By Miriam Bernard
Welcome to a collaboration with the NODCC and its key researchers from around the globe, in which we introduce our community members to the specific research of friends of the NODCC. Today we’re thrilled to introduce you to Nathan LeFebre, MA Clinical Psychology, Fuller, and a PhD candidate at Fuller School of Psychology, whose research is helping to shape the future of diagnosis and understanding around disorders of the corpus callosum. Nathan’s work offers meaningful insights into how people with ACC perceive the world and may help pave the way for earlier, more accessible diagnosis in the future. We spoke with Nathan to learn more about his journey, his current research, and his hopes for the impact it can have on families and individuals in the ACC community.
Nathan is currently in his final year of Fuller’s Clinical Psychology PhD program, with an emphasis in neuropsychology. He holds a Master’s degree in Psychology from Fuller and is working under the mentorship of Dr. Warren Brown at the Travis Research Institute. He’s also closely collaborating with Dr. Lynn Paul at Caltech both well-known names in ACC research and in our NODCC community. “Fuller has been a great place to study,” Nathan shared. “Working with Dr. Brown was my introduction to DCCs in general, and ACC specifically.” Later this summer, Nathan and his wife will relocate from Pasadena, CA to Detroit, MI, where he’ll begin his doctoral internship at the Detroit VA. Although a big change, it’s something of a homecoming, as both he and his wife grew up in Michigan.
Nathan’s master’s thesis explored how adults with complete ACC perceive visual artwork: a topic that had previously been largely unexplored. “There’s a lot of research linking the corpus callosum with creativity and imagination,” he explained. “We wanted to see how that plays out in aesthetic perception.” The study, which involved 23 participants with complete ACC, found subtle but distinct differences in how they interpreted visual art. Participants perceived emotion and balance differently compared to neurotypical individuals. All testing was done remotely using digital images of paintings, allowing for a wide geographical reach. “This doesn’t mean they can’t perceive art; it’s just perceived slightly differently. It’s been really fascinating to explore this from a research standpoint,” he said. A publication based on this study is in process and expected within the next year. A conference presentation version might also become available for those interested in diving deeper.
While his earlier work looked at perception, Nathan’s current focus is potentially groundbreaking: developing an online screening tool that could help detect corpus callosum dysfunction before ever receiving an MRI. “Right now, DCCs can only be diagnosed via MRI or CT scan,” Nathan explained. “That can be expensive, difficult to access, and time-consuming.” This new tool, a computer-based matching test, tracks how participants respond to visual stimuli that appear in different areas of the screen. Their reaction time and accuracy may indicate how efficiently the corpus callosum is functioning. This would be a useful screening tool prior to an MRI– hopefully improving access to expensive neuroimaging, and minimizing missed diagnoses. “There’s a lab-based version of this test, but it’s very setup-intensive,” Nathan said. “Our goal is to create a digital version that anyone could take from home or in a doctor’s office.”