Goodbye Rishi Srinivasan

Rishi the showdog
Goodbye Rishi Srinivasan

Veritable Senior Citizen.
15 dog years, 105 human years.
Golden Fur Shih Tzu.
I miss you, friend.

My 15 yr old Shih Tzu passed away on Sunday night. The house is gonna feel different without him around underfoot and acting as quite the proverbial sibling at times by competing for attention and food.

Meditating in the forest deep.
Flowing hair like a Hermit Rishi.
Expression, a thoughtful contemplation. 
Rishi Srinivasan, an appropriate name.

Rishi came to our house when I was in elementary school. Rishi had this mournful look about him and his long fur made him look like a rishi (hermit) meditating in the forest. So he was aptly named Rishi.  Rishi would accompany my mom to pick me up from Mr Tran’s class those days. My classmate Ryan asked me his name and when I responded, “Rishi,” Ryan immediately exclaimed, “Hari Srinivasan’s dog is Rishi Srinivasan.” So that’s how Rishi became Rishi Srinivasan. The name tag that hung from his collar proudly stated “Rishi Srinivasan” and had our phone number on it.


Sashaying fur like skirts around legs.
Fluffy wagging tail, a furry bouquet.
Former show dog, a handsome dude. 
Pets from strangers, a regular thing.
Tourists, “Can we take a picture with him please?”

Rishi oozed his own unique personality. Rishi had been a show dog before we got him and was a very good looking dog with his flowing hair and the fur around his legs falling like a skirt. His tail when upright looked like a fluffy furry bouquet, which would swish from side to side when he wagged his tail. 

Whenever we’d taken him out to beaches or to Yosemite, folks had always wanted to pet him. Many tourists have wanted to take photos with him. I think in his younger days, Rishi probably knew that he was good looking and was proud of it too. When anyone took a photo, Rishi would join in, give a pose and look right at the camera.  People often mistook Rishi for a girl dog as he was so pretty. I wonder if Rishi minded being called a “her” by people who wanted to pet him.

Communication via Body Language.
Angle and wagging of the tail.
Eyes sparkle or mournful to suit the mood.
His body spoke so much to you.

Rishi communicated a lot just through his body language. The position and angle of his tail itself would be an expression of his delight, his disapproval,  his disappointment or his sorrow.  His eyes too would sparkle with joy or become mournful when he needed a treat from an adult. 

Package of love in under 20 lbs.
Barks stating “I love you, Hari!”
A Happy Dance when seeing me.
Cute paw over paw greeting.

That Rishi absolutely adored me is without a doubt. He’d be camped on the front doormat the entire time I was in school - from the time I got on the school bus to the time the bus returned.  He would hear the bus at the end of the road and come to life joyfully announcing my return. As soon as I stepped in the door, he would do this cute paw over paw on the ground and then skip around in a dance; we called it Rishi’s Happy Dance. 

One time I was on the backyard swing and Rishi was running circles around me happily barking. My therapist asked me, “What is Rishi saying?” expecting me to say “Woof” or something to that effect. Instead, I instinctively responded with “I love you, Hari!”. 

Concern for me when sick.
Vigilant guard during therapy.
Message clear to therapists.
“Take good care of Hari.”

When I was sick, a very concerned Rishi would lie at the foot of my bed, till I got better.  If I said the word "bathroom," in any room in the house, Rishi would run to the nearest adult and give a sharp bark as if to say, “Go attend to Hari.” 

When therapists came over, he would keep an eye on them from his place at the door of the room, making sure they were treating me right. Therapist Cherie has even laughingly assured him, “Rishi, don’t worry, I’m taking good care of Hari.” 

I was taught to say his name in ABA therapy though I already knew his name inside my mind. During my later charter school years, Rishi was my mascot, lying under the table as I did my lessons.

Understood nuances of this extra-special kid.
Alas, the autism factor.
Love could not be stated explicitly.

The quality I think we admire most in dogs is their empathy and Rishi had that in abundance. Intuitively he understood my differences and adapted to it. He learned to work around a lot of my needs and behaviors. For instance, he had really wanted to sleep with me on the bed but I could not handle that, so he just slept in his basket. Instead, he became my music buddy, camping on the bed when I would listen to music on the headphones or during prayer when he would dutifully sit the whole time and listen. 

