WEBVTT 00:00:03.240 --> 00:00:06.639 For today's episode, we will cover a fascinating 00:00:06.639 --> 00:00:10.119 and very powerful phenomena, visual thinking. 00:00:10.960 --> 00:00:14.960 We will cover the pictures and the movies playing 00:00:14.960 --> 00:00:19.219 in our head. We will cover lots of brain regions 00:00:19.219 --> 00:00:24.120 and connections starting with eye biology. This 00:00:24.120 --> 00:00:27.559 topic won't be exhaustive, but we will get into 00:00:27.559 --> 00:00:31.679 some deep and fun areas. Remember, eyes are brain. 00:00:31.899 --> 00:00:35.219 and bi -directional influence on our central 00:00:35.219 --> 00:00:39.159 nervous system, or more specifically, the autonomic 00:00:39.159 --> 00:00:43.439 nervous system. We will cover how sensations 00:00:43.439 --> 00:00:46.880 turn into perceptions, and also think sensory 00:00:46.880 --> 00:00:51.060 processing. There are two previous episodes solely 00:00:51.060 --> 00:00:55.259 on sensory processing. The sensory processing 00:00:55.259 --> 00:00:58.799 phenomenon, all, all autistics have a sensory 00:00:58.799 --> 00:01:03.020 processing challenge. That rate of information 00:01:03.020 --> 00:01:07.680 coming in. And think about eye contact. Now, 00:01:07.719 --> 00:01:09.780 it shouldn't be that difficult to understand 00:01:09.780 --> 00:01:13.840 why eye contact is not preferred. And think about 00:01:13.840 --> 00:01:17.680 the references to Bee Movie. The animated movie 00:01:17.680 --> 00:01:21.019 about bees. Early in the movie, when the teenage 00:01:21.019 --> 00:01:23.379 bees are graduating high school, and they're 00:01:23.379 --> 00:01:26.599 kind of thinking about life, and the cameras 00:01:26.599 --> 00:01:31.439 zoom out, looking at the hive, and they're Thousands 00:01:31.439 --> 00:01:34.900 upon thousands and thousands of bees swarming 00:01:34.900 --> 00:01:39.439 around at high rates. Very efficient. Close together. 00:01:39.659 --> 00:01:44.560 Everything is in sync. They are extremely efficient. 00:01:45.260 --> 00:01:48.099 And nothing is abnormal in this whole process. 00:01:49.019 --> 00:01:52.560 That's visual thinking to me. I want to start 00:01:52.560 --> 00:01:56.500 with an anecdotal event that recently just happened 00:01:56.500 --> 00:02:00.299 about visual thinking. For the context, I guess. 00:02:00.569 --> 00:02:04.790 This is in a graduate school classroom. We were 00:02:04.790 --> 00:02:07.810 talking about visual perception and visual thinking, 00:02:08.629 --> 00:02:11.129 visual hallucinations, and so forth. And I was 00:02:11.129 --> 00:02:14.150 asked about this. And the question was asked, 00:02:14.289 --> 00:02:18.389 well, how do I know I have this? The person was 00:02:18.389 --> 00:02:21.750 asking, how can they tell if they have this? 00:02:21.789 --> 00:02:26.050 And that's very obvious. Like, you'll know. So 00:02:26.050 --> 00:02:30.159 the professor said, if I say tree, Do you see 00:02:30.159 --> 00:02:33.639 it? Now, here's the thing. I will explain my 00:02:33.639 --> 00:02:37.000 experience with it, and this happened fast. I 00:02:37.000 --> 00:02:40.860 instantly went to Treebark, Oak Tree specifically, 00:02:41.319 --> 00:02:44.780 because of the rigidness. There's distinct lines 00:02:44.780 --> 00:02:48.979 in Treebark, and I saw this in real time from 00:02:48.979 --> 00:02:52.199 about three or four feet away. I could see the 00:02:52.199 --> 00:02:56.039 distinct features of the Oak Tree, where there's 00:02:56.039 --> 00:03:01.520 almost vertical line with the rough kind of rigid 00:03:01.520 --> 00:03:04.520 bark sticking out and then there's the recessed 00:03:04.520 --> 00:03:08.860 lines, the vertical lines that are often smooth 00:03:08.860 --> 00:03:13.219 and I walked right up to it and I put my left 00:03:13.219 --> 00:03:16.379 hand to rub across the tree bark and then the 00:03:16.379 --> 00:03:19.840 right hand with the index finger to rub up and 00:03:19.840 --> 00:03:24.099 down the vertical lines. Now, I could feel this 00:03:24.099 --> 00:03:27.180 and I could feel this. I could feel the touch 00:03:27.180 --> 00:03:30.919 signals. as if I was actually touching the oak 00:03:30.919 --> 00:03:34.319 tree. The left hand with the ruggedness and then 00:03:34.319 --> 00:03:37.740 the right hand up and down the lines. And I could 00:03:37.740 --> 00:03:40.580 feel it through my heart and body as if I was 00:03:40.580 --> 00:03:43.659 really touching the tree. And then my mind went 00:03:43.659 --> 00:03:47.080 into this rapid categorization of different tree 00:03:47.080 --> 00:03:50.780 barks. An oak tree that is less distinguished 00:03:50.780 --> 00:03:53.000 with the vertical lines. Sometimes they have 00:03:53.000 --> 00:03:55.960 vertical lines. Sometimes they don't. And there's 00:03:55.960 --> 00:03:59.439 different types of oak trees that showcase this. 00:03:59.780 --> 00:04:03.039 And then from here the pictures just came rapidly 00:04:03.039 --> 00:04:06.860 through my head. Different types of kind of rough 00:04:06.860 --> 00:04:10.819 tree bark all the way to the smooth type. Now 00:04:10.819 --> 00:04:13.439 there's things like Brathford pear trees that 00:04:13.439 --> 00:04:15.900 are rough. But there are other types of pear 00:04:15.900 --> 00:04:18.240 trees that are smooth. And then eventually I 00:04:18.240 --> 00:04:20.319 got to a magnolia tree, which is my favorite 00:04:20.319 --> 00:04:24.209 type of tree. Now, in the matter of a few seconds, 00:04:24.269 --> 00:04:29.769 maybe 8 -10 seconds, I saw 10 -12 types of trees. 00:04:30.410 --> 00:04:33.589 The bark. This is the thing. I never even made 00:04:33.589 --> 00:04:37.649 it to the canopy. I just went into this rapid 00:04:37.649 --> 00:04:41.350 categorization of tree bark and the tree trunks. 00:04:41.829 --> 00:04:45.350 Now visual thinking and seeing these movies play 00:04:45.350 --> 00:04:48.149 out is one of the most fascinating things of 00:04:48.149 --> 00:04:50.569 my life and I think with the autistic phenotype. 