Posted on 10/14/2019 10:45:03 AM PDT by BenLurkin
In the 1950s, researchers stumbled upon a new class of drugs that provided relief for those suffering from schizophrenia. These drugs were known as antipsychotics and, as the name suggests, they reduced symptoms like hallucinations and delusions — primarily by reducing the levels of dopamine in the brain. This led clinicians and scientists to argue that dopamine was linked to the experiences of psychotic symptoms, and a concerted research effort ensued, seeking to solve the puzzle of why excess dopamine might produce hallucinations.
Although it was later shown that increasing dopamine could produce hallucinations, establishing a consistent link between them, it has not been clear why.
They achieved this by taking advantage of a simple fact: Your brain is lazy. It makes shortcuts to understand the deluge of information that bombards it daily. If you’re presented with consistent information, consistently, your brain adjust its expectations of reality in turn. This is the basis of Bayesian theories of how we perceive the world – that is, the brain makes inferences about the world around us based on statistics and probabilities on what is likely to occur.
[I]ncreasing dopamine made it more difficult for participants to adjust their perception — an effect comparable to how the hallucinators had struggled. Moreover, the extent to which participants struggled was strongly associated with the severity of hallucinations — but not with any diagnosis of schizophrenia. In other words, the difficulty appeared to be associated with a symptom, not a diagnosis.
Using brain imaging, the researchers also showed that an increased capacity for dopamine release, from a part of the brain known as the striatum (an area involved in schizophrenia), was associated with the severity of hallucinations. Together, these experiments showed that excess dopamine was associated with difficulty in accurately predicting reality.
(Excerpt) Read more at inverse.com ...
They are foreguessing a low of 27 (which the measuring device indicates we have reached already so bets are that it will be lower) and continuing solidified water of either chunky or flakey variety through the overnight and most of tomorrow.
I had to summon Son#2 to grab a shovel and trek out the front door, circle around to the rear of the house, and chip the encasing ice off the back door and porch so that it could be opened. Snow can be pushed out of the way but the ice wouldn’t move. Well, except for about 2” which wasn’t enough open door to allow even a skinny cat to venture forth.
The sill of the rear door is a nominal inch if that above the concrete. A previous owner modified the back entrance to provide handicap/wheelchair access thus the low saddle. It’s only a problem when the solid precipitation is the icy variety - it won’t budge like the snowy kind will.
And the radar display indicates we are firmly in the frozen glop band instead of the flakey glop band. We might need to exit via the front door again in the morning..
I like visiting snow a lot more than living in it.
Anyone who watched the Ravens football game will know what kind of weather I had today.
Glad I didn’t venture out into it.
The Morning Floof wants to play “Catch Me If You Can!”
Good morning.
I slept in on Monday, of all things. I can’t do this. GAH! Give me back that hour, she screams to the universe!
Today is the day I have the procedure on my back to see if I can have a week or two without pain, and a Monday or two without crippling pain. What a concept!
Now I have to finish sorting the clothes.
Good luck with the clothes! And be careful out there in the dark. There’s a lot of falling and hurting oneself going around these days!
We are above freezing this morning for the first time in a week. This time of day its usually about 26° and this AM is a balmy 33°.
At least we have no snain in sight.
This is Monday and Monday’s Law has already been at work. First, I woke up over an hour late, then a flashlight wouldn’t work, and then I forgot my mailbox key, so I had to come back to get it.
I tried a new product on my sheets, and I guess it worked fine, but in doing that, I ruined a set of towels. My brain isn’t functioning, so I’m wondering if I should go do the procedure....
Because I am so late with everything, I’m taking my first tea way late and can’t eat for an hour after drinking it. My next dose of pills is due in 20 minutes. *sigh*
My pore brane. Everything will be late today. :o[
Happy Post Thanksgiving Monday to everyone.
I didn’t run into any ice driving from Wildlands to my hotel yesterday but there was a LOT of very slow moving traffic.
There must be something to be said about being hung over after a four-day holiday, but the only thing I can think of is "stupidity."
Happy Monday! I hope your time off was good to and for you and that your holiday was pleasantly full of good things.
I took Pat to school without disaster.
Perhaps a new home, if John Robinson agrees...
That’s funny! It might be funnier if my Latin was more than “mea culpa.”
We have snain foreguessed for this afternoon. One of my team members already asked to work remotely because the schools in her district begged off for 1/2 day.
‘taint Latin. It’s called “Greeking” and was invented to allow layout artists to look at the layout of pages without being confused by the text.
Sort of. See link.
Thank you.
Hey, y’all.
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