As a young dog, he would try to intervene when I became agitated but his small size meant he really could not do much. So he learned it was better to just keep out of the way but would come back and sit next to me later to offer comfort.  

Rishi followed me around and showed his love even though I did not always explicitly display outward affection for him. Hugging and petting a dog was not my strong suit as that is a very sensory experience and I have all sorts of sensory dysregulation. Until the very end, I had not found a real comfortable way to physically interact with him, the autism part of me puts many obstacles in the way. 

Autism often means that our behavior and body mannerisms can be contrary to our thought. But I think Rishi just totally understood that and did not demand or expect a reciprocal physical interaction with me. I think he got enough hugs and cuddling from other adults. Rishi also instinctively sensed the times I was more receptive to touching him and when I was not. My touch too has not always been regulated so Rishi just learned to wiggle out if I was a little rough. 

In a world that is filled with naysayers and doubters for us differently-abled folks, it is refreshing to experience such non-judgemental and unconditional love that dogs like Rishi bring. Every disabled child needs to have a dog sometime in their life. 
Every 2 months.
Shaggy bear to shorn sheep.
Sudden new dog in the house.
Autism mind - not reconcile.

Rishi was a hypoallergenic dog with double coated fur. His fur did not shed, rather it grew out so long that his eyes would be completely covered by fur.  So he would go to the dog groomers every couple of months to be bathed and get all his fur trimmed back. He would come back with a bandana and a bow. The transformation would throw me in the early days. A overgrown shaggy dog left at the groomers was picked up a shorn sheep. He would look so different that I would be quite scared of this new dog. I would refuse to go near this new Rishi for a few days. 


Before Grooming
After Grooming


Fruit connoisseur, a banana-loving dog.
Gnaw Carrots, his veggie bone.
Idli, pesarattu, into Indian Food.
Protest bark if not offered a piece.

Rishi loved Indian food like yogurt rice, plain dhal, idlis and salt-free pesarattu. My family is vegetarian and salt and spices were added to most dishes after keeping some aside for Rishi. He loved apples, pears, avocado, boiled potatoes, boiled beans, carrots, moong sprouts, quinoa, and cucumber. He would sit on the kitchen floor and stare mournfully and sometimes make noises of protest in different tones if he was not given a piece. If still nothing was forthcoming, his tail would be stiff and he would give a sharp bark as a reminder that he needed a share. 

He was quite the connoisseur of fruit, and banana was his all-time favorite. If he walked into the room and realized I’d eaten a banana without him (he could still smell the banana in the air), he would whimper sadly.  Rishi could probably eat a whole banana or even two bananas if we let him. A carrot was his daily vegetarian bone and he would gnaw on it all day. 

Even as he has acted like an older sibling in his concern for me, he has also acted like a younger sibling - competing with me for food and attention from my parents. At times the autism part of me has not liked this, though the logical part of my mind has reminded me that he’s just a small wholly dependent dog, and that this was no competition at all. 
Paw on keyboard.
A look that says, “Me too.”
Hari, you are getting a voice.
I want a conversation with you

I think Rishi was thrilled when I first started using AAC. He would come,  place his paw on the computer keyboard and look up as though he too wanted to type out a sentence or two. I bet if he’d been taught to type too, he’d have had a ton to say too. He totally knew the keyboard was somehow helping me. One of my earliest poems was about Rishi.

Had yoga got regard for how darling dogs are
gist of young dogs joy it fortells
joy obvious from its tail, paws, and head.

Understanding silky body moves
God-given gift just for kid
total love in just under twenty pounds.

Noisy licking just unintended
fur very elegant has total appeal
had noted fundamentals of kid.
.
Judicious desire to total caring
Its paw over paw greeting delightful

fur around legs like a skirt.

Beyond holy is his name
brother to kid he has been
forever kid's unquestioning pal.