00:04:50.970 --> 00:04:53.490 So we're going to cover this in two parts. The 00:04:53.490 --> 00:04:56.790 next episode will be about machine learning that's 00:04:56.790 --> 00:05:01.810 similar to AI and how we build catalogs for different 00:05:01.810 --> 00:05:04.949 categories. This is the source of accelerated 00:05:04.949 --> 00:05:08.790 learning and those kind of restricted fixated 00:05:08.790 --> 00:05:12.209 interests. and how it's just like a filing cabinet 00:05:12.209 --> 00:05:16.389 with this vast amount of information, like AI. 00:05:16.990 --> 00:05:19.430 Okay, so now let's get back to the intent and 00:05:19.430 --> 00:05:21.970 material of this episode. I'm finished with the 00:05:21.970 --> 00:05:25.089 end goal. Now let's get to the material, the 00:05:25.089 --> 00:05:28.750 information regarding visual thinking. If you 00:05:28.750 --> 00:05:32.029 think about if you have a destination and there's 00:05:32.029 --> 00:05:34.910 point A to point B, but there are five stops 00:05:34.910 --> 00:05:40.870 that you must get to. For autistics, these first 00:05:40.870 --> 00:05:43.870 two stops are going to come fast and the terrain 00:05:43.870 --> 00:05:46.569 is going to be rocky. It's going to be tough. 00:05:48.569 --> 00:05:52.170 For non -autistics, point A to point B might 00:05:52.170 --> 00:05:55.829 seem just like a normal venture. Nothing outstanding 00:05:55.829 --> 00:05:59.189 or remarkable to get from point A to point B 00:05:59.189 --> 00:06:02.870 and to execute these five stops. Now, by the 00:06:02.870 --> 00:06:05.230 time you get to the fifth stop with the autistic, 00:06:05.709 --> 00:06:09.629 things are complicated. the other end. Let's 00:06:09.629 --> 00:06:12.129 say for the autistic phenotype and the sensory 00:06:12.129 --> 00:06:16.670 processing, the first two stops come fast, but 00:06:16.670 --> 00:06:20.029 then stops three, four, five to the final destination 00:06:20.029 --> 00:06:25.089 is lagging versus the typicals. This is just 00:06:25.089 --> 00:06:29.389 analogy with eye biology to reaching the cortex. 00:06:30.269 --> 00:06:33.110 We have all of these stops in these brain regions, 00:06:33.610 --> 00:06:36.759 all of these relayed stations and hubs inside 00:06:36.759 --> 00:06:40.240 the brain that are working together, orchestrating 00:06:40.240 --> 00:06:44.079 and facilitating adaptive responses, so to speak. 00:06:44.379 --> 00:06:47.620 The central nervous system is designed to move 00:06:47.620 --> 00:06:50.959 the living organism and the sensations coming 00:06:50.959 --> 00:06:54.139 in, extracting physical phenomena from the outside 00:06:54.139 --> 00:06:58.120 world, are used to inform the living organism 00:06:58.120 --> 00:07:03.519 of the environment. Think about the mesencephalon, 00:07:03.660 --> 00:07:06.959 the superior colliculus as well, and how this 00:07:06.959 --> 00:07:11.660 is just complicating everything with this relay 00:07:11.660 --> 00:07:14.800 recruiting those distal connections throughout 00:07:14.800 --> 00:07:17.800 the brain and especially the cortex and the prefrontal 00:07:17.800 --> 00:07:22.199 cortex. Those are distal connections. So the 00:07:22.199 --> 00:07:24.779 eye biology, how do we sense sensory neurons 00:07:24.779 --> 00:07:28.779 into interneurons? Remember the previous episodes 00:07:28.779 --> 00:07:33.699 with the parv albium interneuron? and then into 00:07:33.699 --> 00:07:37.360 the motor neurons. So we have those three types 00:07:37.360 --> 00:07:43.240 of basic neurons, sensory, interneuron, and motor 00:07:43.240 --> 00:07:48.959 neurons. So that we can form perceptions of the 00:07:48.959 --> 00:07:53.060 world. Where do we bias our attention and orient 00:07:53.060 --> 00:08:00.100 to the external world or the fantastic interworld? 00:08:00.680 --> 00:08:05.569 Often, Described in the Autistic Phenotype. Remember 00:08:05.569 --> 00:08:14.350 Autist, Autistic, Autism means Self. We will 00:08:14.350 --> 00:08:17.389 also highlight the social back and forth, troubles, 00:08:17.649 --> 00:08:21.990 and keeping up in real time. A source of Ecolalia 00:08:21.990 --> 00:08:25.370 as well. And we will also mention the reading 00:08:25.370 --> 00:08:28.449 process. And we will cover lots of Temple Grandin, 00:08:28.670 --> 00:08:31.680 three specific books. We will just extract information 00:08:31.680 --> 00:08:35.039 from these three books. I'm always fascinated 00:08:35.039 --> 00:08:38.539 with thinking in pictures. For Grandin writes, 00:08:39.100 --> 00:08:42.179 I think in pictures. Words are like a second 00:08:42.179 --> 00:08:46.679 language to me. I translate both spoken and written 00:08:46.679 --> 00:08:51.259 words into full color movies, complete with sound, 00:08:51.740 --> 00:08:57.080 which run like VCR tape in my head. Temple Grandin 00:08:57.080 --> 00:09:01.610 is a pioneer for this type of research. And remember, 00:09:01.909 --> 00:09:06.090 a key takeaway here, this is crucial, Temple 00:09:06.090 --> 00:09:11.289 Grandin is from the inside. Get it? Autism is 00:09:11.289 --> 00:09:14.769 mostly interpreted from the outside, from non 00:09:14.769 --> 00:09:18.950 -autistics. Huge problem. We can sit here for 00:09:18.950 --> 00:09:23.149 days, months and years and say things like mitochondrial 00:09:23.149 --> 00:09:26.610 dysfunction or the cytokines, gastrointestinal 00:09:26.610 --> 00:09:29.559 problems, those poor distal connections described 00:09:29.559 --> 00:09:32.519 earlier with point A to point B, but bringing 00:09:32.519 --> 00:09:36.659 the autistic phenotype into life is needed too. 00:09:38.139 --> 00:09:41.159 And finally, we will once again mention oxytocin 00:09:41.159 --> 00:09:45.940 and cover some canner and Asperger kids. So let's 00:09:45.940 --> 00:09:49.179 start with early eye biology and expand on the 00:09:49.179 --> 00:09:53.179 magnocellular and parvocellular cells and pathways. 00:09:54.470 --> 00:09:57.250 Again, from Temple Grandin, she says, sensory 00:09:57.250 --> 00:10:01.090 processing problems are real. Bright lights can 00:10:01.090 --> 00:10:04.370 be overwhelming, like a spotlight in my eye. 00:10:04.830 --> 00:10:08.269 So this points to eye biology, where visual thinking 00:10:08.269 --> 00:10:12.649 begins. So with the retina, this is a light -sensitive 00:10:12.649 --> 00:10:16.210 layer, and acts as a camera lens, converting 00:10:16.210 --> 00:10:19.950 light into signals via retinal ganglion cells. 00:10:20.309 --> 00:10:21.950 There are different types of retinal ganglion 00:10:21.950 --> 00:10:26.230 cells, the rods and cones. and then the popular 00:10:26.230 --> 00:10:32.250 melanopsin. These form the optic nerve that connects 00:10:32.250 --> 00:10:35.289 to the lateral geniculate nucleus in the thalamus. 