Neurotransmitters Flow in this Autism Mind

Graduate Appreciation Week

Dear Graduate Students,

As we kick off national Graduate Student Appreciation Week, I want to be the first to tell you how grateful we here in the BRET Office are that you are part of our Vanderbilt community. We thank you for the contributions you have made and are making to the progress of science. Your effort and perspectives are important to our faculty, staff, postdocs, and your fellow grad students.

Your hard work, dedication, and resilience are critical elements for our pushing the frontiers of biomedical research, and it is privilege for us to help you along the way.

On behalf of all of my BRET Office colleagues …. thank you for all of your contributions.

Walter J. Chazin, PhD
Chancellor’s Chair in Medicine
Departments of Biochemistry and Chemistry
Senior Associate Dean for Graduate and Postdoctoral Education

and Training, School of Medicine Basic Sciences
Director, Molecular Biophysics Training Program

Founding Director, Center for Structural Biology

Autism and Loneliness

https://time.com/6551520/loneliness-autism-essay/

First Forum Presentation

Exciting News from our Lab!

We're proud to share that two of our talented third-year PhD candidates in Neuroscience, William Quackenbush and

Hari Srinivasan, recently presented their research at the Vanderbilt Brain Institute's Neuroscience Graduate Program Research Forum!

This was their first time presenting at the forum, and both talks were incredibly well received.

Coinciding with Autism Month of April, Hari Srinivasan presented his research on: "Virtual Bubbles, Real Insights: Investigating Peripersonal Space (PPS) in Autism." Hari's work explores how autistics process the space around their bodies, offering a novel perspective on sensory-motor integration.

In March, William Quackenbush presented his research on: "Regulating Rhythms: Elucidating Brain-Behavior Relationships of Motor Stereotypies Across Sensory Landscapes." His work focuses on motor stereotypies (or stimming) in autism, aiming to understand the sensory and motor dynamics that shape these behaviors.

Both William and Hari are co-mentored by Prof. Mark Wallace at Vanderbilt and Prof. Carissa Cascio (now at the University of Kansas, Lawrence). They are also NISE Fellows (Neurodiversity Inspired Science & Engineering Fellows) at the Frist Center for Autism and Innovation, reflecting their commitment to advancing autism research through innovative and interdisciplinary approaches.

It’s exciting to see these promising areas of research being presented at the forum! Congratulations to both William and Hari on their well-received presentations!

Caught Between Tears and Stoicism

It’s a catch-22: If we don’t show emotion, we risk being labeled as "cold" or "unexpressive"; if we do, we might be seen as "overly emotional."

Read Full Article at

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/giving-voice/202409/caught-between-tears-and-stoicism

My Ted X talk titled "Pebbles in the Pond of Change

Hari Srinivasan, shares a powerful message about the power of small actions in creating ever-widening ripples in the pond of change. Drawing from personal experiences and the legacy of disability rights leaders, he redefines progress as a journey that starts with simple, accessible steps. His inspiring message encourages everyone to identify and act on their own "small pebbles" to drive societal transformation.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e87-3xydg58

How Reasonable are Reasonable Accommodations at Work

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/giving-voice/202410/how-reasonable-are-reasonable-accommodations-at-work

As we observe National Disability Employment Awareness Month in October, it is essential to create true equity for all autistic and neurodivergent workers by closing this loophole around the subjectivity of “reasonable accommodations

Disability and Multilingualism

Just as ramps and elevators, which were initially designed for wheelchair users, can aid travelers with suitcases and families with strollers, solutions that support those with significant support needs in the autism community can enhance accessibility and inclusion for all.

Read Full Article at unesco.org...

Oversampling

Read at https://time.com/6299599/autism-research-limited-essay/

Just as psychology research had its WEIRD (“western, educated, industrialized, rich and democratic”) sampling bias, autism research has not only a WEIRD sampling bias, but also has essentially oversampled the same, narrow band of what are considered the easily “researchable autistics,” and expected those findings (as well as the applications and interventions that resulted from them) to apply to everyone.

-Hari Srinivasan, Time

My other list of Publications: https://uniquelyhari.blogspot.com/p/published-work.html

Participant Selection Bias

Read at https://time.com/6299599/autism-research-limited-essay/

"Research participant selection bias is especially problematic in... autism because research [not only] provides explanations [but] also influences policy priorities, interventions, treatments, who gets access to funding, access to spaces, and even societal attitudes. Most importantly, research leads us to applications and solutions."

-Hari Srinivasan, Time

My other list of Publications: https://uniquelyhari.blogspot.com/p/published-work.html

Temporal ventriloquism

Temporal ventriloquism refers to the brain's ability to synchronize slightly misaligned visual and auditory inputs, which may work differently in autism, leading to challenges in processing multisensory information.

PlainSpeak. In Plain Language for the Lay Reader

Temporal ventriloquism is when the brain adjusts sounds and visuals that don’t match up perfectly, making them seem like they happen together. In autism, this process might work differently, which can make it harder to handle mixed sensory information.

[Read in more detail]

Challenges-Based-Solutions

"For some autistics, we can step right into the application of positive psychology. For others, we need to be working on challenge-based solutions at the same time. It’s not a binary, either/or situation where you do one at the expense of the other." - Hari Srinivasan

https://www.liebertpub.com/doi/10.1089/aut.2024.38246.pw