Shireen Punjabi Introduction. Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) develops after a traumatic event such as exposure to actual or threatened death, serious injury, or sexual violence.1 DSM V defines PTSD as avoidance, intrusion, negative alterations in cognition or mood, and alterations in arousal and reactivity for more than one month.1 70.4%…

Jenna Sturgeon Background: Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder that manifests as abnormal cognitive deficits including impaired executive dysfunction, atypical perception and information processing, altered social cognition and repetitive behaviors and interests.1 ASD is influenced by both genetic mutations and environmental factors. ASD is known to co-occur with…

Kent Yamamoto Background: Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a severe psychiatric disorder that develops in the months and years following exposure to severe trauma.1 Current treatment for PTSD includes pharmacotherapies with serotonin reuptake inhibitors and psychotherapies in the form of exposure-based treatment.1 Serotonergic, dopaminergic, and noradrenergic antidepressants and/or anxiolytic medications…

Mariana Tostado Background: Spinal cord injury (SCI) is a devastating condition characterized by sensory, motor, or autonomic dysfunction below the level of injury, affecting 250,00 to 500,000 individuals per year1. SCI typically arises from traumatic events including motor vehicle accidents, falls, sports injuries, or acts of violence1. Individuals sustaining SCI…

Breanna Taylor Background: Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by a range of impaired social skills, repetitive behaviors, and intellectual disability.1 Dysregulation of serotonin is thought to play a role in the behavioral phenotypes seen in ASD as deficits in the serotonergic pathway have been linked as…