Today's episode examines the thalamic reticular nucleus (TRN), a GABAergic structure that filters sensory inputs to the thalamus, influencing sensory processing and attention in Autism. We'll explore how TRN dysfunction contributes to sensory hypersensitivity, repetitive behaviors, and cognitive strengths like visual thinking. We cover the TRN’s visual, somatosensory, auditory, and limbic sectors, using vivid analogies like a security guard and staring contest to illustrate its role. These mechanisms are linked to the Autistic phenotype’s challenges and unique perceptual abilities.

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00:00 Thalamic reticular nucleus (TRN), GABAergic neurons, sensory gating

03:42 TRN functional roles, sensory gating, attentional modulation, brainwave generation, neuro-overload prevention

07:44 TRN inputs, basal ganglia, repetitive behaviors

11:15 Cognitive flexibility, prefrontal cortex, dorsal striatum, rigid responses, Autistic rigidity

14:38 TRN outputs, feedback inhibition, excitatory neurons, sensory tuning, gamma oscillations

18:35 Burst firing, tonic firing, sensory suppression, attention regulation, sleep spindles

22:12 Visual sector, "staring contest" analogy, parvalbumin & VIP interneurons, lateral geniculate nucleus, visual gating

25:50 Somatosensory sector, ventral basal complex, tactile hypersensitivity, sensory-emotional integration

29:15 Auditory sector, medial geniculate nucleus, auditory sensitivity, social processing deficits, clusters of noises in the environment, Beatles song comparison

33:00 Limbic sector, mediodorsal nucleus, anterior insula, emotional regulation, OCD-like behaviors, Leading the way in Adaptive Responses

36:47 TRN security guard analogy, sensory control, thoughts and plans, high-intensity stimuli

40:20 Visual attention, high gamma activity, subtle environmental cues, Autistic cognitive strengths

41:06 Daylight Computer Company, use "autism" for $50 discount

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email: info.fromthespectrum@gmail.com

Today's episode explores the role of inhibitory neurons & the Sonic Hedgehog (SHH) gene in shaping the Autistic phenotype, focusing on the excitation-inhibition imbalance that drives sensory hypersensitivity and cognitive challenges. Through a neuroscience lens, the episode connects these mechanisms to heightened gamma activity.

Ben Ari Episode https://youtu.be/jo-ffwF9u0Y

Parvalbumin Interneurons episode https://youtu.be/PBHVssvoQkM?si=t8WYGlcHcv7WiE-T

Visual Thinking Part 1 https://youtu.be/XqQ8jCvWzYc?si=lffUEjGHjWj4mGOM

Neurulation Part 1 https://youtu.be/gZdg9bX3Nuw?si=xvwtlz-p1hPHI8FA

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00:00 - Autistic phenotype, excitation-inhibition imbalance, sensory hypersensitivity, cognitive deficits

03:40 - Inhibitory neurons, GABA receptors, GABA-A, GABA-B, GABA-C, tonic inhibition

07:24 - Tonic firing, burst firing, phasic firing, neural oscillations, sensory processing

08:31 - Sonic Hedgehog gene, neural development, GABAergic identity, thalamic reticular nucleus (TRN)

14:48 - Parvalbumin interneurons, fast-spiking, gamma oscillations, sensory gating, dorsolateral prefrontal cortex

18:22 - Parvalbumin dysfunction, sensory hypersensitivity, visual cortex (V1), EI imbalance, brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF)

22:02 - Somatostatin interneurons, feedback inhibition, dendritic modulation, sensory adaptation, hippocampus

25:43 - Vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP) interneurons, disinhibition, pyramidal activity, attention, social processing

29:30 - Calbindin interneurons, calretinin interneurons, dendritic inhibition, sensory processing, anterior insula

33:15 - Purkinje cells, cerebellum, motor control, cognitive timing, cell loss in autism

36:00 - Evolutionary perspective, parvalbium density, neural circuit stabilization, sensory-cognitive processing