00:10:35.789 --> 00:10:39.070 This is deep inside the brain, right next to 00:10:39.070 --> 00:10:42.129 the mesencephalon, the midbrain, so to speak, 00:10:42.389 --> 00:10:47.149 which isn't exactly the midbrain. Maybe 50 ,000 00:10:47.149 --> 00:10:52.350 years ago, it was the midbrain. This is wired 00:10:52.350 --> 00:10:56.320 up in the womb. to shape how we see. In autism, 00:10:56.700 --> 00:10:59.820 there are denser retinal ganglion cell connections, 00:11:00.320 --> 00:11:03.820 possibly from a mutation that we've discussed 00:11:03.820 --> 00:11:09.919 called Shenk 3. And this amplifies inputs, making 00:11:09.919 --> 00:11:12.580 those examples that Temple Grandin shares like 00:11:12.580 --> 00:11:17.860 razor sharp, but sometimes overwhelming. The 00:11:17.860 --> 00:11:21.059 melanopsin -containing retinal ganglion cells, 00:11:21.500 --> 00:11:24.779 intristic photosensitive, retinal ganglia cells. 00:11:25.360 --> 00:11:28.539 They are sensitive to blue light and this regulates 00:11:28.539 --> 00:11:32.679 alertness and the dysregulation may heighten 00:11:32.679 --> 00:11:37.379 the light sensitivity. Melanin, a retinal pigment, 00:11:37.840 --> 00:11:40.960 which is, melanin is kind of much more than a 00:11:40.960 --> 00:11:45.080 pigment, facilitates signal transfer. Remember 00:11:45.080 --> 00:11:49.419 the first episode of the sensory processing episode 00:11:49.419 --> 00:11:52.340 where we talk about melanin. Melanin is sits 00:11:52.340 --> 00:11:55.860 behind all of the sensory processing organs, 00:11:56.360 --> 00:11:59.799 all of these receptors from the outside world 00:11:59.799 --> 00:12:07.179 used for sensation. Melanin is behind this. In 00:12:07.179 --> 00:12:10.200 this connectivity, the autistic phenotype has 00:12:10.200 --> 00:12:13.740 hyperconnectivity of the optic nerve projections 00:12:13.740 --> 00:12:17.860 to the lateral geniculate and the superior colliculus. 00:12:18.200 --> 00:12:20.539 Remember these have spatial relationships. These 00:12:20.539 --> 00:12:23.419 are very close. They can reach out and basically 00:12:23.419 --> 00:12:27.360 high -five each other. But the superior colliculus 00:12:27.360 --> 00:12:31.120 is like a relay station. It acts to recruit distal 00:12:31.120 --> 00:12:34.820 connections. And there's an integration system 00:12:34.820 --> 00:12:39.960 here with the superior temporal, sulcus, STS. 00:12:40.139 --> 00:12:42.000 This is the first time we've mentioned this on 00:12:42.000 --> 00:12:45.399 the podcast. We will get into a little bit more 00:12:45.399 --> 00:12:50.200 of that momentarily. But from the retina, these 00:12:50.200 --> 00:12:53.659 familiar magnocellular, sometimes M pathway, 00:12:54.159 --> 00:12:57.940 and parvocellular, sometimes called P pathways, 00:12:58.659 --> 00:13:02.799 are like editors. The magnocellular neurons are 00:13:02.799 --> 00:13:06.240 big and fast, and they spot motion and spatial 00:13:06.240 --> 00:13:10.879 patterns. The parvocellular neurons are small. 00:13:11.440 --> 00:13:15.320 They focus on details and color. The magnocellular 00:13:15.320 --> 00:13:20.299 is colorblind. However, The parvocellulars are 00:13:20.299 --> 00:13:25.019 picking out fine detail and colors. In autism, 00:13:25.519 --> 00:13:28.179 the end pathways are hypersensitive to boosting 00:13:28.179 --> 00:13:33.080 dynamic imagery. Whereas the parvocellular acts 00:13:33.080 --> 00:13:38.220 to highlight the fine details in objects, visual 00:13:38.220 --> 00:13:43.259 inputs. The magnocellular neurons use more of 00:13:43.259 --> 00:13:46.799 a fast glutamate signaling, excitation. Whereas 00:13:46.799 --> 00:13:52.120 the parvocellular neurons rely more on GABA, 00:13:52.379 --> 00:13:59.500 inhibition, so more of this EI stuff. The M pathways 00:13:59.500 --> 00:14:02.700 project from the lateral geniculate nucleus to 00:14:02.700 --> 00:14:07.720 V1 and to the parietal lobe, a higher order sensory 00:14:07.720 --> 00:14:12.379 integration area of the brain. But specifically 00:14:12.379 --> 00:14:14.820 here, we're going to talk more about the precuneus. 00:14:15.019 --> 00:14:19.100 which is huge in the visual thinking phenomena. 00:14:20.419 --> 00:14:22.740 And in autism, there are hyper -connected short 00:14:22.740 --> 00:14:26.440 -range fibers that enhance the spatial imagery. 00:14:27.620 --> 00:14:33.539 The p -pathways project to V1 and the STS. But, 00:14:33.799 --> 00:14:37.039 and here's the big thing here, it's under -connective, 00:14:37.220 --> 00:14:42.899 hypo -connective via inferior longitudinal fasciculus. 00:14:43.799 --> 00:14:47.019 If you remember the speech and language episode, 00:14:47.480 --> 00:14:50.600 we talked about the arcuate fasciculus in quite 00:14:50.600 --> 00:14:54.779 detail. Fasciculus, they're bundles of nerve 00:14:54.779 --> 00:14:59.899 fibers, axons within the different brain white 00:14:59.899 --> 00:15:02.799 matter areas. And this is connecting different 00:15:02.799 --> 00:15:06.259 areas of gray matter, acting as communication 00:15:06.259 --> 00:15:10.000 pathways. This is very huge here with these distal 00:15:10.000 --> 00:15:12.570 connection problems. Now, there are different 00:15:12.570 --> 00:15:16.809 types of fasciculi. Just depending on their roles, 00:15:16.850 --> 00:15:18.990 what they're trying to accomplish, such as the 00:15:18.990 --> 00:15:22.330 arcuate is for speech and language, so for neckies 00:15:22.330 --> 00:15:26.750 and broca. The inferior longitudinal fasciculus 00:15:26.750 --> 00:15:31.029 is a major, major thing here for the white matter 00:15:31.029 --> 00:15:34.769 track in the brain's visual pathway, which is 00:15:34.769 --> 00:15:37.330 connecting the occipital and temporal lobes. 00:15:37.750 --> 00:15:40.029 And this is helping process and integrate visual 00:15:40.029 --> 00:15:42.779 information. with those higher level cognitive 00:15:42.779 --> 00:15:46.820 functions, including object recognition or the 00:15:46.820 --> 00:15:49.840 face processing. Now, I just mentioned the temporal 00:15:49.840 --> 00:15:52.980 lobe and the face processing. There's a cool 00:15:52.980 --> 00:15:57.799 nuclei called fusiform gyrus, which is pretty 00:15:57.799 --> 00:16:01.220 research in autism. This is facial recognition. 00:16:02.379 --> 00:16:05.460 In addition, for the language comprehension. 