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 ...
Because my two kids are so far away, and because CFIDS is so insidious that way, I have a book of passwords for every site I visit with any regularity.
There is an option for password recovery on most sites, and some of them use a phone number, so hopefully, the task isn’t as daunting as it may appear to you at first.
At any rate, I’ll pray that you get some Outside Help in the inspiration department.
Thanks.
Will need it
No charge! :o]
I sometimes lie awake at night worrying about them.
Morning, ArGee. We all haz a sad here.
Also, I think I should write down my passwords!
All my passwords are in a file on my ‘puter with a file name of To Do List.txt. I thought that would be the last place a hacker would look.
Oops - I guess now I have to come up with a new name for the file.
“I eated yur rent receipt.”
I’m down in the dumps, too. NoC was a prince among men.
True story: After divorce, I wanted the telephone landline account unlisted but under my own name. The CR told me that the account was established in ex's name and that it had to remain that way. I responded, "Wow! You mean I don't have to pay the bill, you have no idea who I am AND you'll go after him to pay it? Cool!" She called her sup to deal with me. They changed it tout de suite.
Thank you. Your reindeer look more like reinmeese, but I love the facial expressions.
Yeah, it’s just... annoying.
Pretty marmalade Floof!
Good morning.
While I was waiting for the morning Floof, I made the bed, kinda, finished the laundry, kinda, sorted my pills completely, and I’m ready to start the day. I think.
Also, it's raining again.
Tappy Whoseday!
Rain today. But at least it’s not the wintry stuff that was foreguessed.
I have to go pick up some stuff for the holiday extravaganza later. I hope it’s dry by then.
Happy Trash Day! I’m out of bananas.
I’m so sorry you’re coming down with Something Ugly. I hope its mild and that it leaves quickly.
Its clear and very cold as the wind chill is 17°. GAH!
I suggest you stay inside today.
Can’t. I have an appointment in St George. I need a heavier coat, though, that much is for sure. The one I have, I got three years ago (I think) and it’s been washed four times that I can recall, maybe five. The lining is shifting because of the washings.
There are just so many other things that were needed, as well, so the coat took a back seat. I had no idea the winters would be this cold. :o|
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