Latest news with #UC Irvine
Yahoo
30-06-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
I'm a neuroscientist. I scanned my own brain 26 times to see how it changed during pregnancy.
For decades, expectant women have talked about having 'mommy brain' or 'pregnancy brain,' a phenomenon where you're more absent-minded than usual during pregnancy and the postpartum period. But despite this being commonly discussed, scientists haven't really studied it. Liz Chrastil, an associate professor of neurobiology and behavior at the UC Irvine Center for the Neurobiology of Learning & Memory, sought to change that. She had her own brain scanned 26 times before, during and after pregnancy to document the physical changes in a way that had never been done before. Chrastil shares with writer Korin Miller the inspiration behind her research, what it was like to be on the other side of science and what she hopes will happen next. I'm a researcher who specializes in learning and memory, and I use magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) regularly in my work. But the tables turned, and I ended up becoming the subject of a study of the human brain during pregnancy when I was trying to conceive. I was inspired by Laura Pritschet, a graduate student working at the University of California, Santa Barbara, under my colleague, Emily Jacobs. Pritschet had recently finished a study on herself on how the menstrual cycle impacts the brain, and it made me think I should do the same during my pregnancy journey in 2019. I went through in vitro fertilization, so I had a great idea of the timing of my pregnancy. All that was left to do was to track myself, and I did — over 26 MRI scans. I'm used to doing MRIs quite a bit, given my field. I know that the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists says that MRIs are not linked with pregnancy risk and are the imaging techniques of choice when they're needed during pregnancy. MRI uses a magnet, and there are no injections or radiation. There are no known risks, but we looked at studies of people who had done MRIs during pregnancy for medical reasons, and there were no safety concerns. I did want to be cautious about sound, so we put some foam in the machine as an added precaution to muffle the sound the scanner makes. After that, I worked with my collaborators to come up with the protocols that would be needed for the scans. It ended up being that I simply made appointments to be in the MRI scanner and to do blood draws as well. I tried to time the blood draws to happen just before the scans so the data would be gathered as close together as possible. The MRI sessions weren't short. We did about six or seven different scans each time, ultimately taking about 40 minutes each. I did 26 scans overall, which means I spent more than 1,000 minutes in an MRI scanner before, during and after my pregnancy. During each scan, I had to get set up, be positioned well and just try to get comfortable. Later on in my pregnancy, it was more important just to be comfortable. I had to lay still and stay awake for one of the scans, so I would just think about whatever I wanted during that time. We made a point to do that scan first, and it usually was over in 10 minutes. After that, I would just rest or fall asleep during the other scans. I usually slept — I was pregnant, after all. The research on my brain was eventually published in the journal Nature Neuroscience, featuring photos and breakdowns of all of my scans. We saw some noticeable changes to my brain over time. One big standout was in the volume of gray matter in my brain. Gray matter is a type of tissue that's mostly responsible for processing memory, along with sensory perception, speech and decision-making. The gray matter decreased about 4%, and those changes are pretty permanent. In tracking this, we could see a steady decrease and a slight bounce back in volume, but it never really fully returned. I haven't noticed a change in how I think, though. We also looked at white matter, which acts as the 'superhighway' in the brain to form big connections. We think of this as the road information travels on. Here, we found an interesting change where the structural integrity of white matter improved and peaked around the second trimester before returning to baseline after my baby was born. Again, I didn't notice a difference in how I thought or felt during this time. The purpose of the study was to look for changes in the brain during pregnancy. It's 2025, and it's shocking how little we know about some of these things. There were basically no studies on brain changes during pregnancy, so it was up to us to do the research. But we don't know yet what these findings mean. We don't know if these brain changes are good or not. There is some suggestion that these changes are adaptive, morphing the brain on purpose to help with maternal care. But it could also be a trade-off. The body may be saying, 'We've got other things to do here. Sorry, brain!' and shuttling vital resources away from the brain to other areas. So, we really don't know. Now, we need to find out what all of this means. General interest in this area of research has opened up, and there's been a very big response in the research community to our work. We're now working with other people and plan to do another round with a bigger sample of 10 to 15 pregnant women. After that, we'll scan hundreds of pregnant women but with fewer time points. I'm lucky that I had no major issues with postpartum depression, but estimates from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show that up to one in eight women do. We're keeping an eye toward postpartum depression with our research and who is most vulnerable. The hope is that we can help to identify how the risks of postpartum depression change during pregnancy along with where, when and how we can help to prevent it. Ultimately, the big thing is that we actually did the study and asked the questions. This is a huge area of research that has been overlooked — and we're actively trying to change that.