00:16:05.840 --> 00:16:09.500 Now, if you think about reading, okay, you're... 00:16:09.549 --> 00:16:13.169 you're using your visual inputs to make sense 00:16:13.169 --> 00:16:15.850 of the words on the paper or whatever you're 00:16:15.850 --> 00:16:19.830 reading from and then it even makes sense for 00:16:19.830 --> 00:16:22.809 the arcuate fasciculus to come on board because 00:16:22.809 --> 00:16:26.049 you're reading making sense of language and while 00:16:26.049 --> 00:16:28.909 reading you're silently speaking to the self 00:16:28.909 --> 00:16:32.909 anyway different topic so far the main things 00:16:32.909 --> 00:16:36.230 to remember are there's disturbances in these 00:16:36.230 --> 00:16:39.960 distal connections Remember the types of fasciculus, 00:16:40.240 --> 00:16:44.500 fasciculi. And then the point A to point B with 00:16:44.500 --> 00:16:48.740 those five stops is basically inputting sensations 00:16:48.740 --> 00:16:51.320 from the environment is point A. And then you're 00:16:51.320 --> 00:16:53.799 trying to get them back to the cortex to make 00:16:53.799 --> 00:16:56.519 sense of the things that you're extracting from 00:16:56.519 --> 00:17:00.100 the environment. That's point B, the final destination. 00:17:00.320 --> 00:17:03.360 So you can incorporate these things and make 00:17:03.360 --> 00:17:06.630 decisions to move the living organism. how are 00:17:06.630 --> 00:17:09.630 you going to bias your attention to the outside 00:17:09.630 --> 00:17:13.730 world? So now I think we can talk more about 00:17:13.730 --> 00:17:18.289 some neurobiology of these visual inputs, these 00:17:18.289 --> 00:17:22.089 the visual regions of the brain. So earlier I 00:17:22.089 --> 00:17:26.150 mentioned visual cortex in V1 and this is at 00:17:26.150 --> 00:17:29.150 the back of the brain. This is the camera capturing 00:17:29.150 --> 00:17:31.869 the raw visual data that are being sent through 00:17:31.869 --> 00:17:34.690 from the retina to the thalamus and superior 00:17:34.690 --> 00:17:39.420 colliculi. The primary visual cortex, V1, decodes 00:17:39.420 --> 00:17:43.420 edges and contrast, like spotting a line on a 00:17:43.420 --> 00:17:47.440 blueprint. Now, I'll have an anecdotal story 00:17:47.440 --> 00:17:50.640 about blueprints, maybe in the next episode on 00:17:50.640 --> 00:17:53.799 visual thinking, with the machine learning and 00:17:53.799 --> 00:17:58.539 AI. However, for now, there are also secondary 00:17:58.539 --> 00:18:03.059 areas, V2, V3, and V4, and this is building objects. 00:18:03.920 --> 00:18:10.839 In autism, data show that V1 through V4 are hyperactive. 00:18:11.240 --> 00:18:14.819 And these firing neurons are like a super HD 00:18:14.819 --> 00:18:18.779 camera zooming in on tiny details. Remember, 00:18:18.779 --> 00:18:22.299 we've talked about this, how we see details and 00:18:22.299 --> 00:18:28.160 then general. We build the model from the specific 00:18:28.160 --> 00:18:32.299 details, fine details. And this can be studied 00:18:32.299 --> 00:18:39.039 with EEG and the N100 type of measurement machine, 00:18:39.480 --> 00:18:45.740 MEG and the M100 measuring machine, or fMRIs, 00:18:45.799 --> 00:18:49.539 probably more familiar. This can reveal increased 00:18:49.539 --> 00:18:54.119 firing rates that boost contrasting sensitivity. 00:18:55.460 --> 00:18:58.400 This is why I believe that Temple Grandin and 00:18:58.400 --> 00:19:02.539 the autistic brain says that she notices flaws 00:19:02.539 --> 00:19:05.880 others miss. She's very good at this with her 00:19:05.880 --> 00:19:10.539 profession in the animal industry. This reduced 00:19:10.539 --> 00:19:15.819 synaptic pruning leaves dense dendritic connections. 00:19:16.519 --> 00:19:19.279 Remember we've talked about pruning, like serotonin 00:19:19.279 --> 00:19:22.680 in the thalamus is pruning. Those dendrites in 00:19:22.680 --> 00:19:26.740 the thalamus and the cortex that map out sensory 00:19:26.740 --> 00:19:30.720 processing. The serotonin is building our sensory 00:19:30.720 --> 00:19:33.799 map. We've talked about things like that in the 00:19:33.799 --> 00:19:40.160 Schenck 3 and P10. So if you think about a garden 00:19:40.160 --> 00:19:44.579 or farm, farming fields, and there are neatly, 00:19:45.339 --> 00:19:49.380 there are neat rows across the field, just imagine 00:19:49.380 --> 00:19:52.960 if there weren't neat rows and everything was 00:19:52.960 --> 00:19:56.269 structured and organized and it's just... Mother 00:19:56.269 --> 00:19:58.750 nature just kind of took over and there was no 00:19:58.750 --> 00:20:02.450 trimming and it was kind of hard to see the plants 00:20:02.450 --> 00:20:06.750 in that situation. A region of interest here 00:20:06.750 --> 00:20:10.269 is from the previous episode with the Parv Albium 00:20:10.269 --> 00:20:16.130 interneuron inhibition. These are acting as like 00:20:16.130 --> 00:20:21.809 traffic controllers. They help organize stop 00:20:21.809 --> 00:20:25.440 and go. Remember excitation is activating So 00:20:25.440 --> 00:20:29.440 that's the go, and the inhibition is inactivating. 00:20:30.940 --> 00:20:35.539 So that's the stop, the no -go. And these parvalbium 00:20:35.539 --> 00:20:40.799 interneurons, because their job is to stop, because 00:20:40.799 --> 00:20:44.660 there's a lack of stop, there's an amplification 00:20:44.660 --> 00:20:48.779 of excitability, sometimes causing sensory overload. 00:20:49.940 --> 00:20:53.700 Remember the Pioneer study from Rubenstein? Rubenstein, 00:20:53.799 --> 00:20:57.750 not sure. and Mike Merzenich from 2003. It's 00:20:57.750 --> 00:21:02.569 a very well -known study in autism on the EI 00:21:02.569 --> 00:21:06.609 imbalance. So the hyper -connectivity within 00:21:06.609 --> 00:21:11.190 the V1 through V4 and these short -range occipital 00:21:11.190 --> 00:21:14.730 fibers, this strengthens the detailed processing, 00:21:15.349 --> 00:21:19.349 like a fast Wi -Fi network, if you will. But 00:21:19.349 --> 00:21:22.089 the weak long -range connections to the prefrontal 00:21:22.089 --> 00:21:27.210 cortex via a subtype of fasciculus called the 00:21:27.210 --> 00:21:32.230 inferior frontal occipital fasciculus, I F O 00:21:32.230 --> 00:21:37.569 F. This limits abstract integration. Okay, this 00:21:37.569 --> 00:21:39.789 is a huge thing with the autistic phenotype. 