InPuts Lab

This website is now obsolete. Please go to inputslab.com for my new lab website

Background

Touch plays an incredibly important role in development and is the first sense that develops prenatally. Touch plays a very important role in perception of the world around us, but also in the development of non-verbal communication and social interactions.

Children with Autism, as well as those with other neurodevelopmental disorders, often have problems with sensory experiences (e.g. touch, loud noises, bright lights). These difficulties present early (maybe even before diagnosis), are present throughout lifespan, and have large impact on daily life. Although we know touch is processed in the brain, we don't know what happens in the brain that makes different people experience touch in different ways. GABA is the main inhibitory neurotransmitter in the human brain. It plays a role in making brain cells less active ('inhibiting them'), which is important for regulating brain activity. Similarly, glutamate, as the excitatory neurotransmitter, also plays an important role in processing touch Alterations in inhibition have been shown in different conditions. As it is well known that GABA plays an important role in how touch is encoded in the brain, it's possible that those alterations in the GABA system to some degree cause sensory impairments.

The lab: MRS, touch, and neurodevelopmental disorders

My current work focuses on the investigation of brain dynamics underlying touch and in vivo magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) of GABA, to assess the relationship between what happens in the brain (GABAergic inhibition and Glutamatergic excitation), and the perception (tactile sensitivity) and behaviour (sensory reactivity and difficulties in social function and communication).. I apply these techniques in neurodevelopmental disorders, focusing on Autism Spectrum Disorder and Tourette syndrome, as well as ADHD and concussion.

At King's I support both sensory processing and MRS in the AIMS-2-TRIALS.