Monday, August 5, 2019

Manuel Casanova's new book

I'm pleased to announce that neuroscientist and autism researcher Manuel Casanova has a new book out. Dr. C is a neuroscientist who has done research on post-mortem brains, showing that autistics have abnormalities in structures called minicolumns, where there are too many of them and the cells are more narrow.  Also, according to his research, there is a protective membrane around the minicolumns which p;rovide a sort of shower curtain effect.  The neurons in this membrane use GABA as a neurotransmitter, which is an inhibitory neurotransmitter and could be the reason autistics engage in self-stimulatory behaviors.

He's also done research on Transcranial magnetic stimulation as a possible treatment for autism.

Unlike most scientists, manuel has a blog called Cortical Chauvinism where he in part explains his research in terms the lay person (such as myself) can understand.

In addition, Manuel criticizes the neurodiversity movement as well as journalist Steve Silberman.

Manuel now has a personal stake in developmental disabilities, as his grandson suffers from a severe genetic disorder resulting in serious neurologic dysfunction.

He's included these posts on cortical chauvinism in book form which is now available from amazon at the above link.

I attempted to publish a 5 star review of the book on Amazon, but for some reason, my review has not been posted yet.

I highly recommend this book and hope others will purchase it.  (I purchased a copy, yeah)