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 ...
Sorry to hear.
My prayers to you and your family.
Oh, Darks! I am so sorry for the loss of such a wonderful person.
He was such a good help to me whenever I needed IT advice.
The news hit me like a ton of bricks, and I can’t even begin to tell you of the loss I feel. Not as much as yours, of course, but he was a very good man and he spread that goodness around.
Prayers for your comfort and peace at this time.
My prayers, Darks.
Matt 18:20
prayers for you and your family, my condolences, may God Bless... RIP
My condolences, FRiend.
WHAT?!?!??
OH NO!!!
I just don’t have words.
Sorry, Darks. I’m feeling the hurt too.
Sorry for your loss.
I am so sorry, my friend..
He is in a much better place now,
and may he rest in peace.
I am extremely sorry to hear that. You and your family have my deepest condolences and prayers.
I am sorry.
Thanks all for the condolences.
I’m very sorry.
We all love you and your family, Darks. May you find comfort in his passing, because he loved the Lord so much.
{{{{Darks}}}}
NoCmpromiz and I chatted about the song referenced in my tagline. Paraphrased, it says, “Jesus took me by the hand to lead me along where He was going.” I feel like it’s totally appropriate: Jesus has taken NC by the hand and walked him Home.
I’m terribly sad about the loss to your family and to all who knew him, but inspired by his perseverance in faith, hope, and love.
I love it when you post Morning Kittehs who have eyes to match their coats!
Good morning.
Since I’ve been so breathless the last few days, I’m going to take the hint and stay home today. Breathlessness is an indication that I haven’t been resting as I should have done. So I’ll bide my time by doing quiet things, one of which will include writing letters.
I still haven’t gotten any answers to my questions of how much is first class mail to Canada and is a Walmart card purchased here good in a Walmart store there. I’ll keep looking...
!
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