Unfortunately Rishi started getting health issues. He got some kind of allergy and almost lost all his fur. My folks even tried alternative therapies with him like Homeopathy but he steadily lost weight. I remember saying, “Noisy licking keeps kid awake.” 

Fortunately, a new vet was identified who changed his kibble and meds. My Saroja Paati (grandma) was also visiting and she changed his diet to include lots of boiled vegetables, dhal, and curd rice. Prior to that Rishi had been primarily on wet and dry processed dog food. Rishi prospered so much that the vet asked if it was the same dog during the next visit. Rishi with his glorious fur and sparkle was back. 
Rishi in Raincoat

Alas, old age catches on.
Perpetual allergies, Ear infections.
Vision gone, Hard of hearing.
Body slows down.

Rishi’s earlier illness meant that he’d also developed lifelong allergies. He had to be gluten free, milk free and on special Kangaroo meat kibble and hypoallergenic dog treats for the rest of his life. He was at the vet a lot for some allergy related issue or ear infection and constantly on meds. As he aged, parts of his golden mane started turning grey, (yes, even dogs get grey hair). 

In the last few years, Rishi also started slowing down. He slept most of the day. His sight started deteriorating till he became almost completely blind. Apparantely Shih-Tzu's are genetically prone to eye issues. He was on eyedrops all the time so his eyes would not dry out. He knew his way around our old house so it was not that obvious. 

His sight issues became very noticeable when we moved to a new house. Poor Rishi would bump into things and not know how to navigate the steps in the backyard of our new place. His poor vision meant he would not see my sudden impulsive body moves. He no longer constantly followed me around and our interaction dwindled even more. 

Two years ago, he developed a tumor and had a toe surgically removed. He stopped barking when the front doorbell rang; perhaps he became hard of hearing. But till the last day, he would come running for food - especially if he could smell banana in the air. 

Rishi’s condition really went south last weekend. He could not even hold his neck straight. He had to be hand fed as he could not eat his hard kibble. Good thing was that he still ate his favorite banana the morning before he died.  By Sunday night he was in bad shape. My folks did their best to shield me from what was happening but I did hear two sharp cries of pain and his loud raspy breathing on Sunday night. He stopped breathing just before midnight. We took him to the vet to be cremated and will get his ashes in two weeks. 


I’m not quite sure of how I feel now. I think I’m still trying to process. I know I am sad; after all, Rishi had been a huge part of my life for 15 years. There are more emotions swimming around inside but no words for them just yet. I am gonna miss Rishi’s cute shenanigans, his unconditional love and his presence around the house. 

Rishi was a spiritual dog for he loved prayer and vibuthi. 
Go now and rest at God’s feet, Rishi Srinivasan, as your journey comes to an end.




Rishi's Ashes were immersed at East Beach under the Golden Gate Bridge

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Hyped up persuasion

Correspondence inference

Correspondence inference
correlation presumption
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Impact of a Racially Diverse Environment on Cross Race Effect

Full Paper at

Impact of a Racially Diverse Environment on Cross Race Effect

Hari Srinivasan
Seth Hammond
Sih-Ting Liao
Summer Hadla
Psychology 101, Research Methods in Psychology
UC Berkeley



Abstract
The well-investigated phenomena of Cross Race Effect (CRE) is the claim that all people have an inherent in-race bias in terms of facial recognition. Previous literature has suggested that environment can influence CRE. The current study was conducted by surveying participants from UC Berkeley. The intent was to test whether immersion in the culturally diverse environment of UC Berkeley would reduce CRE in its students. Participants were divided by grade level and tested on whether their grade level affected how easily they detect facial differences in other races. However, after running a two-way ANOVA test, results showed that there were no significant differences between each race or year level. A few outside variables that may have affected our data must be considered, such as the difficulty in gathering participants, and the limited time given to conduct this study. Given more time and a larger sample population, future studies might bear more statistically significant results. Nevertheless, these results give hope that a more diverse environment may help our society become adept to cultures and races from around the world, thereby building tolerance and reducing discrimination.

Keywords: CRE, Cross Race Effect, in-race bias, diversity, environmental impact

When Exams get too stressful

 An "Empathy Tent" in front of Sproul Hall


An ear or two
A heart that listens too
When exams loom large
Need an electric recharge
Empathy tent finds you. 

