UCLA Grad Slam winner sheds light on cerebellum ’s role in autism

Key takeawaysThe annual Grad Slam competition challenges graduate students to briefly explain their research in a clear and accessible way in front of an audience of non-experts.This year ’s winner, neuroscience doctoral candidate Melis Çakar, spoke about how activity in a brain structure called the cerebellum correlates with over-responsivity to sensory stimuli in people with autism spectrum disorder.Çakar beat out 52 other competitors and won $5,000; she will now represent UCLA at the UC-wide Grad Slam competition on May 3.Imagine you ’re trying to catch a ball or tie your shoes. It is your cerebellum, a part of your brain, that enables you to do these things smoothly. The cerebellum is also involved in how you understand language, interact with others and experience sensory stimuli. It is the cerebellum’s role in these latte r functions, particularly in the context of autism, that UCLA graduate student Melis Çakar is studying, and she does a great job explaining it.Earlier this month, Çakar wonUCLA ’s 2024 Grad Slam competition with herpresentation “Cerebellum: From (un)Fashionable Research to Pivotal Science,” topping a field of 52 competitors and taking home a $5,000 award. The event challenges graduate students to explain their research to a non-expert audience in three minutes or less, communicating complex ideas in a relatable and ac cessible way.Grad Slam at UCLA is hosted by the Division of Graduate Education, which offers workshops and peer coachi...
Source: UCLA Newsroom: Health Sciences - Category: Universities & Medical Training Source Type: news