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 ...
Tom and Anoreth are Alphas. They most probably won’t ever get along together until later in life.
And now, I’m going to take beaker to the vet.
Good luck!
I hope this turns out to be mostly her being upset and not truly hurt.
Nicely pounced!
How are you holding up, Darks? I’m sure Christmas had fresh pain for you and yours this year.
Since Beaker likes the top perch and since the cage is quite tall (flight cage) when she fell, the chances were good that she would break a wing or a leg. She did neither.
She will stay the day in an oxygen chamber, being fed antibiotics and pain meds, as she may have a problem with vertigo. I don’t know what it’s called. She’ll be ready, maybe, at 1630. Or maybe by tomorrow morning. The doc will call me later on about it.
I truly thought her neck might have been broken because she couldn’t hold her head up. The vet said it was because she was dizzy.
I was very afraid they would have to put her down. She wore herself out, what with the stress and her trying to get up, so maybe she’ll be able to sleep, now. Poor baby.
Thanks! I had nothing better to do, and with Beaker twitching in my lap, I was distracted.
Poor Beaker. You’ll have to remove the upper perch for a while and make her sit closer to the ground.
That won’t work because she’ll just go attach herself to the topmost part of the cage sides. She’s there lots of mornings, as is Gonzo. It’s what they do.
Oh, darn. Shows what I know about birds.
Yep. I have no idea how they manage to cling to the cage wires all night, but one thing I’ve noticed is that they will usually “walk” to the perch from there.
Speaking of which, the vet said Beaker’s grip was weak but that was probably from her being so stressed, and trying to get up, for so many hours. As I checked her before we left, I could see that she had finally fallen asleep, but even then, she was still struggling, poor little floof.
Man. That sure was a scare!
I seem to remember that a bird’s talons are designed to relax with a tight grip, that the bird actually has to use muscles to let go. I could be mis-remembering and confusing something I learned about wives.
(ducking and covering)
I can’t relate to that, it’s been so long since I was a wife...
;o]
*tagline*
Our cats don’t care much for TV but do enjoy trying new keystroke combinations on my laptop. *aaaargh*
Happy Boxing Day.
Prayers up for little Beaker.
Thanks! She was looking really pitiful this morning when I took her in. I hope she looks better when I go to pick her up this afternoon or tomorrow morning. Gonzo really misses her. I don’t think he’s moved off his perch all morning, even to eat.
Oh, and a box of Star Wars Christmas cards for my nerd friend Sharon, whose sons make mine seem super extra normal. She can use them next year.
I love after-Christmas sales, but I so seldom ever get to take part in any of them. Usually, by the time I get paid, all the Christmas stuff is pretty picked over. :o|
I’m waiting for a call from the vet’s office. I really want to go to bed, but if they want me to get her today, it won’t be until 1630, when they’re ready to close. And not a sound out of Gonzo...still.
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