DATE: July 21, 2022

TIME: 11:00 AM

LOCATION: In person, Murphy Family Seminar Room 5019 A+B, Clinical and Translational Science Research Center, 875 Ellicott Street, Buffalo, NY 14203, and online via Zoom.

AZA Allsop MD, PhD -Assistant Professor, Department of Psychiatry, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT

Social cognition is critical for human health and is necessary for our ability to demonstrate empathy and compassion. Social isolation leads to increased pro-inflammatory gene expression and overall mortality and has been linked to increased cardiovascular risk, functional decline, and to an increased likelihood of death. In addition, many psychiatric conditions including anxiety, depression, schizophrenia, and ASD manifest with altered social connections and behavior. However, there remains no FDA approved medication for targeting and improving social behavior.  The impact of social cognition on survival is also seen in many other species and is thought to be evolutionarily conserved and mediated by conserved neural mechanisms. Thus, we take a multidisciplinary, translational approach to dissect the neural mechanisms underlying fundamental aspects of social cognition and behavior. Our research lies at the boundary of social neuroscience, machine learning, psychedelics, and music psychology and is ultimately aimed at advancing our understanding of social cognition’s impact on mental health. To that end, we use data from rodent, primate, and human social neuroscience experiments and apply state of the art computational approaches to identify the neural circuitry mechanisms that support social behavior and the ways in which psychedelics, music, and mindfulness can change behavior to enhance social connection and treat mental health symptoms in the clinic and community.

Dr. Allsop will be hosted by Assistant Professor of Psychiatry Jamal B. Williams, PhD. “In addition to his world class training as both a scientist and a physician, AZA is a very talented musician and incorporates all of these experiences into his work,” says Williams.

If you have any questions, please reach out to Margarita Dubocovich. mdubo@buffalo.edu, (716) 829-3048