Brain Blast

 Every spring, the Vanderbilt Brain Institute puts on Brain Blast event at Nashville Public Library for high schoolers and younger children, with various booths educating children on the wonders of the brain in fun and creative ways. Oh and the screen in the background was showing various images, including some things about autism and neurodiversity. 

Happy 150th Birthday, Vanderbilt

Vandy turned 150. Happy Birthday

Slow Burn

Usually you get to see the Cal-Stanford rivalry during the Big Game every year!

Stanford-Burn in the Night Agent series... Too funny, 

Larkin: "I thought I could read my way to Stanford."

Sutherland: "...you went to Stanford?"

Larkin: "No. Those bastards rejected me. I went to a community college then transferred to Berkeley. When I started my company I hired a bunch of Stanford grads to grab me coffee."

 

ASEBA - Achenbach System of Empirically Based Assessment

Autism Lexicon [Measures] - ASEBA

 

ASEBA (Achenbach System of Empirically Based Assessment) measures are used in assessing various behavioral and emotional functioning in children and adolescents. While ASEBA is not specific to autism, it is used to information about co-occurring behavioral and emotional difficulties and help tailor interventions.

Limitations of the ASEBA measures:

• Subjectivity of  reports from informants (parents, teachers, and individuals themselves) which may be influenced by various factors, such as observer bias or cultural differences, which can affect the accuracy and reliability of the results.
• Limited focus on autism-specific symptoms: While ASEBA measures capture a wide range of behavioral and emotional problems, they may not fully capture the unique characteristics and challenges associated specifically with autism
• Lack of developmental context as the ASEBA measures provide a snapshot of an individual's behavior at a specific point in time.

ASEBA includes several sub-measures that target different informants and settings:

1. Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL): This is a parent-report measure that assesses a wide range of behavioral and emotional problems in children and adolescents. It consists of a set of items that capture different domains, such as externalizing problems (e.g., aggression, hyperactivity) and internalizing problems (e.g., anxiety, depression). The CBCL is widely used in both clinical and research settings.
2. Teacher's Report Form (TRF): The TRF is a teacher-report measure that assesses children's behavior in the school setting. It focuses on externalizing and internalizing problems as observed by teachers.
3. Youth Self-Report (YSR): The YSR is a self-report measure designed for older children and adolescents to assess their own behavioral and emotional functioning. It allows individuals to provide their perspectives on their own experiences and emotions.

Scoring and interpretation of ASEBA measures involve comparing an individual's responses to established norms for their age and sex. The measures generate raw scores, which are then converted into standardized scores (T-scores) to compare the individual's behavior to a normative sample. Higher scores indicate greater problems or concerns in the assessed domains.

ASEBA dates back to the 1960s when it was first developed by Dr. Thomas M. Achenbach and has since undergone revisions and updates to enhance its psychometric properties and clinical utility.

Empathy is the ability to hear the unspoken and see the unseen

Towards a more Humane Society. Contemplation, one line a day. This month Empathy

 

CRH-PVN Neuron and Stress Controllability Presentation

I survived it. 

OMG. lot of work went into this intense presentation the last couple of weeks with my classmate James. 

And right after our 50 min presentation, we were given feedback from the 3 TAs (Patrick, Matt & Elena) and by the Prof Teru Nakagawa and Prof Christine Konradi. Other students are literally sent out of the room, so that we could be given individual feedback from the grading team. I got to go first then James. 

Presenting with passion, nerves not intact,
Paper on CRH-PVN neurons stacked.
The audience watched, with eyes on me,
My words and slides, a neuroscience spree

Wind Advisory, Thunderstorm and Tornado Watch

Wind Advisory and Tornado Watch. Tornado missed us but crazy thunderstorm at night, pounding rain and blinding flashes of lightning. 

Thunderstorm brewing, lightning striking 

Electric sky bolts, bit frightening 

Nature's fury, quite enlightening 

Powerful energy, never tiring