00:21:40.170 --> 00:21:44.789 Abstract thinking? Also involved here is that 00:21:44.789 --> 00:21:48.950 parietal lobe, specifically the precuneus. Now, 00:21:49.569 --> 00:21:53.390 the second guess On the episode, Dr. Leanna Hernandez 00:21:53.390 --> 00:21:57.430 from UCLA briefly mentioned the precuneus having 00:21:57.430 --> 00:22:01.890 an abnormal connectivity with the precuneus. 00:22:02.349 --> 00:22:04.869 And we've later talked about that more specifically 00:22:04.869 --> 00:22:08.190 with the default mode network and with the visual 00:22:08.190 --> 00:22:13.130 thinking. This is in the upper back part of the 00:22:13.130 --> 00:22:17.509 cortex, the back third of your head, top of your 00:22:17.509 --> 00:22:21.329 head. The Precunius is essentially like a director 00:22:21.329 --> 00:22:26.789 in this visual thinking and these movie analogies. 00:22:27.430 --> 00:22:31.130 And it sequences the frames, if you will, into 00:22:31.130 --> 00:22:35.549 dynamic scenes. Now, if you've ever heard Temple 00:22:35.549 --> 00:22:39.430 Grandin be able to describe how she can just 00:22:39.430 --> 00:22:42.890 see the outline and the layout and the operation 00:22:42.890 --> 00:22:48.140 of these kind of animal machines, these cow pathways 00:22:48.140 --> 00:22:53.099 that she's designed. She's famous for these designs 00:22:53.099 --> 00:22:56.259 with the animals, specifically the cows. She 00:22:56.259 --> 00:22:59.960 can see this and build this and highlight all 00:22:59.960 --> 00:23:04.000 of the malfunctions and potentials of air, the 00:23:04.000 --> 00:23:07.000 bottlenecks and the problems that the cows might 00:23:07.000 --> 00:23:10.779 face while navigating that point A, entering 00:23:10.779 --> 00:23:14.789 these chutes to the final destination, the point 00:23:14.789 --> 00:23:19.230 B. She can see this and kind of modify these 00:23:19.230 --> 00:23:21.970 designs in her head with the visual thinking. 00:23:23.029 --> 00:23:28.529 And here using the fMRI as well, this shows hyperactivity 00:23:28.529 --> 00:23:31.589 with the autistic phenotype during visual spatial 00:23:31.589 --> 00:23:38.210 task. And this, this really enables vivid simulations 00:23:38.210 --> 00:23:41.369 that take place in this visual thinking realm. 00:23:42.349 --> 00:23:48.349 However, the fMRI shows a hypo activity and social 00:23:48.349 --> 00:23:54.269 task, like imagining someone's perspective. So, 00:23:54.670 --> 00:23:58.329 reduced GABAergic inhibition, so remember the 00:23:58.329 --> 00:24:03.069 parvalbium interneurons, combined with an increased 00:24:03.069 --> 00:24:07.210 so -called mini -column density. These are tiny 00:24:07.210 --> 00:24:11.029 neural processors, and this amplifies imagery. 00:24:11.789 --> 00:24:17.190 So we have not discussed many columns so far. 00:24:17.630 --> 00:24:20.150 Not once, I don't think, in the whole podcast. 00:24:20.829 --> 00:24:24.730 So we're going to do that now. Many columns are 00:24:24.730 --> 00:24:28.869 vertical arrays of neurons in the cerebral cortex, 00:24:29.009 --> 00:24:32.309 and these are organized as functional units that 00:24:32.309 --> 00:24:35.349 processes information in a highly coordinated 00:24:35.349 --> 00:24:39.369 way. These are specialized columns, specialized 00:24:39.369 --> 00:24:44.119 regions. With primary roles of integrating sensory 00:24:44.119 --> 00:24:48.039 and providing cognitive and motor information, 00:24:49.079 --> 00:24:51.519 each mini -column contains approximately 80 to 00:24:51.519 --> 00:24:56.700 100 neurons, including excitatory pyramidal neurons 00:24:56.700 --> 00:25:00.940 and inhibitory interneurons, such as the parva 00:25:00.940 --> 00:25:04.559 albium. These are arranged in a narrow column 00:25:04.559 --> 00:25:09.509 that spans the cortex six layers. Remember the 00:25:09.509 --> 00:25:12.150 cortex has six layers, and they're essentially 00:25:12.150 --> 00:25:15.589 stacked up like crepes. The many columns are 00:25:15.589 --> 00:25:18.990 critical for processing sensory input, such as 00:25:18.990 --> 00:25:23.890 this visual thinking, and the pattern recognition, 00:25:24.049 --> 00:25:28.130 and the detail -oriented cognition that we mentioned. 00:25:29.490 --> 00:25:32.849 They serve as a basic computational unit for 00:25:32.849 --> 00:25:36.329 the cortex, and each of these many columns handle 00:25:36.329 --> 00:25:40.759 specific features. The many columns are particularly 00:25:40.759 --> 00:25:44.200 relevant to autism due to their role in sensory 00:25:44.200 --> 00:25:47.920 processing and the pattern recognition. Data 00:25:47.920 --> 00:25:50.740 have shown that the structural and functional 00:25:50.740 --> 00:25:53.500 differences in many columns in autistic brains 00:25:53.500 --> 00:25:57.220 impact visual thinking and the related task. 00:25:57.579 --> 00:26:01.259 So with the increased density, this leads to 00:26:01.259 --> 00:26:05.599 denser neural packing, enhancing local processing, 00:26:06.019 --> 00:26:09.710 and then the reduced inhibition. those fewer 00:26:09.710 --> 00:26:14.069 stop signals between the many columns for the 00:26:14.069 --> 00:26:17.490 autistic phenotype can result into less filtering 00:26:17.490 --> 00:26:21.630 of sensory input. So there is an overload here. 00:26:22.130 --> 00:26:24.569 And this leads to that heightened. Remember we 00:26:24.569 --> 00:26:27.650 use the word heightened in the sensory processing. 00:26:28.529 --> 00:26:33.230 This details the perception. With the autistic 00:26:33.230 --> 00:26:36.410 phenotype, these many columns in the visual cortex 00:26:36.410 --> 00:26:43.720 V1 through V4, and the parietal lobe show hyper 00:26:43.720 --> 00:26:47.039 -connectivity with local regions. Remember, the 00:26:47.039 --> 00:26:50.380 point A to point B is fast, so -called, and fast 00:26:50.380 --> 00:26:54.160 and tough, rigid. This supports that vivid imagery. 00:26:55.220 --> 00:26:58.099 Some mechanisms with the neurobiology and these 00:26:58.099 --> 00:27:01.019 many columns, because these are highlighted in 00:27:01.019 --> 00:27:04.440 several brain regions. The visual cortex, the 00:27:04.440 --> 00:27:08.250 V1 through V4. Many columns here process those 00:27:08.250 --> 00:27:12.269 visual features, and this contributes to the 00:27:12.269 --> 00:27:17.250 responses shown in the N100 and M100 data. And 00:27:17.250 --> 00:27:20.349 this supports the autistic's enhanced visual 00:27:20.349 --> 00:27:25.210 thinking. In the precuneus, the many columns 00:27:25.210 --> 00:27:30.269 here handle visual spatial imagery. This enables 00:27:30.269 --> 00:27:34.710 mental rotation and dynamic imagery to formulate. 