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 ...
An appropriately floofy Christmas Morning!
Good morning.
I actually slept about 10 hours last night, making up for some of the sleep I lost during the last week. Rocky came by yesterday to get her packages, but she can’t seem to come in the mornings or even the early afternoons. She has to wait until 1630 or 1700 or later and that throws my entire system out of kilter. She’ll be gone another month, so I still have more packages to rescue off her stoop. *sigh*
More rain today and tomorrow, and it seems between the barometer and the storm glass, the weather has been bleak for three months. I know why I moved here. It was to remind me of “opposition in all things.” If there is no bitter, there can be no sweet.
I have to figure out something to do today, since I don’t expect any visits and only expect one phone call. My life is simple and holidays are “quiet,” which is a euphemism for “spent alone.”
Same ol’ stuff! :o])
Merry Christmas to you, too!
I’m glad you had a good night. It was quieter than usual in my room, because the catz were hassling Bill on the sofa instead of me.
I think Tom has gone back to bed. Anoreth will be along eventually.
It’s good that your family will be (mostly) together, today. How is Elen, USMC?
Are you having turkey? My Favorite Son always wanted ham for Christmas, since the turkey was for Thanksgiving. James, Abbie and Sam will all be there for Christmas, but the boys will be splitting the holidays with parents.
It seems when we were Empty Nesters, we still fed the missionaries several times a month. I miss that. Maybe one day...
We’re having ham. My sister-in-law sent it. Elen, USMC, was fine on Saturday, when the choir all waved to her on DP’s phone. “Feliz Navidad!” “Go to church!” “Email your grandmother!” “Si, llama a tu abuela!”
Maybe next year you can get on a feeding-missionaries list.
I used some extra packing paper to wrap up glassware for Tom. I’ll need more boxes to get everything he’s taking.
Gosh, it will be nice not having to track down glasses all over the house!
The other boys still aren’t sure how they’ll re-home themselves. There is some discussion of giving Frank his own room while the other three stay together. In that case, I would move the girls to a smaller room.
*snicker*
Maybe I can hire the K Brothers to help clean and move furniture: give their mother a break from the mob.
They have Meals on Wheels here but I don’t qualify because I have a vehicle. In Vegas, I was either too young or had to be a “shut-in.” I’d be happy if I could afford to go out to eat once a month. The rest of the time, I don’t eat much.
Including Christmas. Even when I go out to eat (like when my Favorite Son and his wife were here in November) I don’t eat much because of the stress of the situation. It almost always has disastrous results. So the less food eaten, the better for me.
If all else fails, use plastic grocery bags to wrap the glassware in. A couple of bags to cushion it and the tops tucked it. If you wad a bag or two and stuff it inside, it acts as a cushion from the inside. I usually straighten the bags then tie them in knots.
Boy, wouldn’t that be great to have the boys sorted like that? And the girls...Of course, one day in the next year or so, there will only be one girl who needs a room...and not quite so many byos to divide up the rooms between.
I went in to make the bed, and as I walked around the corner of the bed, my foot went sideways in my shoe and down I went. I smacked the inside of my right leg (fibula) against a shelf in the small bookcase (Little Joe’s that his dad made him) and twisted my left knee and right ankle and down I went. I had to wait for a few minutes before I could get up.
Nothing is broken, thanks to D-3 tablets every day, and just my right ankle hurts a little, now. I have a slight bruise on the inside of my leg, but it would have been worse is the leg had been bare.
I’m good!! :o] I promise!
Merry CHRISTmas and Happy New Year to all...!!!
You’re always spot on with your comments, Chode! Thanks!
Merry Christmas to all of your family. :o]
Oh, dear. You need to be much more careful!
Sit down and watch some soothing British murders!
I’m drinking spice tea with honey, good for the voice. We don’t have very strenuous music for today, because half the choir may be out of town and the other half is passing around la gripa.
Also, Father Gary will be exhausted, so we’re keeping it as short as possible: no extraneous songs or extra verses. Asuncion has more traditional favorites planned for Sunday.
and to you and yours, Amen
I’m watching “Doctor Blake Mysteries,” from Australia. There’s a man who is pure eye candy, for sure!
I probably won’t feel my fumble and fall until tomorrow morning, but as long as I don’t have to wash clothes, I’ll be OK.
Today, I want to be sure and call Charlie, because I forgot to on Thanksgiving. He’d never forgive me if I missed today!
I managed to get the Roku hooked up this morning, but I’m thinking since the little gadget was first on the market, TV companies have decided its a good way to get people to pay directly to them rather than using a cable or satellite company as an intermediary. We’ll see. When my Favorite Son comes out in a few weeks, I’ll have him help me. For now, it’s enough to have it hooked up.
The “Miss Fisher” series is set in Australia, too. Great accents!
Thank you.
I’ll look for that!
So. I’ve had my Christmas “dinner” of a meatlope sammich and half a beer. I got full. Even the sandwich was only half a sandwich.
As soon as I finish the half a dessert, I’ll call Charlie. He should be up by then.
A Very Merry Christmas to you (and family), and the rest of the undeaders, long live us all ;>)
Also, all of you have safe holidays!
Thanks, Bikkuri!
You and yours stay safe and warm!
;o])
Merry Christmas, SG. I hope you’re feeling OK. :o]
Now DP and Bill are going running, Anoreth is binge-watching the Red Green Show with her dog, and I'm going to force the brothers to play a nerd card game.
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