The Disconnected Brain

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Originally posted under the thread "What is Autism", where it is certainly relevant, I felt that the topic of neurological differences of autism (and other neurodiversities) should deserve its own thread.

I have copy/pasted the post here so that we can continue the discussion in its own dedicated forum:

People have said for a long time those on the spectrum are wired differently. What does this mean? Well, new science is giving us some great insights into this. It also highlights the dangers of self-diagnosis and also how some conditions can manifest similarly but also seem so heterogeneous at times.

This new study using MRI to examine white matter in the brain (the axonal fibres that connect one region to another - ie. the WIRING diagram of the brain) shows that there are specific areas of the brain that have weak connections compared to controls. This reduced connectivity between brain regions and hemispheres results in the symptoms of autism and sensory processing disorder and even conditions like schizophrenia etc etc. It's the disconnected brain that gives rise to the various "disorders" of the brain.

I'm not sure where the science is going with it presently - but I'm devouring so many studies on it right now I can't keep up with my own brain! My own hypothesis is that because of the reduced connectivity between regions, processing power gets "stuck" or concentrated in one region, which amplifies the signals present there, which causes extra information to be generated, some of which is just useless "noise" which we cannot filter, but also gives rise to the sort of HIGH RESOLUTION DETAILED PERCEPTIONS which so many of us on the neurodiversity spectrum have. This somewhat more narrowed but detailed view of the world and of topics enables us to see the things that others miss. I think this is because their processing is so much more broadly diffuse they can't really hone in on something as easily. This zooming in effect can lead to great breakthroughs in science and deep love and appreciation of nature, art, philosophy or whatever your particular "special interest" is. It would be almost impossible NOT to have a special interest given this set of circumstances. However I do note that mental retardation and other handicaps do also co-occur with autism and similar syndromes of brain disconnectivity. This is where different profiles of connectivity can give rise to the diversity of the spectrum and also the level of functionality and also savants. That's why cognitive profiles are so spiky.

I'm presently unsure whether or not "autism" is the correct working label for me while I'm undergoing my very deep diagnostic process. I've been referred to a neurologist to have an MRI done, and if it were up to me I'd have DTI, fMRI and SPECT done! I'll be pushing for that as much as possible. I'm also having a full sensory profile done by an occupational therapist and seeing an audiologist to asses a potential crossover between audio-visual processing. They seem to both use the same circuit in my brain which makes me only be able to see you or hear you but not both. This is common to both autism and SPD, by virtue of the connectivity between hemispheres (the corpus collosum) around the area of the occipital lobes at the back of the brain. I think this is why autistics tend to think more in pictures and experience synthaesia. I have had persistent synthaesia all my life. Sounds and pictures are intrinsically linked within my brain.

Also I think it's important to note here are two types of connectivity. There is structural connectivity, which is the physical white matter wiring in the brain. Then there is functional connectivity, which is the level of connectivity across synapses of individual neuronal connections.

Here is possibly THE MOST IMPORTANT STUDY ON THE STRUCTURE OF THE AUTISTIC BRAIN that I think everybody who thinks they have or might have autism/Asperger's etc should read:

http://www.biosciencetechnology.com/art ... rain-areas

Obviously there need to be a lot more of these done. This is where research should be focussing right now - for all known brain disorders. I have the full research papers for this and similar studies - if anyone wants a copy they can PM me and I'll send you the PDFs.

Here is possibly THE MOST IMPORTANT YOUTUBE VIDEO ABOUT BRAIN ACTIVITY that I think everybody who has a brain should watch:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=esPRsT-lmw8

Obviously diagnostic procedures should be taking imaging into consideration. Focussing on the behaviour is just too downstream. There can be convergence from many aetiologies. The diagnostic process is inherently flawed

Please join the discussion and help raise awareness of the talents and detriments of the neurodiverse disconnected brain! It is both amazing and wonderful but also painful and isolating. Perhaps one day we can find a way to "treat" this in a way that soothes the pain, but doesn't take away our amazing talents and benefits.

SK~

Very interesting. I thought studies had shown signs of more connectivity in autism, not less?

Makes sense. Personally I've always felt as if there's a huge trade off for me, if I have better all-around functionality in life, I lose some of my ability to use particular talents, like musical ability, vice versa the more I focus on a talent or interest the more I lose all-around functionality.



Sounds fascinating, hope you will keep us all posted on this.



I'd like to read this, but the link didn't work.




Well after seeing this I just feel like crying. What this guy is saying is just plain common sense really, if a brain is troubled, we should LOOK at the brain. Exciting to hear about what they are discovering and the potential for helping people who were thought to be beyond help. But really sad to think how many people just go through life being misdiagnosed, and given ineffective therapies and treatments, and how much resistance there is in the medical system to changing things for the better.

I had 2 head injuries as a child, one to the front of my head, and one to the back. I wonder how much those really affected me. Plus there is a lot of Alzheimer's in my family and I've always thought that the onset must come a long time before the symptoms really show. I feel like I have a gifted but really damaged and dysfunctional brain. Emotional and psychological trauma has wrecked my ability to use what was good, so now I just feel broken. A lot of the time I just feel like my brain and body are so screwed up, I really don't see the point in living like this. That video gave me a little hope.