00:27:34.910 --> 00:27:40.410 and this light up this area. The parvalbium interneurons, 00:27:40.529 --> 00:27:46.430 well, these regulate many column activity. But 00:27:46.430 --> 00:27:49.710 the reduced inhibition in autism enhances that 00:27:49.710 --> 00:27:52.470 local processing. So if there's no stop signals 00:27:52.470 --> 00:27:56.470 in these areas, there's going to be an amplification 00:27:56.470 --> 00:28:01.589 of the visual detail and the focus. And the default 00:28:01.589 --> 00:28:06.970 mode network, and these interact with integrating 00:28:06.970 --> 00:28:10.890 visual imagery with memory. And this has helped 00:28:10.890 --> 00:28:15.910 capturing the detailed memory and the preference 00:28:15.910 --> 00:28:19.470 for just having this imaginative world inside 00:28:19.470 --> 00:28:24.170 of us. However, it can also be a source of things 00:28:24.170 --> 00:28:27.930 like just rumination and just reflecting back 00:28:27.930 --> 00:28:31.690 on previous moments, especially those social 00:28:31.690 --> 00:28:36.240 processing experiences. We can just replay this 00:28:36.240 --> 00:28:40.539 and just kind of destroy ourselves because of 00:28:40.539 --> 00:28:43.960 this analytic tendency that the autistic phenotype 00:28:43.960 --> 00:28:48.819 will have. Okay, so we were discussing different 00:28:48.819 --> 00:28:51.759 brain regions and we were highlighting the precuneus 00:28:51.759 --> 00:28:54.759 here. Let's move on to the prefrontal cortex. 00:28:55.119 --> 00:28:58.740 This is at the front. And this is kind of like 00:28:58.740 --> 00:29:01.960 a flexible rule setting machine that we have. 00:29:02.500 --> 00:29:06.039 And in autism, With the visual thinking, the 00:29:06.039 --> 00:29:08.619 dorsal -lateral prefrontal cortex is a region 00:29:08.619 --> 00:29:12.119 of interest. And this is trying to visualize 00:29:12.119 --> 00:29:16.440 goals. In autism, there's a reduced top -down 00:29:16.440 --> 00:29:21.140 control and this kind of so -called abnormal 00:29:21.140 --> 00:29:25.640 abstract thinking. These are categorized by the 00:29:25.640 --> 00:29:31.240 images, not abstract ideas. FMRI shows that the 00:29:31.240 --> 00:29:35.579 dorsal -lateral hypoactivation and abstract task. 00:29:36.319 --> 00:29:40.819 And there's an atypical myelination in the superior 00:29:40.819 --> 00:29:44.700 longitudinal fasciculus that disrupts this efficiency. 00:29:45.720 --> 00:29:49.140 This is like a delivery station. You want these 00:29:49.140 --> 00:29:53.160 to hit on fast and efficient temporal components 00:29:53.160 --> 00:29:56.480 here. So of course, it's not surprising that 00:29:56.480 --> 00:30:00.200 this is limiting the top -down control and the 00:30:00.200 --> 00:30:04.759 adaptive responses. The superior temporal soulless 00:30:04.759 --> 00:30:08.099 mentioned earlier. This is along the brain's 00:30:08.099 --> 00:30:11.940 sides, and the STS is the sound mixer, if you 00:30:11.940 --> 00:30:15.079 will, for these visual thinking and movies. And 00:30:15.079 --> 00:30:17.940 this is blending visuals with sounds and touch. 00:30:19.720 --> 00:30:22.700 In autism, there's a reduced activation that 00:30:22.700 --> 00:30:27.119 limits this, making imagery sometimes silent. 00:30:28.380 --> 00:30:32.150 Desynchronized multisensory neuron firing. That's 00:30:32.150 --> 00:30:36.210 due to the low parvalbium function and this disrupts 00:30:36.210 --> 00:30:41.950 integration. The reduced arcuate fasciculus and 00:30:41.950 --> 00:30:45.450 inferior longitudinal fasciculus connectivity 00:30:45.450 --> 00:30:49.910 impairs multisensory processing like reading 00:30:49.910 --> 00:30:55.509 or reading out loud. Transposing this raw data 00:30:55.509 --> 00:30:59.910 coming in either visually or reading whatever 00:30:59.910 --> 00:31:05.069 sensation it is this is kind of a delayed process 00:31:05.069 --> 00:31:07.589 because we have to shift everything we have to 00:31:07.589 --> 00:31:10.769 create everything into these images and sometimes 00:31:10.769 --> 00:31:14.630 they can even come alive these movies that we 00:31:14.630 --> 00:31:20.109 see real live movies going on in the inside now 00:31:20.109 --> 00:31:23.670 in the autistic brain another one of grandon's 00:31:23.670 --> 00:31:26.410 books she writes the autistic brain is different 00:31:26.410 --> 00:31:30.220 but it's not broken It's just wired for strengths, 00:31:30.940 --> 00:31:34.160 like visual thinking. Previously, we've spent 00:31:34.160 --> 00:31:38.220 a lot of time on how kind of society doesn't 00:31:38.220 --> 00:31:42.420 really mesh with the autistic phenotype here. 00:31:42.880 --> 00:31:46.900 We're very much in contrast with the generalization 00:31:46.900 --> 00:31:51.839 of social norms and central education and employment 00:31:51.839 --> 00:31:56.759 and so forth. However, I really want to highlight 00:31:56.759 --> 00:31:59.880 the Kanner kids and Asperger kids. These are 00:31:59.880 --> 00:32:04.720 always salient and crucial topics to discuss 00:32:04.720 --> 00:32:09.819 for autism. In 1943, Kanner described children 00:32:09.819 --> 00:32:14.339 with social isolation, the language delays, repetitive 00:32:14.339 --> 00:32:18.220 behaviors, and visual memory strengths, like 00:32:18.220 --> 00:32:22.759 memorizing patterns. If you remember what we 00:32:22.759 --> 00:32:25.779 talked about with the hyperactivity in the visual 00:32:25.779 --> 00:32:30.059 cortex and precuneus with enhanced magnocellular 00:32:30.059 --> 00:32:33.799 pathways and the enabling of the vivid imagery, 00:32:34.759 --> 00:32:37.539 this is very much in line here. Now there's no 00:32:37.539 --> 00:32:41.700 way to understand the brain functions or imaging 00:32:41.700 --> 00:32:44.339 the brains of the canner kids or the Asperger 00:32:44.339 --> 00:32:48.319 kids, but the behaviors that they highlighted 00:32:48.319 --> 00:32:52.220 very much is in line with visual thinking processes. 