Bonfire Rally 2017

The Big Game is the annual football game between UC Berkeley and Stanford. The Cal-Stanford  football rivalry dates back to 1892. Former President Herbert Hoover was the student team manger for Stanford that time and tickets sold out for the first game in San Francisco.  The Big Game was so popular that a large group of boys and men climbed onto the rickety roof of a nearby glass works factory to see the 1900 game. The roof collapsed killing 22 people. So there is quite a bit of history involved with the Stanford Axe as the  coveted trophy.

From the time of our orientation, there was a lot of buildup to this game.This year the much awaited game is at Stanford. The week before the  game is filled with Rallys. This includes the  Tree Chopping Rally on the steps of Sproul Hall on Tuesday. The X-mas Tree is the Stanford Mascot, so the Cal Mascot Oski the Bear was pretending to chop down the tree with an Axe. 

Friday was the Big Bonfire Rally at the Greek Theatre. OMG! It was a super grand affair with a huge turnout.  The Cal Chant was everywhere.
You know it. 
You tell the story
You tell the whole damm world this is Bear Territory.

Stanford is what?
Give that Axe back.

Alas Cal lost the Axe again this year - but the Rally was fun.






From the fourth floor of MLK building

I see...
A bird flies by
Waterproof wings flap in the rain
I wave and it dips a wing
Fly with me if you will.
We have places to see
Stretch your wings and fly with me

I see...
Students walking Sproul Plaza below
Hoods on, umbrellas an optic cup
backpacks bent against the rain
They have places to go
Telegraph and Durant, its lunchtime

I see...
the pep rally team outside Sproul Hall
Promoting Bonfire Rally this Friday
Students needed, muster the troops
They have work to do,  shine or rain
The Big Game is Saturday

I see ...
a school bus parked on Bancroft
Braving the rain, excited kids
Colorful coats in liquid sunshine
They have lots to learn
Cal is a fascinating university

I see..
tree leaves red, brown and gold
Giving large evergreens company
Calmly they stand
No rush to go places
That task left to students below them

I see ...
Sather Tower point to heavens above
100 years standing, a campanile.
Hourly reminder to scholars and seekers
The 23 Bells of the carillon chime
What's your plan, young man?

I see...
West Cresent of Oxford and University
Grass glistening in new raindrops.
I must now go.
My next lecture is at Li Ka Shing next door

South African Dance Festival

Last night I got to see the South African Dance Festival at Zellerbach Hall. Lower Sproul looks quite nice at night all lit up. There were a couple of dance groups practicing their routines. Other students were busy with their laptops inside the MLK building - studying hard, one presumes. 

  


The performance  inside Zellarbach featured 2 dance companies from South Africa. The first was a musical dance drama about the trials and tribulations of miners; how they miss their families, their wives, the bonds they form with each other and the joy that they strive for in their life underground. All this was told through the vibrant,  heady and rhythmic beat of gumboots pounding on the ground.  One of the troupe members rendered an amazing serenade to the love he'd left behind. Gumboot dancing or Isicatholo originated in 1880s when young black men were sent off to gold mines by European settlers in South Africa. The miners wore gumboots and rattled their foot chains to communicate with each other. The Stimela Gumboot musical by the Gumboots Musical company was very novel  and  quite heart-stirring. The second performance by the Pantsula Dance was more contemporary addressing many of the unemployment and social problems of young men in modern day South Africa. The Pantsula dance originated as a sort of protest dance against apartheid and other injustices.  It had a  a lot of electronic and pop elements in addition to some pretty nifty footwork. Very catchy and quite entertaining.   (Below are some youtube videos of the dances)



Overall a very entertaining night!

