Autism Talk TV – Episode 10
This is a guest post by Alex Plank, an autistic adult who founded the online community Wrong Planet. Alex is a graduate of George Mason University.
In this 18 minute episode of Autism Talk TV I sit down with Lindsay Oberman at Harvard Medical School’s Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center to talk about TMS, a technology that allows researchers to use magnets to affect the brains of individuals with autism. First we have an interview with Lindsay and then you can watch me undergoing TMS.
Lindsay discusses the details of TMS and how it relates to autism. She has been interested in autism since she was a graduate student and clearly has a passion for finding out how autistic brains differ from neurotypical ones.
I was surprised that the TMS researchers were able to use a magnet to move my hand and individual fingers. The region they affected on me was the motor cortex which governs movement. The idea that you can use a magnet to make changes to the brain sounds like science fiction, but it isn’t fiction at all.
Lindsay is close to conclusively figuring out exactly how autistic brains differ from neurotypical brains. There is great potential for TMS being used as a diagnostic tool as well as a theraputic tool. I think you will be fascinated by this episode of Autism Talk TV.
Check out Alex’s work on Wrongplanet here.
It is an outrage that autism speaks picks up the tab for Plank’s videos and allows him to write posts on his blog. While he insults parents that are trying to help their kids and disenfranchizes pro cure autistics such as myself and speaks for me and states that “most of us” don’t want to be cured.
SO-O-O-O profoundly interesting that I needed 2 replay sum segments 1c or twice 2 get the full value of what was said… (I was TRYING 2 multitask by working at my desk job at the same time!) TY, Alex Plank, 4 a GRRRRRR8 job!!
Interesting. I’ve got a two question for Alex Plank? What degree did you graduate with while you were at George Mason? Finally are you employed, or are you like me right now trying to search for a job?
Adam, I majored in Film and Video studies at George Mason. I’m currently searching for a job.
Diana, Thanks!!