39:25 - Gamma activity, visual processing, retina, lateral geniculate nucleus, attention to detail, autistic self

39:52 Daylight Computer Company, use "autism" for $50 discount

42:13 Chroma Light Devices, use "autism" for 10% discount

45:17 Reviews & Contact Info

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email: info.fromthespectrum@gmail.com

In this episode, Dr. Ahmad Ammous, MD, exposes the profit-driven "profit mills" of modern medicine, critiquing its reliance on pills to manage symptoms rather than address root causes. Drawing from his journey as an internal medicine physician, he challenges pharmaceutical-centric practices and delves into quantum biology’s healing potential, exploring topics like light-driven energy production through melanin’s water-splitting mechanism, cytochrome sensitivity to red and blue light in the electron transport chain, and circadian biology’s role in melatonin and cortisol regulation. Dr. Ammous offers practical solutions, such as paleo diets and sunlight exposure, to optimize health, while advocating for decentralized systems, including Bitcoin, to empower patients over profits.

Modern Medicine is Profits over Humanity

THIS IS NOT MEDICAL ADVICE

Centralized Medicine = PROFITS over HUMANITY

Dr. Ammous X https://x.com/AmmousMD

Dr. Ammous website https://ammousmd.com/?v=eb65bcceaa5f

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0:00 Dr. Ahmad Ammous, MD; Internal Medicine Medical Doctor

5:22 The Harms of Medical School

8:13 The Profit Mill in Centralized Medicine & Banks; Rockefeller Medicine & Fed Reserve; Flexnor Report; Big Harma (Pharma)

14:21 The Role of Light in Life & Health; Isolated Blue Light is the new smoking

17:09 Melanin

20:13 Melanin's Role as an Antioxidant & Detoxing

23:07 Autism & Sensitivities

26:24 Melatonin's Additional Roles

29:10 The Harms of Artificial Light on Health; POMC; Cortisol

31:18 Artificial Light at Night & Sleep; Massive Hormone Disruptor

33:21 The Electron Transport Chain & OXPHOS; Cytochromes; Biological Energy; ROS; Red Light & Cytochrome C Oxidase

38:21 The Massive Scams of Heart Prescriptions, Guidelines, Cholesterol and Statins & a leading cause of death is still Heart Disease, Heart Attacks; Big Harma

49:19 Environmental Factors & Modern Diseases

53:55 Covert Push:Pull Tactic on Humans from Medicine & Health Insurance; The Profit Mills

58:38 Autism & Lifestyle; Circadian Rhythms, Diet, & GI

59:35 Daylight Computer Company, use "autism" for $50 discount

1:03:00 Chroma Light Devices, use "autism" for 10% discount

X: https://x.com/rps47586

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email: info.fromthespectrum@gmail.com

Today's episode is all about Autism and its associated communication disorders, as outlined in the DSM-5-TR, focusing on social communication disorder (SCD), childhood onset fluency disorder (stuttering), speech sound disorder, and developmental language disorder (DLD), which affect 50-70%, 4-22%, 20-30%, and up to 50% of Autistic individuals, respectively. We explore neural underpinnings, highlighting hypoactivation in brain regions and brain waves are discussed that are critical for social cognition, alongside disrupted connectivity in networks like the arcuate and superior longitudinal fasciculi. Two genes- FOXP2 and CNTNAP2 are also discussed.