Yahoo
30-06-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
I'm a neuroscientist. I scanned my own brain 26 times to see how it changed during pregnancy.
For decades, expectant women have talked about having 'mommy brain' or 'pregnancy brain,' a phenomenon where you're more absent-minded than usual during pregnancy and the postpartum period. But despite this being commonly discussed, scientists haven't really studied it. Liz Chrastil, an associate professor of neurobiology and behavior at the UC Irvine Center for the Neurobiology of Learning & Memory, sought to change that. She had her own brain scanned 26 times before, during and after pregnancy to document the physical changes in a way that had never been done before. Chrastil shares with writer Korin Miller the inspiration behind her research, what it was like to be on the other side of science and what she hopes will happen next. I'm a researcher who specializes in learning and memory, and I use magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) regularly in my work. But the tables turned, and I ended up becoming the subject of a study of the human brain during pregnancy when I was trying to conceive. I was inspired by Laura Pritschet, a graduate student working at the University of California, Santa Barbara, under my colleague, Emily Jacobs. Pritschet had recently finished a study on herself on how the menstrual cycle impacts the brain, and it made me think I should do the same during my pregnancy journey in 2019. I went through in vitro fertilization, so I had a great idea of the timing of my pregnancy. All that was left to do was to track myself, and I did — over 26 MRI scans. I'm used to doing MRIs quite a bit, given my field. I know that the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists says that MRIs are not linked with pregnancy risk and are the imaging techniques of choice when they're needed during pregnancy. MRI uses a magnet, and there are no injections or radiation. There are no known risks, but we looked at studies of people who had done MRIs during pregnancy for medical reasons, and there were no safety concerns. I did want to be cautious about sound, so we put some foam in the machine as an added precaution to muffle the sound the scanner makes. After that, I worked with my collaborators to come up with the protocols that would be needed for the scans. It ended up being that I simply made appointments to be in the MRI scanner and to do blood draws as well. I tried to time the blood draws to happen just before the scans so the data would be gathered as close together as possible. The MRI sessions weren't short. We did about six or seven different scans each time, ultimately taking about 40 minutes each. I did 26 scans overall, which means I spent more than 1,000 minutes in an MRI scanner before, during and after my pregnancy. During each scan, I had to get set up, be positioned well and just try to get comfortable. Later on in my pregnancy, it was more important just to be comfortable. I had to lay still and stay awake for one of the scans, so I would just think about whatever I wanted during that time. We made a point to do that scan first, and it usually was over in 10 minutes. After that, I would just rest or fall asleep during the other scans. I usually slept — I was pregnant, after all. The research on my brain was eventually published in the journal Nature Neuroscience, featuring photos and breakdowns of all of my scans. We saw some noticeable changes to my brain over time. One big standout was in the volume of gray matter in my brain. Gray matter is a type of tissue that's mostly responsible for processing memory, along with sensory perception, speech and decision-making. The gray matter decreased about 4%, and those changes are pretty permanent. In tracking this, we could see a steady decrease and a slight bounce back in volume, but it never really fully returned. I haven't noticed a change in how I think, though. We also looked at white matter, which acts as the 'superhighway' in the brain to form big connections. We think of this as the road information travels on. Here, we found an interesting change where the structural integrity of white matter improved and peaked around the second trimester before returning to baseline after my baby was born. Again, I didn't notice a difference in how I thought or felt during this time. The purpose of the study was to look for changes in the brain during pregnancy. It's 2025, and it's shocking how little we know about some of these things. There were basically no studies on brain changes during pregnancy, so it was up to us to do the research. But we don't know yet what these findings mean. We don't know if these brain changes are good or not. There is some suggestion that these changes are adaptive, morphing the brain on purpose to help with maternal care. But it could also be a trade-off. The body may be saying, 'We've got other things to do here. Sorry, brain!' and shuttling vital resources away from the brain to other areas. So, we really don't know. Now, we need to find out what all of this means. General interest in this area of research has opened up, and there's been a very big response in the research community to our work. We're now working with other people and plan to do another round with a bigger sample of 10 to 15 pregnant women. After that, we'll scan hundreds of pregnant women but with fewer time points. I'm lucky that I had no major issues with postpartum depression, but estimates from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show that up to one in eight women do. We're keeping an eye toward postpartum depression with our research and who is most vulnerable. The hope is that we can help to identify how the risks of postpartum depression change during pregnancy along with where, when and how we can help to prevent it. Ultimately, the big thing is that we actually did the study and asked the questions. This is a huge area of research that has been overlooked — and we're actively trying to change that.