Overprescription of Benzodiazepines in the Autism Population

Overprescription of Benzodiazepines in the Autism Population
Hari Srinivasan
Psych C19 Drugs and The Brain, UC Berkeley, Prof David Presti. Nov 2017




Abstract
Benzodiazepines belong to the powerful sedative-hypnotic family and are some of the most widely prescribed class of drugs today.  There is, however, a serious overprescription of benzodiazepines in the developmentally disabled populations like Autism Spectrum Disorder without regard to the long-term health consequences.  Studies have shown that adult autistics have significantly fewer GABAA receptors and that benzodiazepines work by binding to the GABAA receptors, thereby potentiating the GABA neurotransmitter and producing its anxiolytic effects. Benzodiazepines are very effective in the short term so there is resistance to reducing medication as there is often a reversal of symptoms or other side effects.  Long-term usage even at moderate doses can impair cognition and memory and bring about tolerance and dependence. As the growing autism population ages, they may also be subject to the reported effects of benzodiazepines on the elderly, such as increased risk of hip fracture, Alzheimer’s, and dementia. In addition, studies have suggested that benzodiazepines themselves may contribute to behavioral symptoms which could be mistaken for other psychiatric behaviors which need to be further treated. This is ironic as benzodiazepines are given to mitigate these very symptoms. This paper suggests that more research is needed into understanding the underlying physiological underpinnings rather than just medicating based on observable symptoms or observable side effects. For instance, further investigation is needed into better and reliable ways to measure neurotransmitter levels so that dosages can be tailored more specifically for the individual and monitored, thus minimizing long-term effects.
Keywords: Benzodiazepine, Autism, GABA, Neurotransmitters, benzodiazepine side effects





Overprescription of Benzodiazepines in the Autism Population
The use of medications like benzodiazepines is a growing problem in the developmentally disabled such as Autism Spectrum Disorder, who practically speaking often have less say on what medications are administered to them. From a young age, there is often pressure to medicate such individuals from schools, teachers, support staff, and therapists who often have to manage multiple students simultaneously.  Medication is often seen as a quick fix to mitigate disruptive or maladaptive social behaviors. Families too turn to medication in the hopes that it will improve the quality of life for the affected family member.


Benzodiazepines have been around since the 1960s with the introduction of chlordiazepoxide (Librium) in 1960, diazepam (Valium) in 1964 and a slew of other benzodiazepines since. Though they belong to the powerful sedative-hypnotic family, they are one of the most widely prescribed classes of drugs today. Prescriptions have, for instance, increased from 4.1% in 1996 to 5.6% in 2013 (Bachhuber, Hennessy, Cunningham, & Starrels, 2016). There is a serious overprescription of benzodiazepines in the vulnerable population of the intellectually disabled like Autism Spectrum Disorder, without regard to the long-term health consequences for these individuals.


Neural Mechanism of Benzodiazepines
Benzodiazepines are believed to work by potentiating GABA receptors at the chemical synapses in the brain. The neurotransmitter GABA inhibits the action of neurons by binding to GABAA receptors, thus producing its calming, sedating, anxiolytic, anticonvulsant, and vasodilation effects.  Benzodiazepines are not GABA agonists, rather they act as positive allosteric modulators (PAMs) since they can only act when GABA is bound at the receptor. Benzodiazepines actually bind to a subset of the GABAA receptor complex called BzR (benzodiazepine receptors). This serves to increase the inflow of chlorine ions at the ion channel, hyperpolarize the membrane potential of the neuron and reduce the chances of action potential. In effect, it makes the GABA receptor less sensitive. Since there are benzodiazepine receptors all over the brain connected to different neural circuits, there is bound to be variation in individual physiological responses to the drug.  Besides GABA, benzodiazepines also potentiate other neurotransmitters. For instance, clonazepam also acts as a serotonin agonist. In addition, benzodiazepines also stimulate the peripheral nervous system (PNS) as benzodiazepine receptors are found in the PNS tissues and glial cells. This could well account for its muscle relaxant effects (Griffin, Kaye, Bueno & Kaye, 2013).


Benzodiazepines are classified according to their elimination half-life action in the body. Shorter-acting ones (less than 12 hours) include midazolam (just 10 minutes duration of action) and alprazolam. Intermediate-acting ones (12-40 hours) include clonazepam and lorazepam, and longer-acting ones (40-250 hours) include diazepam. Benzodiazepines are further metabolized which extends their duration of action. For instance, diazepam metabolizes into nordiazepam, oxazepam, and temazepam. The speed of onset also differs for each. Midazolam (Versed) takes just 5 minutes to work while clonazepam (Klonopin) takes a few hours, though the latter also stays longer in the body (Griffin et al., 2013).


