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 ...
What a tiny squee!
It’s 35°, and the wind chill brings it to 22°, with winds from the north at 26 mph. Hard freeze watch is becoming a warning.
The laundry is done except for hanging the clothes to dry. Which I will do soon. My right leg, from the knee down is giving me fits today.
I have to re-tape the plastic bag over the swamp cooler vent because even though the actual swamp cooler is still covered, enough air comes through to make the plastic flap in the breeze.
GAH!!!
GAH.
I sent Tom a text to remind him that we’re going to pick up the car this morning. No reply.
Sounds like its time for some cowbells. If I have a chance to get to the farm store, I’ll get you one!!
We have some cowbells. DP ordered a dozen for Elen’s graduation from boot camp.
I got Tom up the old-fashioned way, by walking into his room, turning the light on, and saying, “I want to leave in 15 minutes! Get up and brush your teeth!”
Now we’re back with the Altima. Tom will drive Pat to school at 9:00.
LOL!!!!
Nothing beats a cowbell for getting folks out of bed. Unless its ice water. ;o]
Great. I keep barking my shins on the boxes. I do *not* do Monday and new digs well. But the place looks nice and the leftover smell of the brownies is wonderful.
I spent the weekend either driving or visiting with in-laws so I didn’t get any, but Mrs. ArGee made stuff for her father so that’s good.
Happy Monday, everyone. Watch out for the new rug at the bottom of the basement stairs. I don’t remember packing it. I think it followed me.
What color rug?
The clothes are now hanging to dry, and I’m watching the temperature drop. It now feels like 21°. The wind is still stiff and out of the north at 26 mph. I’m not going anywhere today.
My body told me it won’t cooperate if I do. As a result, the chills are back. This doesn’t look good. :o|
Bundle up, have a hot beverage! Meanwhile, I’m wearing a cotton skirt and a t-shirt, and it’s already 75 in the house. The a/c will probably come on later.
Well, now, there's a problem. As Mrs. ArGee will tell you, I'm not all that observant about things like color. So I went down to take a look and danged if it's not there.
I *sure* hope it's owner moved it.
Not leaving the house. When the chills come, that’s my clue to have a “do-nothing” day. I won’t fight it because I don’t want to be really sick. I can’t allow that to happen.
Fr. R has the view that the choir is a representation of the angels singing. He sees the music as flowing over the congregation toward the altar.
Presumably, he sees the congregation as silent, but deeply spiritual!, non-participants in the whole event, as opposed to folks catching up on Facebook posts on their phones while angels sing in Latin somewhere in the rear.
In my opinion, Father R and his boss can go to Heaven.
I'm not going to get too furious over this, whatever happens, because it's bad for my teeth. However, I really feel like this is abusive. Uptown just assumes everyone will put up with whatever is dumped on them, because we're good people who won't abandon our congregation. And they're right, we'll just take it. And pay for it! Yippee.
Oh, dear. Have you checked at the top of the stairs?
The brownies were a hit with everyone who was lucky enough to get one! Now I have to make some more.
Which stairs? Not the ones to the Widow’s Walk, surely? That’s where one can sometimes hear the faint, ghostly skirl of bagpipes, reminding us of days when Sionnsar was with us for the moves.
The original stairs in question were the basement stairs, but the rug could turn up at the top of any set of stairs.
Of course the rug followed, grumbling and scrabbling the whole way.
That is kind of their thing.
I hate grumbling rugs. The one in the front doorway is famous for that, but it can’t scrabble because I have it stuck to the floor!
Hmm...no new rugs at the top of the stairs. But the curtains are billowing in the breeze, which would be nice, but the windows are closed.
If anyone needs me I'll be out collecting weaponry.
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