Aarti Nair, PhD

Assistant Professor, Psychology

Contact Information

Email [email protected]
Phone 909-558-8707

Department of Psychology
Loma Linda University, Central Building, Suite 117-B8
11130 Anderson St., Loma Linda, CA  92350

Faculty Research Lab

Child and Youth Neuroimaging, Applied Psychology, and Scientific Evaluation (CYNAPSE) Lab

CYNAPSE Lab projects focus on examining neural mechanisms underlying treatment outcomes for children and adolescents with neurodevelopmental disorders. We are a proud member of the LLU Translational Research Across Childhood (TRAC) Consortium.

Visit Lab Website
Dr. Aarti Nair acquiring an MRI scan

Degrees and Certifications

  • PhD, Neuropsychology - San Diego State University/University of California, San Diego, 2015
  • MA, Clinical/Community Psychology - University of North Carolina at Charlotte, 2008

Areas of Specialization

  • Autism spectrum disorder
  • Early-onset psychosis
  • Neuroimaging
  • Social cognition
  • Translational neuroscience
  • Pediatric neuropsychology

Professional Licenses and Memberships

  • Clinical Psychologist, CA Board of Psychology #29658
  • International Society for Autism Research (INSAR)
  • International Neuropsychology Society (INS)
  • Organization for Human Brain Mapping (OHBM)

Recent Publications and Presentations

Publications

  • Iwamoto, B. K., Neece, C. L., Nair, A., Rockwood, N. J., Fenning, R. M., Krantz, M. L., & Van Dyk, T. R. (2023). Exploring the Bidirectional Relationships between Child Sleep, Child Behavior, and Parenting Stress in Families of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder. Research in Autism Spectrum Disorders. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rasd.2023.102197 
  • Nair A, Jalal R, Liu J, Tsang T, McDonald NM, Jackson L, Ponting C, Jeste SS, Bookheimer SY, Dapretto M. (2021). Altered Thalamocortical Connectivity in 6-Week-Old Infants at High Familial Risk for Autism Spectrum Disorder. Cereb Cortex. doi: 10.1093/cercor/bhab078. [Epub ahead of print] PubMed PMID: 33866373.
  • Jalal R, Nair A, Lin A, Eckfeld A, Kushan L, Zinberg J, Karlsgodt KH, Cannon TD, Bearden CE. (2021). Social cognition in 22q11.2 deletion syndrome and idiopathic developmental neuropsychiatric disorders. J Neurodev Disord,13(1):15. doi: 10.1186/s11689-021-09363-4. PubMed PMID: 33863277; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC8052741.

