IDB: Interest Driven Brain

Higher Hopes Podcast: Student Advocacy and Disability Inclusion I recently came across a new series called the Higher Hopes Podcast , created by Ebe Ganon. It’s aimed at “clever thinkers from the Australian universities community tackling the big questions about systemic change.” The idea is to bring together students, advocates, academics, and leaders to explore how higher education can truly serve those from marginalised and underserved backgrounds. The first episode — Student Advocacy and Disability Inclusion with Gemma Lucy Smart — really stood out to me. Gemma is a PhD candidate, Disability Equity Officer with the Sydney University Postgraduate Representative Association (SUPRA), and also represents postgraduate students with disability at the national level. She brings both lived experience and policy expertise to the conversation. Key Insights from the Conversation From burnout to advocacy Gemma’s journey began in environmental and women’s activism as an undergraduate...

Gestational Diabetes as a Proxy for Maternal and Child Neurodivergence Recent research often reports an association between gestational diabetes and later diagnoses of autism or ADHD in children. At first glance, this can look like causation — but a closer look suggests that gestational diabetes is more likely a proxy for maternal neurodivergence rather than the root cause. Key Points Genetic/Epigenetic Inheritance: Autism and ADHD are ~70–80% heritable. A neurodiverse mother passes on this genetic liability directly to her child, regardless of pregnancy complications. Maternal Metabolic Risk: Women with autism or ADHD show higher prevalence of type 2 diabetes, prediabetes, and gestational diabetes due to overlapping biological and lifestyle factors. Observed Correlation: Large population studies find links between gestational diabetes and child neurodivergence. However, this is often a confounded correlation — gestational diabetes acts as a marker of maternal neurodivergenc...