November 2024
How long have you been doing research?
Key: I've been using electroencephalography (EEG) and event-related-potential (ERP) techniques to study cognitive processes for over 25 years.
Kuhn: I first became involved in research through the Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program my sophomore year at University of Michigan. That was back in 2008, so it has been 16 years since my very first exposure to and involvement in research.
Tell us about your research.
Key: We use noninvasive recordings of electrical brain activity to probe cognitive and social-emotional processes in participants with neurodevelopmental disabilities or typical development. The resulting measures allow us to characterize individual differences in the extent and speed of information processing and fill in the assessment gap created by limited behavioral responses in young infants or persons with significant communicative, motor or intellectual difficulties. Recently, we extended our work from the traditional single-person studies to more real-life interactive contexts in order to investigate neural mechanisms supporting successful engagement with others. Using synchronized EEG acquisition from two individuals (aka hyperscanning) during common interaction types (e.g., a conversation), we are working to identify broad developmental and specific contextual factors that impact interpersonal neural synchrony needed to support effective communication and social interactions.
Kuhn: My research aims to promote equitable access to evidence-based, culturally responsive developmental/behavioral and mental health care for children and adolescents on the autism spectrum. My work targets critical junctures across the lifespan, from the diagnostic odyssey to the transition to adulthood.
What inspired you to do this particular research?
Key: I was always curious about the “how's” and “why’s” of human behavior, and cognitive neuroscience offered a perfect bridge between the observable actions and the underlying brain mechanisms. Working with populations with neurodevelopmental disabilities made it very apparent that visible behavior tells only a part of the story, and neural data provide a much more nuanced characterization of individual strengths and weaknesses. Combining multiple sources of information allows us to design and evaluate novel diagnostic and treatment approaches.
Kuhn: My experience growing up with a brother who has Pitt-Hopkins Syndrome made me interested in human differences and supporting children with disabilities from a young age. As I moved along in my education and training, I was drawn to the intersection of cultural diversity and disability – and supporting children with disabilities from all walks of life.
What are your goals for this research?
Key: Our overall goal is to reduce the burden of developmental disabilities by facilitating early detection and treatment. To reach this goal, we focus on infants and children and work to develop neural markers of risk, resilience, and treatment outcomes, particularly in the social and communicative domains, which are among the main contributors to the quality of life and the frequent treatment targets in early intervention.
Kuhn: My goals are to improve systems of autism care– making services more accessible, acceptable, and impactful for all.
What’s the research process like?
Key: Every research study starts with a question brought up by families or scientists. Then comes the part of selecting the best approach to finding the answer. In our case, it is often a puzzle-solving exercise where we figure out how to best elicit a particular process in the brain while keeping the behavioral demands on the participant minimal (i.e., accounting for the attention span, motivation or ability to follow instructions). Collecting EEG/ERP data is probably the most straightforward part, before we dive into analysis (brain studies generate large data sets!) and make sense of the results. Another important step is sharing our findings with the study families as well as the research community. All stages of this process involve collaborations with professionals across multiple disciplines (e.g., genetics, psychology, computer science, biostatistics, etc.), which enrich all of our fields and ultimately lead to better outcomes for children.
Kuhn: It is like running 5 marathons at once! There are multiple important projects to push forward at a time. Each of them takes great commitment and moves steadily; the camaraderie along the way and accomplishment at the finish lines make it all worthwhile.