Hi, new here. I was sitting at the computer tonight thinking, "Man, the internet has run out of stuff for me to do!" and then I suddenly thought, "Well, I've never googled for any forums on Neuroscience..."-- and here I am.

I am 26, female, psych major (for AGES it seems), will be attending graduate school to get PhD in Experimental Psych, although I'll be training more along the Neurology lines. My future-supervisor/friend is a neuropathologist, so while I'll be taking classes in the Psych department, I'll be doing my work over in the med school. My focus is on the Autistic Spectrum (ASCs), particularly on minicolumns, minicolumnar evolution, and a bit of immunology thrown in (which also happens to be his focus too; life works out well that way).

I've just begun a research practicum with a researcher in Radiology at Washington University, here in St. Louis. I will be helping with his current project which will be focusing on face recognition in autism using fMRIs.

My interest in ASCs has sprung from my own diagnosis of Asperger's Syndrome which occurred pretty recently (yep, I'm an aspie; maybe there's a few more hiding on this forum too?). So now, with my usual narcissistic pride and egotism, autism has become my passion.

I must warn you though, one of my biggest flaws is my pedantry. So if I start talking like I sound like I know what I'm talking about and I really don't, gimme a good hard cyber-slap to snap me out of it.

Thanks in advance!

Hi gehirn, welcome to Brain Meta!

Hi gehirn, welcome to Brain Meta!
I suspect I have one of the forms of autism, but I'm over and above normal functioning so alls good. I suspect you are too what with your studies and career path

That's interesting, hopefully we'll talk more about that. I am someone whom most would not consider autistic until they knew me better. I mainly sought the diagnosis for school and work accommodations.

You may also enjoy looking around Gestalt. There's quite a few people out there who are very high-functioning but just prefer to self-dx rather than seek out a professional one.

PS- I posted the link to this forum on Gestalt as well. Thought some of my other members might enjoy it.

Hello, and welcome! Which manifestations of AS are the hardest for you to cope with, and how do you manage? Just curions.

Hallow Hering (Gehirn),

Welcome to the most specific and miraculous forum on this planet.

Are there any news about Her. Hitler's new projects?

Hmmm... well, that's a difficult question. I am lucky to not have depression, so that makes things thousands of times easier. I think probably what allows me to cope with the things I have difficulty with are the things I can do because I am autistic. There certainly can be bonuses. Intelligence, creativity, various talents. For me, the positives make up for the negatives, so that I would never change who and what I am. At the same time, I am lucky that my life is heading in a pleasurable direction and I have support and relative stability. If things were otherwise, I would imagine it would be very easy for me to be miserable; like walking the thin edge of a knife. Sometimes that is an alarming idea.

But not all autistic people are so lucky. And others, their abilities are little solace for their difficulties. But it varies from person to person. Some are happy; some are not.

I would say the thing which cause me daily strain is having limited energy for things; I get worn out by the environment fairly easily, so I often need recuperation time, and just generally need to take things easy. I think if I even had the inclination to go out nightly to parties (which, thankfully, I don't) I wouldn't last too long before getting ill.

There's also some medical conditions which may be linked with the autism spectrum, although only time and science will tell for sure. These I find trying: insulin resistance, Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome, IBS, osteoarthritis, asthma, allergies, and I also suspect I have an IgA Deficiency (which is an autoimmune condition) and a mild gluten allergy (though without insurance to test for these, I can't be certain; but their occurrence rates are suggested to be higher in the autism spectrum and I show all outward symptoms).

I also have a very mild form of Temporal Lobe Epilepsy, but it's so mild I don't take medication. Actually, given my neuroscience fascination, I find it quite fascinating (which most people find odd, heh). But epilepsy occurs in approximately 30% of autistic people, possibly more.

In short though, despite the label, I have found a passionate interest in the autism spectrum (it will be my research focus in my career), I enjoy who I am, everyone has problems so I'm no different-- I just happen to have "autistic" problems, and I'm very lucky to not have problems with depression. So I would say that rather than "coping", I thrive instead.

And here I was thinking Hitler had died!

I get extremely uncomfortable when I'm not doing exactly what I want. My concentration is either absolutely focused on one thing to the detriment of the rest of my life, or it is extremely unfocused in everything I do. I get annoyed by childish behaviour in my immediate environment, I live half the time in the fantasies of different media. I enjoy sci-fi, mathematics, philosophy, computers, but I am unable to feel much empathy with the exception of my immediate kin. I've not had any bouts of epilepsy at all, but I have had many natural altered states.

I'm going to explore the possibility I am a high functioning autistic or I have a long history of undiagnosed depression with a counsellor soon. I am wanting to understand why I need to use different vices to get through life, since its not just one thing, and at the same time validate some of my more personaly thoughts on reality with someone who has a rubber stamp marked 'Sane'.

As for Hitler, well he went back to Mu!

