Sponsored by the UCLA Brain Mapping Center Faculty
The focus of these talks is on advancing the use of brain mapping methods in neuroscience with an emphasis on contemporary issues of neuroplasticity, neurodevelopment, and biomarker development in neuropsychiatric disease.
Hosted By: Mirella Dapretto, Ph.D., Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, UCLA
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Shulamite A. Green, PhD Assistant Clinical Professor Department of Psychiatry & Biobehavioral Sciences, UCLA |
*Please note a change in this seminar's venue and date
Attention and response to sensory information in the environment is a core dimension of brain function and behavior. Sensory responsiveness is disrupted in many psychiatric disorders, including over half of the individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), who may show avoidance and/or sensitivity to scratchy clothing, unpredictable or loud noises, or visually stimulating environments. Sensory over-responsivity is associated with difficulties in school and social functioning, poor self-help skills, behavioral problems, and emotional dysregulation. Although it is clear that sensory over-responsivity is impairing, the mechanisms through which it affects functioning are not well understood. In this talk, I will present some of the basic neurobiological mechanisms associated with individual differences in sensory responses in children with Autism Spectrum Disorders, using fMRI data both from resting-state and from sensory processing tasks. I will then demonstrate how sensory distracters can directly impact the brain’s ability to process social information in children with ASD. Finally, I will discuss how these neuroimaging studies on sensory processing differences in autism can inform intervention.
