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 ...
Wrap in blankets!
Does your congregation have a winter-coats ministry? Or maybe the local Salvation Army?
Salvation Army is in St George, as is the church’s thrift store, which I was going to hit today, since its in the same building as my appointment. The thing is, there may not be much in the way of coats because they give the best ones to the people with the biggest need, as in the homeless. Ex-homeless doesn’t count! ;o]
So I’ll check but may not have enough to purchase a coat.
As for blankets, I have one.
Maybe you’ll get lucky!
One can hope!!
I feel like dreck. We’re going to the library and Walmart and then collapsing for the rest of the day.
Take care of you!!
Dress warmly and walk slowly and don’t get upset!
When you get home, fix yourself a hot toddy. I swear by them to knock out whatever I’m trying catch. Or is trying to catch me!
Sorry, DC...I didn’t mean to do it.... :o[
Back from our trip, still feeling like dreck. I hate some chicken-noodle soup. Next I’ll go to bed.
I hope you feel better soon! Have the byos wait on you, for a change. In the meantime, I’ll say a little prayer for your rapid healing.
Thank you.
Hey, y’all.
Prayers up that you feel better soon....
Just close your eyes, pinch your nose, and choke it down. It's good for you.
Hi, you. It’s been a little sad out so sometimes, the screen gets blurry and a post will slip by me. I hope you’re doing OK.
Holy cow. I totally spaced your post, and I feel terrible about it. I hope your days hasn’t been too sad or too filled with cold.
Please take care of you.
G’day, g’day, g’day.
S’a’ight. I never feel ignored here.
The day has been OK. I went out in the wet to Pret a Manger to get some baked stuff for our get together later.
None of the ice falling from the building fell on me.
Just in case you all were curious, there is such a thing as a Dairy Herd Improvement Association.
I found out when I goobered “DJIA” too fast.
The Morning Floof is pensive...
Good morning.
The shower has been had.
There was a knock on the door last night, when I was sound asleep, and I stumbled to the door, opened it, and was met with four beautiful teen-aged faces singing, “We Wish You A Merry Christmas!” after which, they handed me a gift bag with three apples, three tangerines and five candy canes! I don’t like surprises, but this one was a happy one.
In other news, UPS delivered a gift to me from New Nephew Bill and New Niece Kathy. It’s a “Frost Guard” windshield and mirror cover. It’s a beauty, too, and when the sun is up, I’ll go out and do a trial fitting. This thing is blue with snowflakes on it, and I think if I lived anywhere else, I’d be afraid to use it because of the theft factor.
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