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Numerical Cognition And Autism Spectrum Traits In Adults, Benjamin Covington
Numerical Cognition And Autism Spectrum Traits In Adults, Benjamin Covington
All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023
Evidence suggests that individuals with high-functioning autism spectrum disorder (ASD) may be particularly inclined toward math proficiency, especially in adulthood. There is also evidence, however, that many of those with an ASD struggle in math as children compared to their typically-developing peers. These ostensibly inconsistent findings may indicate that individuals with an ASD struggle with number sense, a precursor to formal math, rather than with formal math per se. This account is compatible with evidence of a specific form of neural dysregulation, excitatory/inhibitory imbalance, in ASD that results in reduced signal-to-noise ratios (SNR) for processes that occur in downstream …
Effects Of Sex And Autism On Oxytocin Receptors In The Substantia Nigra Of The Human Brain, Kip Dooley
Effects Of Sex And Autism On Oxytocin Receptors In The Substantia Nigra Of The Human Brain, Kip Dooley
Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects
Oxytocin, a hormone present in the mammalian brain, has been shown to be a vital component of social function in animals and may have a role in the social deficits associated with Autism Spectrum Disorder in humans. Based on previous studies from our lab, there are oxytocin receptors in the human substantia nigra, a basal ganglia structure in the midbrain that is important in both movement and reward pathways. The substantia nigra contains two subsections that are defined by the neurotransmitters they contain: the pars compacta, which is dopaminergic, and the pars reticulata, which is GABAergic. By localizing oxytocin receptors …