Other relevant episodes:

Decoding the Brain: How Reading works in Autism and Dyslexia https://youtu.be/s1-7HZchy84?si=-r9foWP8Gmw-Wsx2

Autism and Speech & Language https://youtu.be/jhAA-UWduKg?si=TfVWi9AfbFZgv8XV

Autism and Sensory Processing part 2 https://youtu.be/iWy9Rligzic?si=2LATDK0bPl6jjat9

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Cognity AI for Autistic Social Skills

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00:00 - Introduction to Autism and Communication Disorders; DSM-5-TR, social communication, pragmatic deficits, stuttering, speech sound disorder, developmental language disorder

04:02 - Brain Regions and Social Cognition; medial prefrontal cortex, temporal parietal junction, superior temporal sulcus, "theory of mind", hypoactivation

06:01 - Autistic Phenotype and Neural Connectivity; Mirror neurons, sensory processing, under-connectivity, arcuate fasciculus, superior longitudinal fasciculus

11:38 - Brainwave Patterns and Measurement Techniques; EEG, MEG, gamma band, alpha band suppression, fMRI, DTI & Factional Anisotropy

16:27 - Genetic Contributions to Communication; FOXP2, CNTNAP2, neural circuits, synaptic plasticity, language processing

19:56 - Social Communication Disorder (SCD); Overview pragmatic language, non-verbal cues, autism differentiation

24:45 - Childhood Onset Fluency Disorder (Stuttering); basal ganglia, motor planning, rTMS, dopamine signaling, Go-Stop, Go-Stop, Go-Stop...

30:05 - Speech Sound Disorder Speech; Broca’s area, superior temporal gyrus, articulation errors, PROMPT therapy

35:25 - Developmental Language Disorder (DLD); Broca’s area, Wernicke’s area, language comprehension, early intervention

40:56 - Importance of Early Intervention; speech therapy, neural connectivity, personalized interventions, neurofeedback.

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email: info.fromthespectrum@gmail.com

This week's episode is all about Reading. We will go through the entire process from the moment light hits the retina (50-100ms) to formulating speech (600ms or so). That is, either speaking out loud or silently speaking while reading, a phenomena called subvocalization. We do this when reading to the self. Either way, we speak while reading.

We will compare so called normal readers, the Autistic phenotype, and dyslexia, and at times the odd contrasts of the Autistic phenotype AND dyslexia. Lots of neurobiology, measurement instruments, brain waves (oscillations, frequencies), however, I will hopefully provide easy to understand analogies.

The entire reading process is covered.

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00:00 - Overview of reading process and neurobiology

03:28 - Visual processing in V1 (primary visual cortex), V2-V4 (secondary visual cortex)

4:42 - Neuroplasticity of Blind using V1-V4 for Braille

07:17 - Neural oscillations (Delta, Theta, Alpha, Beta, Gamma)

10:07 - Visual word form area (VWFA) recognizes patterns, begins sequencing letters & recognizes the word, Example: "d-o-g" & 'd' not 'b', 'o' not 'c,' 'g' not 'p.'

13:01 - Phonological processing in temporal-parietal cortex

15:54 - Fractional anisotropy (FA) & Diffusion Tensor Imaging (DTI) and arcuate fasciculus; Myelination, Water Flow, Garden Hose example

18:06 - Detailed discussion of orthographic processing begins (VWFA’s role in recognizing visual word forms)

21:26 - Detailed discussion of cerebellum’s role in eye movements begins (Purkinje cells and saccades)

24:07 - Detailed discussion of spelling difficulties begins (orthographic processing challenges in autism/dyslexia)

27:41 - Detailed discussion of semantic integration begins (delays in dyslexia, inferior frontal gyrus)

30:55 - Detailed discussion of orthographic confusion begins (e.g., "except" vs. "expert")

33:30 - Detailed discussion of phonological processing begins (temporal-parietal cortex mapping words to sounds)

34:18 - Cerebellum mentioned regarding tongue movements (Purkinje cells refine timing for speech)

36:10 - Subvocalization in silent reading

37:07 - Oscillations in VWFA for autistic phenotype; Comprehension lags in Autism due to delayed N400

39:19 Daylight Computer Company (and Daylight Kids !), use "autism" for $50 discount

41:40 Chroma Light Devices, use "autism" for 10% discount

44:52 Reviews/Ratings, Contact Info

X: https://x.com/rps47586

YT: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCGxEzLKXkjppo3nqmpXpzuA

email: info.fromthespectrum@gmail.com

Today's episode continues with visual thinking. We will learn more about the accelerated learning patterns with visual thinking and the Autistic phenotype. Autistic individuals create detailed mental "catalogs" of images and experiences, much like AI’s data processing. We explore Temple Grandin’s vivid descriptions of thinking in pictures, alongside early observations from Kanner (1943) and Asperger (1944), who noted autistic intelligence in their "little professors." The discussion covers weak central coherence theory & specific details drives exceptional learning but can complicate social interactions and broader contextual understanding.