That's thanks to contributors like you, Enki. Kudos to you and you posts!

I wish you luck! If you ever want to seek out a professional dx, I recommend two things:

1) find a diagnostician who is very experienced diagnosing HFA and Asperger's

2) find a diagnostician who's had a lot of experience diagnosing your age range and sex

Too many auties are turned down for dx because they don't get that you can't just go to any diagnostician. A regular psychiatrist, psychologist, or neurologist likely won't do; they won't have the experience necessary. Many finally get dxed once they figure that out and find an experienced professional or organization to assess them.

I wonder, don't you watch movies about sexy pirates of Caribbean cooking chocolate on Fabric (?):

'Hey Ho, thieves and beggars they shall never die…'

Hahahaha!!!

Thank you Code very much, it is so rare to meet people with whom one can speak about cabbages and kings on this uninteresting planet.

You know, where else on this planet one can find "Gods'' forum?

Gods->Dogs

You know the picture, so you know my feelings on the matter. The brain makes faces, villains and heroes before anything else! Mary in coffee swirls, Jesus in a dogs ass, its fun to play with perception.

You never know what exactly stands behind the swirls in the coffee. Bifurcation? Reflection of a pattern of a grand-fractal? Or the catmatic [ ( c ) Lindsay's term] smile of the God through the whirls of particles, numbers, dust, letters etc. It should be researched, I guess.

Please pay attention to my signature, I guess I made some nice efforts to show something:

"He who breaks a thing to find out what it is, has left the path of wisdom." J.R.R. Tol'kiEn

"Draco dormiens nunquam titillandus! / A sleeping dragon must never be tickled!" fEnik's Order

Is it a coincidence or ...? Or all pervading manifestation of something to mankind? I really wonder how that can be ignored so easily? What if the God (or Prof. Tol'kiEn) will get very angry and decide to pass to other interesting DEMONstrations? Hm?

I sleep with pirates.

(Well, I haven't met any yet. But I would if I met one. Maybe.)

Ehhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.

I know some pirates. They look like pirates, they have pirate swords, they have or have had swashbuckling adventures, they love rum, etc. Should I inform them of your potential mating capacity?

Music pirates on halloween costume, maybe? They do exist, but they are stink, ruthless and totally dedicated to a life of crime:

http://blindkat.hegewisch.net/pirates/piracy.html

According to the latest statistics (June, 2006) from the IMB Piracy Reporting Centre:

"...global piracy increased slightly in the first quarter of 2006. Reported attacks have risen approximately 8% when compared with the same period in 2005. The actual number of reported piracy attacks in the first three months of 2006 was 61, a modest increase over the 56 attacks noted in the same period of the previous year."


As can be expected where ever unstable governments are found, piracy tends to flourish. In January, 2006 the seas around Iraq were declared a Piracy hot zone with 10 attacks occurring 2005. no acts of piracy were reported in 2004.

During 2004 pirates preying on shipping were more violent than ever in. In that year Pirates murdered a total of 30 crew members, compared with 21 in 2003, according to the ICC International Maritime Bureau 2004 Annual report on pi racy.. The number of attacks reported worldwide through the IMB Piracy Reporting Centre in Kuala Lumpur was 325, down from the 445 recorded in 2003.

Do they smell? I'm afraid that would make or break it for me...

The sweet smell of rum, brine and cheap perfume from the wenches!!!

I'm sure we could tidy them up for you if you found rancid odours offensive? Maybe hose them down?
One of them also has a cannon.

A pirate with a concern for your social expectations would be a strange pirate if he/she were much of a pirate at all.
I don't think Pirates are in the same league as Robin Hood.

During the Golden Age of Piracy, starting around 1700, ideas about sanitation, sickness, and disease were still coming out of the Dark Ages. Medicine was still limited to folk cures, leeches, and the treatments of purging and sweating. Life on board a pirate vessel was often dank, smelly, and dangerous. Bathing was unheard of, and the holds of many pirate vessels were loaded with explosive gunpowder that was sensitive to the slightest spark. Sailing ships were plagued by rats and insects, which often ended up in a pirate's food. Meals consisted mostly of watered-down rum and a kind of stew called salmagundi, which was heavily seasoned to disguise the flavor of spoiled meat. Fresh water was in short supply, and diseases like tuberculosis, lead poisoning, scurvy, and shingles were common. Injuries were common as well, but finding a qualified doctor was difficult and surgery was almost out of the question. If amputation was necessary, a barber, carpenter, or cook might serve as a surgeon, sometimes with tragic results.
Besides disease and injury, there was the constant threat of violence from rival pirate gangs or being captured and hanged by the navy. At worst, a pirate might be marooned by his own crew, left to die on some deserted island for crimes against his shipmates.......

Romantic Hero or Bloodthirsty Robber? Unraveling Pirate Myths
By Erin Stafford, published Jun 08, 2007