Fast Company
26-06-2025
- Fast Company
4 steps CEOs can take to stop exploitation in their business
Human trafficking and exploitation are closer than many realize. In a recent UC Irvine study —'Americans' Perceptions of Human Trafficking in the United States'—86.2% of respondents said they strongly agree that human trafficking is a global problem, but just 36.3% strongly agree that it's a problem in their own state. Of course, trafficking is a problem in every state. It happens in cities, suburbs, and rural areas. It happens in your office, in your supply chain, and on websites you use every day. Nowhere is immune. This is a blind spot for the public and business leaders, and one that can put your employees at risk and expose your organization to serious liability. When you imagine trafficking to be a problem elsewhere or that Hollywood tropes reflect reality, you can overlook the systemic nature of exploitation. Only by understanding the truth behind common misconceptions can business leaders take steps to root it out. THE BIGGEST MISCONCEPTIONS ABOUT HUMAN TRAFFICKING Many people think trafficking always involves kidnapping—51% of people surveyed said 'targeted kidnapping/abduction' was one of the top five ways victims are recruited or lured into human trafficking situations. More often, traffickers use fraud or coercion, building trust with their victims and exploiting vulnerabilities like poverty and social isolation. Another misconception is that trafficking always involves movement across borders. It can, but many victims of exploitation never leave their community or even their home. We're seeing more of these cases as systematic, organized, tech-facilitated exploitation gives traffickers new ways to feed on existing vulnerabilities. Social media, dating apps, and other online platforms offer traffickers new sources to groom victims with promises of work or romance, only to coerce them into forced labor or commercial sex. Fraudulent job ads lure the economically vulnerable into forced labor. Relationships born online can transform through coercion into exploitation monetized on platforms like OnlyFans. Online sextortion is a growing problem, and child sexual abuse material (CSAM) continues to proliferate. Online scams, often dismissed as bot comments, are often staffed by thousands of victims exploited by criminal syndicates. Even content moderation, often carried out in Africa and Asia, can be exploitative, exposing victims to traumatizing imagery, often for little more than a fast food lunch in compensation. Misconceptions about where and how trafficking happens allow exploitation to flourish as the public and business leaders focus their attention elsewhere. HOW MISCONCEPTIONS CAN COST YOUR BUSINESS When you're looking in the wrong places for exploitation—or not looking at all—your company faces reputational and financial risks. The Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act, as well as various state laws, can create civil and criminal exposure. Just this year, a group of Indonesian fishermen sued Bumble Bee Foods under the TVPRA, alleging the company 'knowingly benefited' from forced labor in its supply chain. In another recent incident, at least four parts suppliers for Hyundai and Kia in Alabama were employing children as young as 12 to operate machinery, leading to investigations, fines, and lawsuits. The company claimed ignorance, but that didn't slow the consequences or headlines. Italian prosecutors placed Dior's manufacturing arm under administration after a subcontractor—which had passed multiple audits—was found to be a front for another company that exploited undocumented workers. These are just a few examples from the past few years, and only what has been uncovered. Companies that accept the myths about exploitation, content to let their business run in ignorance of how their supply chain operates, are not only tacitly supporting exploitation but inviting a wave of legal, government, and public blowback. 4 STEPS EVERY BUSINESS LEADER SHOULD TAKE RIGHT NOW TO PREVENT EXPLOITATION 1. Scrutinize Your Supply Chain As Dior found out, cursory audits won't cut it. Map your entire supply chain to identify high-risk areas. Don't stop with direct suppliers—look into subcontractors and subsuppliers, too. Implement unannounced inspections. Interview individual workers confidentially. Only by holding your supply chain to the highest standards and most transparent practices can you be confident that it's free of exploitation. 2. Embrace New Technology Like AI Prioritize piloting new technology as a way to increase your competitiveness and advance your business, but also to better abide by your ethics. AI tools, for example, can clarify the origin of product parts and raw materials in your supply chain and better identify signs of forced labor. Even companies with clean supplier audits have used these types of AI tools to spot vendors exploiting workers. 