What makes benzodiazepines attractive to use is their relatively high therapeutic index when compared to barbiturates. This is believed to be due to the fact that benzodiazepines can open chloride ion channels only in the presence of GABA, unlike Barbiturates or propofol which can open the chloride ion channel independently.  When barbiturates are combined with alcohol it can cause respiratory depression to a degree that a person can stop breathing. The therapeutic index runs in the 100’s for benzodiazepines with diazepam at exactly 100. A high therapeutic index implies that it is difficult to overdose on benzodiazepines.  The rare cases of overdoses are treated with Flumazenil, which acts as an antagonist at the benzodiazepine binding sites (Tulane University School of Medicine, 2017).


It is not surprising therefore that benzodiazepines are often used to address symptoms associated with learning disabilities like Autism Spectrum Disorder.  In fact, a study by Oblack, Gibbs and Blatt (2009) found that the adult autistics had significantly fewer GABAA receptors and benzodiazepine sites when compared to the neuro-typical adults. Tomography results (Mendez et al., 2013) further indicate that there are reduced levels of GABA (specifically GABAA α5 subtype) in the nucleus accumbens and amygdala. There is a delicate balance in the brain between neuron excitation and neuron inhibition and their outputs to different regions of the brain. This balance, in turn, requires just the right amount of energy to the nerves. Disturbances in this mechanism could well be the underpinnings of the socio-emotional behaviors seen in Autism.


Effects of Benzodiazepines
Indeed, benzodiazepines are very effective in the short term. They are so effective that their use is continued to prolong the feel-good effects, especially on mood and anxiety.  In the meantime, tolerance builds up as does dependence. It is like being caught between Scylla and Charybdis, can’t live with them, can’t do without them either as other medications are less effective. It is ironic indeed that benzodiazepines are powerful enough to be classified as Schedule II drugs (“high potential for abuse”), yet are classified as Schedule IV (“low potential for abuse”) due to their prevalent use (Donaldson, Gizzarelli & Chanpong, 2007).


The study by Oswald and Sonenklar (2007) draws attention to the fact that almost 70% of children over age 8, with the Autism Spectrum diagnosis, were prescribed some form of psychoactive medication including benzodiazepines. Benzodiazepines are often given to this population for co-morbid conditions such as bipolar disorder, severe anxiety, obsessive compulsive behaviors and mood swings that can cause disruptive, aggressive or even self-injurious behaviors.


What is even more troubling is a study by Kalachnik, Hanzel, Sevenich and Harder (2002) which suggests that many of these behavioral symptoms could be caused by the benzodiazepines themselves and then be mistaken for other psychiatric behaviors which need to be further treated. Another study by Albrecht et al. (2014) had suggested a link between benzodiazepines and aggression, especially diazepam and alprazolam (Xanax). The effect is to synergistically disinhibit, especially if the diazepam were combined with other medications or substances such as alcohol, causing any bottled-up anger to come out. The irony is that benzodiazepines are often given to this population in the first place to mitigate these very behavioral symptoms.


This population is often also highly susceptible to dependence and addiction. There is resistance to stopping or reducing medication as there could be a resurgence of symptoms which are hard for the individual, their families or support staff in their social settings to cope with.  Withdrawal symptoms can include increased panic and anxiety, sweating, headache, palpitations and muscle stiffness (Pétursson, 1994). Withdrawal from higher doses could even result in seizures and psychosis. As a result, low to therapeutic doses are often continued long term to alleviate withdrawal symptoms which increases the risk of physical dependence (Busto & Sellers, 1991).  Inevitably, powerful drugs are also often accompanied by side effects and the benzodiazepines are no exception.  The toxicology list by the Tulane University’s School of Medicine include some worrying effects such as, “drowsiness, confusion, ataxia (loss of voluntary body movement), nystagmus (uncontrolled eye movements), slurring of speech, amnesia, hypotension and respiratory depression,” (2017). In addition, long term usage has shown to have negative effects on memory and cognition.