We will discuss the Autistic brain and machine learning, from pattern recognition to iterative refinement. Enhanced neural connections, like those linking the visual and frontal cortex, enable Autistic individuals to excel in tasks requiring precision, such as spotting subtle differences or memorizing facts. The episode contrasts this unique cognitive style with societal norms, advocating for embracing these strengths.

Frith & Happe Weak Central Coherence https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10803-005-0039-0

Visual Thinking part 1: Neurobiology & Autistic's Intense Inner World https://youtu.be/XqQ8jCvWzYc?si=3cEIm1omi0JUAKSK

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00:00 - Introduction to Visual Thinking; "movies" in the mind, and its impact on learning.

02:02 - Historical Context of Autism References to Leo Kanner (1943) and Hans Asperger (1944) highlight early observations of autistic intelligence, with terms like "little professors" and "autism" (from "autos," meaning self)

04:01 - Social Norms vs. Autistic Phenotype The autistic cognitive style contrasts with societal expectations, which favor fitting individuals into predictable "boxes" for evaluation and acceptance, making social integration and education challenging for autistic individuals.

06:01 - Cataloging and AI Parallels; mental catalogs & specific images or experiences, similar to AI & machine learning, catalogs for categories

08:46 Weak Central Coherence Theory; local, detail-oriented processing over global integration, enabling strengths like spotting hidden shapes

10:28 Enhanced Perceptual Functioning, visual and auditory domains, allowing precise cataloging of sensory details, tasks & precision.

12:02 Anecdotal Person Comparison & Associative Learning

15:30 Pattern Recognition and Detail Focus

18:26 Types of Visual Thinkers

20:36 Neural Connectivity

23:22 Perceptual Learning and Neuroplasticity; Accelerated learning

27:04 AI and Autistic Brain Similarities

33:35 Daylight Computer Company (and Daylight Kids !), use "autism" for $50 discount

35:53 Chroma Light Devices, use "autism" for 10% discount

38:59 Don't underestimate this Autistic Phenotype.

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email: info.fromthespectrum@gmail.com

Today's episode is all about visual thinking. We will explore vivid mental imagery and sensory processing. We will cover why Autistic individuals process detailed "pictures and movies" in the mind, exemplified by an anecdote of visualizing oak tree bark with tactile detail. Sensory challenges are highlighted, with a Bee Movie analogy illustrating the intense, efficient visual input. The Autistic sensory journey is described as fast but rocky, contrasting with non-autistic processing. Hyperconnectivity in visual pathways amplifies detail-oriented cognition, often leading to sensory overload.

The episode explains how retinal ganglion cells and visual cortex hyperactivity enhance imagery in Autism. Kanner and Asperger’s observations underscore visual memory strengths and technical interests, like pattern recognition. Increased mini-column density and reduced inhibition boost local processing but risk overload. Temple Grandin’s insights show visual thinking’s strengths in tasks like designing animal pathways, though social tasks challenge due to weaker prefrontal connectivity. The Autistic brain’s wiring is framed as a unique strength, fostering intense, detailed cognition

Temple Grandin https://www.templegrandin.com/templegrandinbooks.html

Sensory Processing part 1 https://youtu.be/HTnFm8nY4oY?si=4Xso_tI_hMwhY_SX

Sensory Processing part 2 https://youtu.be/n31gyLb4ddM?si=CouaBhiVm8KixtG-

Supplementing Relationships part 1 https://youtu.be/lglEGQ7pSlc?si=ncpla784LxOyUcQc

