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 ...
I’m sorry to hear that! Jake suggests Sunbeam Naptime.
Thanks.
Dense overcast with 100% chance of rain. Sunbeans are hiding.
The BB SUV came with an umbrella so I don’t have to bring one, though I would, at the slightest provocation... ;o]
I’d like to come home to the smell of a pot roasting in the oven but I don’t have a roast and if I did, it would go in the slow cooker. Hey! Maybe I can get one, next time I get groceries, and gather up a couple of potatoes and some carrots, too! Yah! That’s the ticket!! :o])
I finished wrapping: Frank’s and Kathleen’s Christmas presents plus DP’s birthday present.
What did that semi-colon do to get promoted to full bird colon? You didn’t really need a punctuation mark of any kind.
Sometimes, that colon just jumps in when no one asked it to. I know because I’ve been a victim of it several times. ;o]
It’s not unusual for folks to have trouble with a colon. I know I often do.
*choke*
“... full bird colon ...”; I kill me.
Yes, I got that. It was very punny, thanks.
My father needs prayers.
Blood clots in lungs again.
Blood thinners and taking it easy. A mild return to exercise.
Try to keep him away from hospitals.
Danged if I know where that came from. I can’t blame a cat: they’re no good with the shift key!
O noes! Prayers being said!
I’m not thinking it’s bloodclots. That episode produced a noticeable pain on inhaling. This is more like a glob of crud in lungs that I can cough up (which is good). I did look and the crud is thick white phlegm - no blood visible.
With the blood clots you didn’t really need to twist my arm to get me to the hospital. This episode is different thus I’m ‘monitoring’ it.
And I have been taking anticoagulants since the blood clot episode.
Probably disturbed some alien life form that has been lurking in the basement since War of the Worlds aired while we were futzing with the water filter cartridges Friday or Saturday or whenever it was.
Thank you. Whatever it is it is annoying.
Prayers up and continuing....
Oh, Darks. I am so sorry. I’ll put him on my prayer list and send prayers up twice a day, at least. Hang in there!!
<3
Coconut oil capsules four times a day. Got rid of my COPD within the first month of taking them. If there’s anything in my lungs, I’ll cough once after the first pill of the day and that’s it.
I use baby aspirin for a blood thinner. Blood thinners all work the same — they kill off the red blood cells. I hope this problem is transitory for you!!
Oh, dear. Try Vick’s Vapo Rub!
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