One in eighty-eight children are diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder today and the number just continues to increase (Center for Disease Control, 2016). Much of the current therapeutic interventions and research focus on the early years to take advantage of the neuroplasticity of a young brain. However, not every child benefits from the current array of therapies. This means that the main recourse for most adult autistics who did not benefit from early therapy is medication to control symptoms.  Recent research has however shown that neuroplasticity continues well into the adult years (Garrett, 2013). What is often overlooked is that all these growing thousands of young children with autism will age into adults with autism and then eventually the elderly with autism. Aging will bring about its own set of health issues with decreased immunity and reduced disease fighting ability. Wang, Bohn, Glynn, and Robert (2001) report that the use of even modest doses of benzodiazepines for over a month increased the risk of hip fracture by 50% in the elderly. Other studies have found links between continued use of benzodiazepines and increased risk of Alzheimer's and dementia (deGage et al., 2014). All this does not bode well for the Autism population who are already prone to a myriad of health issues, often due to a compromised immune system, such as seizures, allergies, respiratory issues, endocrine issues, digestive problems, sleep disorders, sensory dysregulation and bacterial or viral infections.
Conclusions and Future Study
There is clearly an overuse of medications such as benzodiazepines in the Autism population, without regard to consequences of long-term health effects. This is especially significant in light of the fact that the line between benzodiazepines alleviating symptoms and causing additional symptoms seem to be blurred in the Autism population. Currently, medication is based on observable outward behavioral symptoms and observable side effects. It is a shot in the dark as to whether they work or not, so various permutations, combinations, and substitutions are tried by medical specialists in an effort to mitigate maladaptive symptoms. The need of the hour is more research into understanding the underlying physiological underpinnings rather than just symptom-based medication. For instance, further investigation is needed into better and reliable ways to measure neurotransmitter levels so that dosages can be tailored more specifically for the individual and monitored, thus minimizing long-term effects.


References
Albrecht, B., Staiger, P. K., Hall, K., Miller, P., Best, D., & Lubman, D. I. (2014). Benzodiazepine use and aggressive behaviour: A systematic review. Australian & New Zealand Journal Of Psychiatry, 48(12), 1096. doi:10.1177/0004867414548902
Bachhuber, M. A., Hennessy, S., Cunningham, C. O., & Starrels, J. L., (2016). Increasing benzodiazepine prescriptions and overdose mortality in the United States, 1996–2013. AJPH. 106(4), 686-688. doi:10.2105/AJPH.2016.303061
Busto, U., & Sellers, E. M. (1991). Pharmacologic aspects of benzodiazepine tolerance and dependence. Pubmed. Retrieved November 10, 2017, from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1675689
Centers for Disease Control. (2016). Autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Retrieved November 10, 2017, from https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/autism/data.html
de Gage S.B., Moride, Y., Ducruet, T., Kurth, T., Veroux, H., Tournier, M., Pariente, A., & Begaud, B. (2014). Benzodiazepine use and risk of alzheimer’s disease: case-control study. British Medical Journal. 349:5205 https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.g5205
Donaldson, M., Gizzarelli, G., & Chanpong, B. (2007). Oral sedation: A Primer on anxiolysis for the adult patient. Retrieved November 07, 2017, from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1993866/
Garrett, M. (2013, April 27). Brain plasticity in older adults. Psychology Today. Retrieved November 10, 2017, from https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/iage/201304/brain-plasticity-in-older-adults
Griffin, C. E., Kaye, A. M., Bueno, F. R., & Kaye, A. D. (2013). Benzodiazepine Pharmacology and central nervous system–mediated effects. Retrieved November 07, 2017, from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3684331/
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Music@Cal

Love all the music I get around Cal.

11/9/17 Jazz and an Apple
Enjoying a lunchtime jazz musical performance in the Lower Sproul Plaza at Cal,  all while munching an apple.
   


11/14/17 An Acapella group at Lunchtime
11/16/17 A Jazz Lunchtime