00:32:53.000 --> 00:32:56.619 The Kanner kids, it was really fascinating that 00:32:56.619 --> 00:32:59.119 it would always appear that they weren't paying 00:32:59.119 --> 00:33:01.700 attention, but if you're asking them about the 00:33:01.700 --> 00:33:04.460 environment, they could pick up and tell you 00:33:04.460 --> 00:33:07.940 essentially everything happening. That visual, 00:33:08.000 --> 00:33:11.920 that fast visual processing just allows us to 00:33:11.920 --> 00:33:15.440 detect things in the environment much faster 00:33:15.440 --> 00:33:21.190 than others. Kanner kids are like photographers. 00:33:21.390 --> 00:33:25.170 They're just capturing every moment, every detail. 00:33:25.710 --> 00:33:28.829 But the trade -off is there's no interaction. 00:33:29.549 --> 00:33:32.069 Maybe because people are just not on the same 00:33:32.069 --> 00:33:35.349 page. If you don't experience the same thing, 00:33:35.690 --> 00:33:38.349 how are you going to share that? How are you 00:33:38.349 --> 00:33:41.829 going to share those common interests? If you 00:33:41.829 --> 00:33:46.930 think about criteria A and the DSM, social interaction 00:33:46.930 --> 00:33:51.609 and communication criteria. There's that implications 00:33:51.609 --> 00:33:54.609 with the back and forth but if you get autistics 00:33:54.609 --> 00:33:58.970 on a topic or Autistics comfortable sharing something 00:33:58.970 --> 00:34:05.369 there's massive amounts of interaction In 1944 00:34:05.369 --> 00:34:08.369 Asperger described that the so -called higher 00:34:08.369 --> 00:34:12.170 functioning children with preserved language 00:34:12.170 --> 00:34:16.909 had intense visual technical interest One common 00:34:16.909 --> 00:34:20.949 example from Asperger's case studies is Fritz. 00:34:21.230 --> 00:34:24.030 Asperger's little professors and he highlighted 00:34:24.030 --> 00:34:26.949 that so -called autistic intelligence. They're 00:34:26.949 --> 00:34:30.730 technical wizards here. They're so technically 00:34:30.730 --> 00:34:34.230 advanced and just picking up patterns and picking 00:34:34.230 --> 00:34:38.409 up small details in the environment and having 00:34:38.409 --> 00:34:42.369 these fixated interest on these types of things. 00:34:43.920 --> 00:34:48.099 Cantor and Asperger's observations kind of really 00:34:48.099 --> 00:34:55.239 capture why the word autism or autistic is used. 00:34:56.239 --> 00:35:01.440 That inward focus, mainly because the amount 00:35:01.440 --> 00:35:06.739 of intensity and enjoyment, the interest with 00:35:06.739 --> 00:35:10.960 this visual thinking, and that safe place of 00:35:10.960 --> 00:35:15.030 these topics and subjects. Something shared across 00:35:15.030 --> 00:35:18.289 the so -called autistic phenotype. This is the 00:35:18.289 --> 00:35:22.750 core that B3 with the restricted fixated interest 00:35:22.750 --> 00:35:29.090 that are abnormal in intensity or focus Now something 00:35:29.090 --> 00:35:31.710 we haven't discussed yet and it's very powerful 00:35:31.710 --> 00:35:35.389 is The default mode network here how this is 00:35:35.389 --> 00:35:39.090 playing and kind of helping the visual thinking 00:35:39.090 --> 00:35:43.000 Because of that inward focus This is what the 00:35:43.000 --> 00:35:48.840 default mode network is kind of suggesting. The 00:35:48.840 --> 00:35:52.099 precuneus here, that hyperactivity for the autistic 00:35:52.099 --> 00:35:56.019 phenotype is like the theater. It's the big screen. 00:35:56.239 --> 00:35:59.079 This is where everything is kind of being played 00:35:59.079 --> 00:36:03.900 out. And if you know about the default mode network, 00:36:04.800 --> 00:36:08.280 the hippocampus is heavily involved in associative 00:36:08.280 --> 00:36:13.309 learning. this high intensity of memory. All 00:36:13.309 --> 00:36:15.409 of this is involved here and we'll get into that 00:36:15.409 --> 00:36:19.110 more in the second episode of the visual thinking. 00:36:20.369 --> 00:36:23.989 However, the default mode network manages the 00:36:23.989 --> 00:36:28.550 self -referential thought but this reduced connectivity 00:36:28.550 --> 00:36:32.929 such as the cingulum and the hyper -connectivity 00:36:32.929 --> 00:36:37.030 of the visual parietal tracks superior parietal 00:36:37.099 --> 00:36:40.840 and the occipital tracts. This boosts those imageries. 00:36:41.059 --> 00:36:42.800 Remember to piece everything together that we've 00:36:42.800 --> 00:36:45.460 covered with the many columns and that heightened 00:36:45.460 --> 00:36:49.579 activity with the point A point B being really 00:36:49.579 --> 00:36:56.320 fast. In contrast, the reduced STS connectivity 00:36:56.320 --> 00:37:00.539 such as the arcuate fasciculus and the inferior 00:37:00.539 --> 00:37:04.460 longitudinal fasciculus kind of limits the multisensory 00:37:04.460 --> 00:37:07.650 integration. However, this isn't necessarily 00:37:07.650 --> 00:37:12.090 the case the entire time, or for every autistic, 00:37:13.070 --> 00:37:18.630 because this visual thinking, this live, realistic, 00:37:18.969 --> 00:37:24.469 internal world, is often mixing those sensories 00:37:24.469 --> 00:37:28.110 together at times. It's very fascinating on how 00:37:28.110 --> 00:37:32.230 it's just like a light switch. Remember the supplementing 00:37:32.230 --> 00:37:35.250 relationships? I can have full -on conversations 00:37:35.250 --> 00:37:44.110 about anything in this imaginative world. In 00:37:44.110 --> 00:37:47.429 the Autistic Brain, Grandin additionally writes, 00:37:47.789 --> 00:37:50.409 my visual thinking is a strength, but social 00:37:50.409 --> 00:37:53.909 situations are harder. This highlighted default 00:37:53.909 --> 00:37:58.289 mode network kind of acts as a hub or a station 00:37:58.289 --> 00:38:01.869 that we can have all of this machine learning. 00:38:02.030 --> 00:38:04.630 happening and we'll talk about that in the next 00:38:04.630 --> 00:38:10.110 episode. We can build catalogs for categories 00:38:10.110 --> 00:38:14.030 in this intense learning, this accelerated learning 00:38:14.030 --> 00:38:17.230 that the autistic phenotypes have from way back 00:38:17.230 --> 00:38:21.510 to the Kanner and Asperger kids to current. This 00:38:21.510 --> 00:38:24.409 is why people need to understand this visual 00:38:24.409 --> 00:38:29.269 thinking and this learning process so that the 00:38:29.269 --> 00:38:32.710 autistic phenotype, the autistic person can do 00:38:32.710 --> 00:38:35.329 something, do something that they love and can 00:38:35.329 --> 00:38:38.630 do and want to do. Why is that so difficult? 