes in synaptic function or neurotransmitter signaling, whereas autism mouse models may focus more on behavioral and phenotypic characteristics of the disorder.