The speaker from the YouTube video is a renowned con artist. All he is doing is denouncing healthcare professionals for prescribing medications to patients. Yawn.

"Want to improve your cognitive functioning?

Sure. I'll tell you how you can.....just right after you have given me $2500."

Temple Grandin wrote about over- and underconnected brain areas in "the autistic brain", and put some of her kwn brainscans in. Interesting.

And: if a brain is not working correctly, all sorts of things can be the cause. It's just really really complicated, and we're still quite far away from understanding anything, really. Medicine, in the meantime, is trying to fix things as good as it can, while science is still working on it.

Yes, I believe the reduced structural connectivity leads to increased functional connectivity…. more synaptic connections, but less axonal fibre connections in the white matter… I'm still picking this apart….



Me too!



Ok Sure!



Oh, sorry…. here! Hope this works!

http://www.biosciencetechnology.com/art ... rain-areas



EXACTLY MY POINT!! ! So glad you get it!



Yeah



I too have had some head injuries (and often feel the same way). Studies have also shown reduced connectivity in the white matter of the brain from drug use, Alzeimer's, schizophrenia…

The positive side to all this is neuroplasticity is possible and we can grow new connections!

Last edited by SK666 on 07 Dec 2015, 7:58 am, edited 3 times in total.

If you managed to read this article now I have re-posted the link http://www.biosciencetechnology.com/art ... rain-areas ,then I have something of further interest..

This video goes for like an hour, but the most relevant point is only 3 ½ mins, from 35:00 min - 38:30 min. You will see how a savant focusses his brain power into one side of his brain. It fits perfectly with my theory...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GxPWAw9nemU

Last edited by SK666 on 07 Dec 2015, 8:15 am, edited 2 times in total.

I didn't know he was a con artist, but that is sort of irrelevant to the point of the video.

The point is: cardiologists look, physicians look, why the hell don't psychiatrists look at the organ they are treating?!?! So much convergence when you use the behavioural model - it could have been from so many different upstream processes. I don't think imaging is the ENTIRE picture, but if you add this to the family history, life history of the patient, symptomology, and other testing measures it gives you a much more accurate and complete picture than without.

Imaging should be used more frequently for those with a troubled brain.

I saw one of her talks about that book online, which showed some of the scans, like her visual circuits, but I haven't read the book itself… Do you know which chapter she discusses connectivity?

New neuro-imaging tool under development! Amaaaaazing… must watch the YouTube video embedded in this web page, which describes the purpose of the tool, called "the glass brain". It's a bit slow to load but well worth it.

It's one of the coolest things I have ever seen.

https://www.ucsf.edu/news/2014/03/11260 ... -and-brain

Concur. The health organisations simply don't have the finances to facilitate brain scans, though. I have made countless requests in the past for a brain scan, but my GP and psychiatrist always dismissed them.

Yeah, it's pretty difficult sometimes to get the investigations done that you want… I've had many similar frustrations with the medical establishment. If you really want something though, there's always a way. You don't need to settle for frustration. You can try another doctor, track down a specialist, make a strong case.

Any time I've ever had anything taken seriously I've had to find the most qualified expert in that field and pay to see them privately. If you let on that your financial situation isn't the best they will help you access the testing and treatment you need and help you with the insurance/financial aspect of it as much as they can. They are surprisingly negotiable. Most experts want the best for their patients - which is why they are at the top of their chosen profession. If you seek out these people the resources they have are amazing, compared to your run-of-the-mill GP or even a lot of specialists.

I've become so picky with my medical personnel these days (due to the frustrations you describe), that I come in prepared with a stack of notes and files ready to go. If I'm not taken seriously in the first 5 minutes I politely excuse myself and say sorry to waste your time, but you aren't the professional I was hoping to access. You don't have to pay (even if the secretary demands it) if you haven't been rendered the service. You move on. Find someone who genuinely wants to help. They are few and far between but they do exist!

Corpus callosum ages abnormally in autism

https://spectrumnews.org/news/corpus-ca ... in-autism/

"The corpus callosum, a thick bundle of nerve fibers that links the brain’s left and right hemispheres, develops differently in children with autism, a nine-year study has found.

The findings, published 11 March in Molecular Autism, provide a clue to the pathology of autism. They are in line with disparate data indicating that people with autism have faulty connections between different brain regions. The work also highlights the importance of studying brain changes over time.

“We often describe autism as a lifelong neurodevelopmental disorder, but we have not known how the brain develops in autism across the life course,” says lead researcher Brittany Travers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. “The results of this study are a step towards better understanding how the brain develops and changes in autism.”

The corpus callosum is the brain’s largest tract of white matter — so named for the pale sheath of fatty myelin that insulates nerve fibers. It was one of the first brain structures observed to be abnormal in imaging studies of people with autism 30 years ago. Roughly one-third of individuals born without this brain structure — a condition known as agenesis of the corpus callosum — meet the diagnostic criteria for autism."