Presentations

  • Jalal, R., Bartnik-Olson, B., Gutierrez, H., Nair, A. Neurometabolite Changes Linked with Social Cognition Improvements in Autistic Youth Following a Social Skills Intervention. Poster presentation at the International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine, Honolulu, HI, May 10th-15th, 2025.
  • Lui, J., Callaci, C., Morrell, H., Van Dyk, T., Neece, C., & Nair, A. Mediating effect of anxiety on the relationship between sleep difficulties and deficits in social motivation among autistic youth.  Poster Presentation at the International Society for Autism Research Annual Meeting, Seattle, Washington.
  • Caldera, L., De La Rosa V., Jalal, R., Gutierrez H., & Nair, A. Mirror Neurons and Theory of Mind in Autistic Youth Post-Social Skills Intervention. Poster Presentation at the International Society for Autism Research Annual Meeting, Seattle, Washington, April 30th-3rd, 2025.
  • De La Rosa V., Caldera L., Jalal, R., Gutierrez H., & Nair, A. Effects of a Social Skills Intervention on Restrictive and Repetitive Interests and Behaviors in Autistic Adolescents. Poster Presentation at the International Society for Autism Research Annual Meeting, Seattle, Washington April 30th-3rd, 2025.
  • Aghbashian, D.M., Verma, N., Jalal, R., Gutierrez, H., Nair, A. Homework Completion and Attendance Modulating the Association between Brain Structure and Social Cognition in a Social Skills Intervention in Autistic Youth. Poster presentation at the International Neuropsychological Society Annual Conference, New Orleans, Louisiana, February 12th-15th, 2025.
  • Jalal, R., Bartnik-Olson, B., O’Neill, J., Gutierrez, H., Laulette, K., Karlsgodt, K., Bearden, C. E., Nair, A. Dorsal Anterior Cingulate Cortex Glutamate Concentrations and its Association with Social Difficulties in Youth with Autism Spectrum Disorder Compared to Early-Onset Psychosis. Poster presented at the International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy Workshop, Boston, MA, October 15th-18th, 2024.
  • Callaci, C., Mital, S., Caldera Aguayo, L., Van Dyk, T. R., Neece, C. L., & Nair, A. Sleep Disturbances and Their Behavioral Correlates in Youth with ASD and Comorbid ADHD.  Symposium presentation at the International Society for Autism Research Annual Conference, Melbourne, Australia, May 15th-18th, 2024.
  • Gutierrez, H., Mahale, M., Jalal, R., Bearden, C. E., & Nair, A. Salience Network Connectivity and its Role in Theory of Mind in Youth with Autism Spectrum Disorder. Poster presentation at the International Society for Autism Research Annual Conference Annual Conference, Melbourne, Australia, May 15th-18th, 2024.
  • Mahale, M., Gutierrez, H., Jalal, R., Bearden, C. E., & Nair, A. Central Executive Network Connectivity and Social Cognition in Youth with Autism Spectrum Disorder. Poster presentation at the International Society for Autism Research Annual Conference Annual Conference, Melbourne, Australia, May 15th-18th, 2024.
  • Jalal, R., Nair, A., O’Neill, J., Gutierrez, H., Laurette, K., Rshtouni, M., Karlsgodt, K., Bearden, C. E., Bartnik- Olson, B. GABA alterations associated with social cognitions deficits in youth with autism spectrum disorder compared to early-onset psychosis. Poster presentation at the International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine Annual Conference, Toronto, Canada, June 3rd -6th, 2023.
  • Mahale, M., Jalal, R., Gutierrez, H., Laulette, K., Rshtouni., Bearden, Carrie. E., Karlsgodt, K., Nair, A. Medial prefrontal cortex connectivity differences in youth with autism spectrum disorder compared to early-onset psychosis. Poster presentation at the International Society for Autism Research Annual Conference, Stockholm, Sweden, May 3rd-6th, 2023.
  • Jalal, R., Mahale, M., Gutierrez, H., Laurette, K., Rshtouni, M., Bearden, C. E., Karlsgodt, K., Nair, A. Altered fusiform connectivity underlying face processing deficits in youth with autism spectrum disorder compared to early-onset psychosis. Poster presentation at the International Society for Autism Research Annual Conference, Stockholm, Sweden, May 3rd-6th, 2023.
  • Callaci, C., Van Dyk, T. R., Nair, A., Fenning, R. M., & Neece, C. L. Parent-based stress reduction interventions and their impact on sleep problems in young children with ASD. Poster presentation at the International Society for Autism Research Annual Conference, Stockholm, Sweden, May 3rd-6th, 2023.
  • Nair, A., Callaci, C., Van Dyk, T. R., & Neece, C. L. The association between sensory processing difficulties and sleep problems in youth with autism spectrum disorder. Poster presentation at the International Society for Autism Research Annual Conference, Stockholm, Sweden, May 3rd-6th, 2023.
  • Mital, S., Callaci, C., Van Dyk, T. R., Neece, C. L., Nair, A. Investigating the impact of co-morbid autism spectrum disorder and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder on sleep and executive function. Poster presentation at the Western Psychological Association Annual Conference, Riverside, CA, April 27th-30th, 2023. 
  • Aghbashian, D.M., Jalal, R., Gutierrez, H., Verma, N., Laulette, K., Morrell, H.M., Bearden, C.E., Karlsgodt, K.H., & Nair, A. Moderating impact of trauma on brain regions underlying social cognition in early-onset psychosis. Poster presentation at the International Neuropsychological Society Annual Conference, San Diego, CA, February 1st-4th, 2023.
  • Verma, N., Jalal, R., Gutierrez, H., Aghbashian, D.M., Laulette, K., Rockwood, N., Bearden, C.E., Karlsgodt, K.H., & Nair, A. Therapy and medication use moderating neural alterations underlying social cognition performance in youth with autism and psychosis. Poster presentation at the International Neuropsychological Society Annual Conference, San Diego, California, February 1st-4th, 2023.
  • Jalal, R., Preston, A., Gutierrez, H., Rshtouni, M., Bearden, C.E., Karlsgodt, K., Nair, A. Default mode network connectivity differences in youth with autism spectrum disorder compared to early-onset psychosis. Poster presentation at the International Society for Autism Research Annual Meeting, Austin, Texas, May 11th-13th, 2022.
  • Iwamoto, B. K., Krantz, M. L., Neece, C. L., Nair, A., Rockwood, N. J., Gutierrez, H., Fenning, R. M., Van Dyk, T. R. Exploring the bidirectional relationships between child sleep, child behavior, and parenting stress in families of children with ASD. Poster presentation at the Society of Pediatric Psychology Annual Conference, Phoenix, Arizona, April 7th-9th, 2022.
  • Krantz, M., Chan, N., Feghali, P., Sanner, C., Neece, C., Fenning, R., Nair, A., Van Dyk, T., Understanding sleep difficulties among children with autism spectrum disorder from underserved populations: Practical considerations for clinicians. Poster Presentation at the Society of Pediatric Psychology Annual Conference, Virtual, April 8th-9th, 2021.