00:38:39.130 --> 00:38:41.570 I have something exciting. I want to introduce 00:38:41.570 --> 00:38:44.429 a product unlike any other product available. 00:38:45.409 --> 00:38:49.969 A highlight is the product from Daylight Computer 00:38:49.969 --> 00:38:53.449 Company created their product based on these 00:38:53.449 --> 00:38:58.449 factors. The Daylight Computer is completely 00:38:58.449 --> 00:39:03.960 blue light free. It has no flicker. Short wavelength 00:39:03.960 --> 00:39:08.500 flicker is extremely harmful for our eyes and 00:39:08.500 --> 00:39:12.360 downstream biology. Light flicker is constantly 00:39:12.360 --> 00:39:15.980 turning our central nervous system on and off. 00:39:16.860 --> 00:39:20.360 Essentially, it is like going to a light switch 00:39:20.360 --> 00:39:24.739 and repeatedly turning it on and off. The problem 00:39:24.739 --> 00:39:30.750 is blue light and LED light does this. and it 00:39:30.750 --> 00:39:34.030 is so rapid you cannot even perceive this in 00:39:34.030 --> 00:39:39.530 real time. The daylight computer is the lowest 00:39:39.530 --> 00:39:43.449 stimulation and foremost for sensory sensitive 00:39:43.449 --> 00:39:48.710 users. It is no question that the alternative 00:39:48.710 --> 00:39:54.010 product especially when used at night do not 00:39:54.010 --> 00:39:58.429 address or consider this in their product. It 00:39:58.429 --> 00:40:03.389 is so toxic to human biology. Big tech corporations 00:40:03.389 --> 00:40:08.110 have patents on how their short wavelength implicate 00:40:08.110 --> 00:40:13.730 the human nervous system. And a bonus, despite 00:40:13.730 --> 00:40:17.849 daylight computer not having backlight, it is 00:40:17.849 --> 00:40:22.250 very functional for outdoor use. And of course, 00:40:23.050 --> 00:40:28.030 increased sunlight is always preferred. I am 00:40:28.030 --> 00:40:31.389 happy to offer a discount for the Daylight Computer. 00:40:32.510 --> 00:40:37.570 You can use the code Autism for a $50 off discount. 00:40:38.170 --> 00:40:42.590 Again, use the code Autism and the discount code 00:40:42.590 --> 00:40:47.690 for $50 off. See the link in the show notes to 00:40:47.690 --> 00:40:50.869 Daylight Computer Company or just give it a quick 00:40:50.869 --> 00:40:54.969 search in your internet browser. Use the code 00:40:54.969 --> 00:41:00.719 Autism. for $50 off. I would like to mention 00:41:00.719 --> 00:41:07.019 Chroma, lights designed for humans. Chroma, a 00:41:07.019 --> 00:41:11.420 Seattle -based innovator founded by ex -NASA 00:41:11.420 --> 00:41:15.880 and Air Force engineer Michael Shapiro, is on 00:41:15.880 --> 00:41:19.380 a mission to enhance physical and mental health 00:41:19.380 --> 00:41:24.539 with purpose -built devices, unlocking peak human 00:41:24.539 --> 00:41:28.269 health. cognitive function, and performance. 00:41:29.530 --> 00:41:32.369 Shapiro launched Chroma to restore the natural 00:41:32.369 --> 00:41:37.769 light lost to screens in indoor living, and delivers 00:41:37.769 --> 00:41:41.630 faster recovery, sharper minds, and better sleep. 00:41:42.710 --> 00:41:46.650 Their products hit hard. The Iron Forge speeds 00:41:46.650 --> 00:41:50.630 muscle repair with red and near -infrared light, 00:41:51.309 --> 00:41:54.579 while the Skylight mimics sunlight. to boost 00:41:54.579 --> 00:42:00.280 sleep and energy. A standout, the Forge Lamp, 00:42:00.579 --> 00:42:05.639 is a portable gem that fires 660 nanometer and 00:42:05.639 --> 00:42:11.360 850 nanometer light to energize mitochondria 00:42:11.360 --> 00:42:16.000 and heal tissues on the go. Remember the four 00:42:16.000 --> 00:42:19.099 red light chromophores on cytochrome c -oxidase 00:42:19.099 --> 00:42:22.960 frequently talked about in the podcast. This 00:42:22.960 --> 00:42:27.219 is why. Their products are built with military 00:42:27.219 --> 00:42:33.139 -grade durability that have lasting impact. Chromis 00:42:33.139 --> 00:42:39.019 Tech fuses precision and power. Gallium titride 00:42:39.019 --> 00:42:43.199 power supplies. Smaller, cooler, and stronger 00:42:43.199 --> 00:42:47.420 than silicon. Provide flicker -free light that's 00:42:47.420 --> 00:42:52.099 easy on the eyes. High -powered LEDs target key 00:42:52.099 --> 00:42:56.739 wavelengths for skin, tissue, and cellular health 00:42:56.739 --> 00:43:00.579 with smart heat management for the lasting impact. 00:43:01.619 --> 00:43:04.940 Every design decision Chroma makes serves a purpose 00:43:04.940 --> 00:43:09.440 to create devices that are precise, durable, 00:43:09.940 --> 00:43:15.260 and effective for improving human life. Remember, 00:43:15.780 --> 00:43:18.280 humans use different wavelengths of light for 00:43:18.280 --> 00:43:23.199 different functions of life. Remember when I 00:43:23.199 --> 00:43:30.280 asked, what do you think light is? Chroma designs 00:43:30.280 --> 00:43:35.199 with our biology in mind. From sleep aids and 00:43:35.199 --> 00:43:39.900 wound healing to mitochondrial energy, full body 00:43:39.900 --> 00:43:43.340 lights and blue light blocking glasses. They 00:43:43.340 --> 00:43:48.239 are US made and chroma ships globally and accepts 00:43:49.590 --> 00:43:56.250 FSA and HSA payments. Use autism at checkout 00:43:56.250 --> 00:44:02.949 for a 10 % off discount. That's autism at checkout 00:44:02.949 --> 00:44:07.750 for a 10 % off discount. If you're listening 00:44:07.750 --> 00:44:10.769 to the podcast or listening to the episode, please 00:44:10.769 --> 00:44:14.429 feel free to leave a review or rating. In podcasting, 00:44:14.630 --> 00:44:17.719 reviews, ratings, and downloads are huge. and 00:44:17.719 --> 00:44:20.400 I very much appreciate your feedback. You can 00:44:20.400 --> 00:44:27.739 contact me on X at rps47586 and we can have any 00:44:27.739 --> 00:44:30.079 discussion about autism. I'm always interested 00:44:30.079 --> 00:44:34.039 in your conversations about autism. You can email 00:44:34.039 --> 00:44:40.480 me info .fromthespectrumatgmail .com. You can 00:44:40.480 --> 00:44:42.860 check out the YouTube page for all full length 00:44:42.860 --> 00:44:47.869 videos and shorts and clips. And thank you for 00:44:47.869 --> 00:44:51.010 listening to From the Spectrum Podcast.