Supplementing Relationships part 2 https://youtu.be/W8E2B7Qu4mg?si=UJE850SwvPmtOmEk

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00:00 Introduction to Visual Thinking

02:00 Anecdote: Oak Tree Visualization; tree bark, tactile

05:50 Sensory Processing Challenges; overload, information rate, avoidance

09:40 Anecdote: Bee Movie Analogy; synchronized, intense, fast

13:30 Autistic Sensory Rates/Speeds

17:20 Eye Biology and Neural Relays; Retinal ganglion, SHANK3; Building Models details-to-general

21:10 Magnocellular vs. Parvocellular Pathways; Motion, color, glutamate, GABA signaling

25:00 Visual Cortex Hyperactivity; V1-V4, fMRI, synaptic pruning, details

28:50 Mini-Columns and Sensory Overload; Neural units, inhibition, dense connections

32:40 Kanner and Asperger Insights; Social isolation, technical interests, patterns

38:39 Daylight Computer Company (and Daylight KIDS !), use "autism" for $50 discount

40:54 Chroma Light Devices, use "autism" for 10% discount

44:07 Reviews/Ratings & Contact Info

X: https://x.com/rps47586

YT: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCGxEzLKXkjppo3nqmpXpzuA

email: info.fromthespectrum@gmail.com

Today's episode is about excitation-inhibition with specific attention with an inhibitory neuron called parvalbumin interneurons (PVINs). The discussion covers the medial prefrontal cortex, insular cortex, and salience network, linking their dysfunction to autistic traits like sensory over-responsiveness and social deficits. We cover two articles, alongside the CNTNAP2 protein’s role in neural circuit organization and its implications for Autism.

The episode also critiques the 1985 theory of mind framework, emphasizing autistic strengths in interoception and intuition, which suggest a sensory-social trade-off that enhances learning and information processing. PVIN hypofunction is connected to social deficits and rigid thinking, supported by a 2017 post-mortem study showing a 38-70% reduction in prefrontal PVINs. The discussion integrates prior research on salience network hyper-connectivity and emotional processing deficits in autism.

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00:00 - Parvalbumin Interneurons

Fujima et al., social familiarity, emotion recognition, graphical abstract.

02:03 - Neuron Interactions

PVIN activity, social interactions, familiar/stressed peers, pyramidal neurons, excitation-inhibition balance.

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09:46 - Medial Prefrontal Cortex in Autism

Decision-making, social cognition, self-referential thinking, anterior cingulate cortex

12:38 - Insular Cortex and Salience Network

Insular cortex, anterior insula, salience network, emotional states, bodily signals, social cues, autistic intuition.

15:06 - Parvalbumin Interneurons

PVINs, GABAergic, fast-spiking, cortex/hippocampus/basal ganglia, inhibition, neural synchronization, social/emotional processing.

17:08 - Fujima et al. Study Methodology and Behavioral Effects

Microendoscopic calcium imaging, chemogenetic manipulation, mice, social familiarity, emotional recognition, context-dependent behaviors, pyramidal modulation.

21:22 - Tsang et al. Study on Infant Salience Network

six-week-old infants, salience network, sensorimotor/prefrontal connectivity, sensory over-responsiveness, social attention, autism likelihood.

25:22 - Salience Network and Autism Research

Salience network hyper-connectivity, sensory processing, alexithymia, anterior insula, emotional processing deficits, autism studies (2013, 2016, 2024).

27:44 - CNTNAP2 and PVIN Dysfunction

Neural circuits, synaptic function, dendritic arborization, PVIN reduction, social deficits, 2017 post-mortem study.

32:00 - Autistic Interoception and Theory of Mind

Intuition, sensory-social trade-off, theory of mind, learning/information processing.

34:00 - Closing

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email: info.fromthespectrum@gmail.com