CTSI seminar examines approaches for improving social cognition and behavior

Social cognition and behavior will be the focus of the next UB Clinical and Translational Science Institute (CTSI) Community of Scholars Seminar.

AZA Allsop, MD, PhD, Assistant Professor, Department of Psychiatry, Yale School of Medicine, will present “Decoding Mechanisms and Creating Tools for Social Cognition and Behavior” in the Murphy Family Seminar Room 5019 A&B at the Clinical and Translational Research Center, and online via Zoom, at 11 a.m. on Friday, July 21. Register here to attend in person or watch the seminar on Zoom.

Allsop was invited to speak by Jamal B. Williams, PhD, Assistant Professor, Department of Psychiatry, Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences. “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,” Williams says.  

On Allsop’s Yale School of Medicine faculty page he explains that his “research is guided by the belief that deconstructing mechanisms of social cognition and social stress management will provide a better understanding of how social groups function and offer insights into enhancing the evolution of society at large.”

In the abstract for his seminar, Allsop says that 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.”

The abstract states that several psychiatric conditions — including anxiety, depression, schizophrenia, and autism spectrum disorder (ASD) — manifest with altered social connections and behavior, but there is no FDA-approved medication for targeting and improving social behavior. 

“Thus, we take a multidisciplinary, translational approach to dissect the neural mechanisms underlying fundamental aspects of social cognition and behavior,” Allsop says. “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.”

Allsop was recently featured in a Wall Street Journal video exploring how calming music affects the brain when compared to tense music.

For questions about the CTSI Community of Scholars Seminar Series, write to scholar1@buffalo.edu or call 716-829-3048.