Research
How social interactions influence the brain
Appointments
- Professor, Integrative Biology and Physiology
- Tennenbaum Center for the Biology of Creativity
- Member, ACCESS Program: Dept. of Molecular, Cell & Integrative Physiology
- Neuroscience IDP
- Brain Research Institute
- Faculty, Molecular, Cellular, and Integrative Physiology IDP
Biography
Autism can be clinically diagnosed by two deficits: an inability to participate in joint attention, and poor language development with abnormal social use. The goal of the White laboratory is to understand the mechanisms of this disorder and to develop treatments to compensate for these deficits.
Vocal-learning in songbirds shares key aspects with human speech. In both songbirds and humans:
- Vocal-learning happens during a critical developmental window
- It occurs within discrete regions of the brain that are dedicated to the development and production of learned vocalizations
- Social influences have a significant impact on vocal-learning.
The White laboratory uses songbirds for their unparalleled potential to reveal the basic neural mechanisms that underlie vocal learning. Manipulation of the pupil-tutor relationship is used to determine how social interactions impact learning. In addition, we use genetic interference strategies to functionally test the effects of over- or under-expression of molecules involved in learning in mammals, for their role in vocal learning under different rearing conditions.
Publications
- Malik, AK, Banks, J, Counter, C, Simmonds, L, Tingle, SJ, Sinha, S et al.. Locus-specific HLA matching and induction therapy in simultaneous pancreas-kidney transplantation: a national UK cohort study. Transpl Int. 2026;39 :16427. doi: 10.3389/ti.2026.16427. PubMed PMID:42781435 PubMed Central PMC13598906.
- Neil, KL, Condo, J, TRACE Author Group. Strengthening clinical trial ethics and regulatory oversight in Africa: lessons from the TRACE initiative. Nat Med. 2026; :. doi: 10.1038/s41591-026-04645-7. PubMed PMID:42706369 .
- Malik, AK, Chang, YH, Tingle, SJ, White, SA, Qadan, M, Fong, ZV et al.. Oncological outcomes following left-sided pancreatic resection for grade 1 and grade 2 pancreatic neuroendocrine tumours: a population-cohort study comparing open with minimally-invasive surgery. HPB (Oxford). 2026;28 (10):1371-1382. doi: 10.1016/j.hpb.2026.07.003. PubMed PMID:42509155 .
- Malik, AK, Matevish, LE, Taylor, R, Tingle, SJ, Masson, S, Wilson, CH et al.. Waitlist suspension is associated with persistent reduction in access to liver transplantation. Am J Transplant. 2026; :. doi: 10.1016/j.ajt.2026.07.015. PubMed PMID:42471224 .
- Malik, AK, Chikkala, B, Heslin, R, Tingle, SJ, Ramage, C, Kho, J et al.. Impact of learning phase on complications and oncological quality in robotic left-sided pancreatectomy: A multicenter international analysis. Surgery. 2026;197 :110375. doi: 10.1016/j.surg.2026.110375. PubMed PMID:42361532 .