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 ...
That makes me sad. I really hope your tom turns up healthy.
What a marvelously floofy morning kitteh!!
Bury my face in that fur and come up sneezing and with swollen eyes, no doubt!
I got a CD/DVD album recently and just spent the last hour removing said items from their packages (Except for boxed sets) and placing them in the album. I freed up almost five small crates, and that means I won’t have to worry so much about space when I move again. Which seems like a daunting task at the moment!
The kitchen will be the next thing I work at, and if I find something I can’t use, I’ll put it in a bag and take it to the clubhouse so maybe someone else can use it.
And then there is a pile of filing that I need to get done and get out of my way. I used to keep up with it, but these days, it seems my brain doesn’t want to function. Now, I’m outta here for a bit.
Thank you.
Prayers up for your kitteh.... Please keep us in the loop.
Two guys grow up together, but after college one moves to Maryland and the other to Miami. They agree to meet every ten years in Pine Hurst to play golf and catch up with each other...
At age 32 they meet, finish their round of golf and head for lunch.
“Where you wanna go?”
“Hooters.”
“Why Hooters?”
“They have those broads with the big racks, the tight shorts and the gorgeous legs.”
“You’re on.”
At age 42, they meet and play golf again.
“Where you wanna go for lunch?”
“Hooters.”
“Again? Why?”
“They have cold beer, big screen TVs, and side action on the games.”
“OK.”
At age 52 they meet and play again.
“So where you wanna go for lunch?”
“Hooters.
“Why?”
“The food is pretty good and there’s plenty of parking.”
“OK.”
At age 62 they meet again. After a round of golf, one says,
“Where you wanna go?”
“Hooters.”
“Why?”
“Wings are half price and the food isn’t too spicy.”
“Good choice”
At age 72 they meet again. Once again, after a round of golf, one says,
“Where shall we go for lunch?”
“Hooters.”
“Why?”
“They have six handicapped parking spaces right by the door and they have senior discounts.”
“Great choice.”
At age 82 they meet and play again.
“Where should we go for lunch?”
“Hooters.”
“Why?”
“Because we’ve never been there before.”
Very amusing, null and void.
Pinehurst is one word. My cousin from the better-than-you side of the family lives there.
Brand new, almost, tiny squee!
Good morning.
How was your super busy day yesterday, and were you able to retire early and sleep well?
I thought about you quite a bit, wonder which part of the merry-go-round you were on at the moment.
As someone once said, “Could be worse: could be raining.”
It didn’t rain.
Nothing went really wrong other than losing my keys, which I found under the van - not in sight, because we looked there - after DP brought me his keys.
And I went to bed before 9:00, and might still have been asleep now, but Jake.
So I don’t suppose there’s a chance you could get a nap with a cat today, eh?
Rain here. Again. Or maybe still.
I polished my nails yesterday morning and then realized that the polish was all wrong for the outfit I had put together. So I had to take it off and start over. Still working on that....
It’s clear here. It’s guessed that we’ll have storms midweek.
I might lie down for a while in the 9-10 period, depending on what else is going on. Right now I’m full of coffee!
Lucky me, if I drink coffee, I can still go to sleep. On the other hand, morphine keeps me awake.
Silly me.
I had a couple of questions for my son, but I can only remember one of them. *sigh*
DP has finally left for church with Vlad, Frank, and Kathleen.
I think everyone in the family tries to run late just to upset me.
Anyway, I just realized this is a great opportunity to wrap the presents we got for Frank and Kathleen on Friday.
Thank you.
You’re welcome. Placido Domingo!
Jake says it’s Sunbeam Naptime, if you’re wondering what to do with yourself.
Yes, I’m familiar with the “let’s see how late we can be so maybe we won’t have to go,” trick. Doesn’t matter. If they want everyone to look at them when they come in and give them dirty looks, its on the Late Birds.
It’s always good to have time to wrap the presents for those who are either asleep or gone. My Favorite Son always knew he would get exactly what he wanted, as long as we didn’t say it was unreasonable. My Favorite Daughter always figured he got the best and most of, but what I spent on my Son, I spent on my Daughter, and it was gift for gift, because I knew there would be fights, otherwise, instigated by her.
But still, I miss a houseful of Christmas. I didn’t do anything the last five or six years Because, and now, I have Projects that need to be Done. Maybe next year I can just enjoy the Season.
And Presto! I have a migraine.
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