3. Create Reporting Systems Anonymous reporting mechanisms, available 24/7 and in multiple languages, encourage employees to report suspected exploitation without fear of retribution. Kymera International, for example, requires all employees to report trafficking in any part of the company's business or supply chains, and offers several ways to do so, including an anonymous tip line. Johnson & Johnson has its ' Our Credo Integrity Line,' which is operated by a third party and allows for confidential reporting. 4. Partner With And Support Survivor-Centered Organizations The most effective way to address misconceptions around trafficking is through survivor-led education and storytelling that highlights the individual experiences of survivors that go beyond common public perceptions. Firsthand accounts show the complexities of trafficking and dispel harmful stereotypes that often overshadow the realities of exploitation. By partnering with these organizations, you can help spread these stories and help your team recognize the red flags of exploitation through awareness training that highlights survivors' diverse backgrounds and experiences. BETTER AWARENESS MEANS BETTER LEADERSHIP Unfortunately, trafficking is not a distant problem. It starts in our communities, our workplaces, and across tech platforms. It persists because traffickers exploit their victims' vulnerabilities, survivors lack support, and too many still believe the myths that mask reality. Business leaders have the unique power to disrupt the networks of exploitation by taking measures across their operations and supply chains. By correcting myths and grounding policies and efforts in survivors' stories, we can better support survivors and prevent exploitation wherever it occurs.
Yahoo
02-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Chase Call hits 2 of 5 UC Irvine home runs and Anteaters stay alive with win over Arizona State
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Chase Call hit two of UC Irvine's five home runs and the Anteaters defeated Arizona State 11-6 on Sunday to advance to the championship round of the Los Angeles Regional. Alonso Reyes, Jacob McCombs and James Castagnola also went deep for UC Irvine. Advertisement The Anteaters (43-16) advanced to play UCLA later Sunday. A UCLA win would wrap up the home regional for the Bruins. A UC Irvine win would force a deciding game on Monday. Call and Reyes hit two-run home runs in a four-run fourth inning that gave the Anteaters a 6-1 lead. UC Irvine starter Ryder Brooks had a 7-2 lead heading to the bottom of the sixth but was pulled after allowing a two-run double by Brandon Compton. Ricky Ojeda replaced Brooks and gave up an RBI double by Beckett Zavorek to make it 7-5. Brooks was charged with five runs. The Anteaters responded in the top of the seventh, scoring four runs that included a two-run home run by Castagnola. Advertisement Brooks (7-3) got the win. Ojeda and David Utagawa combined to allow one run in 3 2/3 innings. Derek Schaefer (3-1) allowed five runs in three-plus innings for the Sun Devils (36-24). ___ AP college sports:
Associated Press
01-06-2025
- General
- Associated Press
James Castagnola's 3-run homer sparks UC Irvine in 8-3 victory over Fresno State in elimination game
LOS ANGELES (AP) — James Castagnola hit a two-out three-run homer in the second inning and UC Irvine never looked back in an 8-3 victory over Fresno State on Saturday in an elimination game of the Los Angeles Regional. No. 2 seed UC Irvine (42-16) awaits the loser of the nightcap between top-seeded host UCLA and No. 3 seed Arizona State in a Sunday elimination game. Fresno State finishes 31-29. Castagnola's homer came after Fresno State starter Aidan Cremarosa (6-6) hit Jacob McCombs leading off before walking Blake Penso with one out. McCombs hit a two-out solo shot in the third and Alonso Reyes walked and scored on a double play in the fourth for a 5-0 advantage. Lee Trevino singled in an unearned run that Anteaters reliever David Utagawa (2-0) inherited from starter Riley Kelly in the fourth and Eddie Saldivar hit a two-out solo homer off Utagawa in the fifth to get the Bulldogs within 5-2. McCombs, who went 3 for 4, singled in a run in the seventh and Colin Yeaman and Anthony Martinez had RBIs in the ninth for UC Irvine. Justin Stransky had an RBI single in the eighth off Anteaters reliever Max Martin, who replaced Utagawa after he allowed a leadoff single to Saldivar. Kelly surrendered two runs — one earned — on four hits in 4 2/3 innings. Martin allowed a hit in two scoreless innings to close it out. Cremarosa yielded five runs in six innings. Drew Townson followed and gave up three runs while retiring four batters. ___ AP college sports:
