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There's a good chance you hallucinated this week without ever knowing it
Inverse ^ | October 11, 2019 | By Jack Barton on

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 ...


TOPICS: Health/Medicine
KEYWORDS: dontreadthetag; dopamine; hallucinations; hearingvoices; jayaubreyjones; koalaoil; laurel; molassesmaiasma; monkeyfacerules; pangolin; penguinhumor; psychosis; schizophrenia; undeadthread; undeadthreadhere; unghandmoose; yanni; yannilaurel; yourbrainondrugs
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To: Tax-chick

OK...pictures or it didn’t happen.

Speaking of which, did the ones I sent come through OK?


2,381 posted on 01/13/2020 12:13:51 PM PST by Monkey Face (A pessimist sees difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees opportunity in every difficulty.)
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To: Monkey Face

Yes, they did. Thank you!


2,382 posted on 01/13/2020 3:36:43 PM PST by Tax-chick ("The diversity cult is destroying the very foundations of our civilization." ~ Heather MacDonald)
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To: Tax-chick

Good morning. Now I’m out the door. The laundry needs to be done.

It looks like Gonzo is eating a little more, but I can’t be sure. He still looks rather gaunt. Poor little guy.


2,383 posted on 01/14/2020 12:49:29 AM PST by Monkey Face (A pessimist sees difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees opportunity in every difficulty.)
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To: Monkey Face; fanfan; ColdOne; Cyber Liberty; null and void; Tax-chick; Anoreth; ...

2,384 posted on 01/14/2020 3:15:25 AM PST by Tax-chick ("The diversity cult is destroying the very foundations of our civilization." ~ Heather MacDonald)
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To: Tax-chick

What a pretty gray Floof! Any relation to yesterday’s?

The laundry is hanging to dry, the bed has been made and I’m still swamped with trying to get thank-you cards out. And then I’ll try to get the letters written that I’ve been owing. For weeks.


2,385 posted on 01/14/2020 4:05:08 AM PST by Monkey Face (A pessimist sees difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees opportunity in every difficulty.)
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To: Monkey Face

Yesterday’s were rescue kittens in Brazil. This is a purebred in Germany.


2,386 posted on 01/14/2020 4:19:28 AM PST by Tax-chick ("The diversity cult is destroying the very foundations of our civilization." ~ Heather MacDonald)
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To: Covenantor
Help mew, help mew!
2,387 posted on 01/14/2020 4:25:27 AM PST by mewzilla (Break out the mustard seeds.)
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To: Tax-chick; Monkey Face; NicknamedBob; null and void; no-to-illegals; Silentgypsy; ColdOne; ...

Stand down, kitteh. She said he looks GAUNT, not GREAT.

Good morning, all. Is it only Tuesday?

Happy day. Today looks to be as hard as yesterday.

But I guess I should try to be positive.

Today looks to be positively as hard as yesterday.


2,388 posted on 01/14/2020 4:58:48 AM PST by ArGee (Excellence or diversity? Ask for diversity, you get diversity. Ask for excellence, you get both.)
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To: ArGee

Tuesday. Trash day. Pat starts school. More rain expected.


2,389 posted on 01/14/2020 5:03:08 AM PST by Tax-chick ("The diversity cult is destroying the very foundations of our civilization." ~ Heather MacDonald)
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To: ArGee

My days are messed up. Hopefully, the next time my son shows up he’ll be able to visit and stick around for a while.

And yes, I think its Tuesday, but like I said, my days are messed up. I guess that translates to “my brain is messed up.”

Good luck on your day!


2,390 posted on 01/14/2020 5:10:22 AM PST by Monkey Face (A pessimist sees difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees opportunity in every difficulty.)
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To: Tax-chick

Oh, weow. They are both pretty!

One of my nieces took one of those stupid online games that was supposed to tell where you’re from and her answer (random choice) said Brazil. Oddly enough, her dad (my late brother) was part Portuguese! Well. It could happen... ;o]


2,391 posted on 01/14/2020 6:31:48 AM PST by Monkey Face (A pessimist sees difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees opportunity in every difficulty.)
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To: Tax-chick

Tuesday? Not trash day. I don’t think.

Messed up with Monday. My brain isn’t happy, for sure. The only day I got right was Sunday. *sigh*


2,392 posted on 01/14/2020 6:34:38 AM PST by Monkey Face (A pessimist sees difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees opportunity in every difficulty.)
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To: Monkey Face

Tuesday has been our trash day for a long time.


2,393 posted on 01/14/2020 6:37:15 AM PST by Tax-chick ("The diversity cult is destroying the very foundations of our civilization." ~ Heather MacDonald)
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To: Tax-chick

Tuesday and Friday in Henderson, here its on Wednesday. Or Monday and Wednesday, depending on whether someone is moving out and how much trash they leave behind.


2,394 posted on 01/14/2020 7:15:50 AM PST by Monkey Face (A pessimist sees difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees opportunity in every difficulty.)
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To: Tax-chick; fanfan; ColdOne; Cyber Liberty; null and void; Anoreth; Monkey Face; ...

2,395 posted on 01/15/2020 3:13:15 AM PST by Tax-chick ("The diversity cult is destroying the very foundations of our civilization." ~ Heather MacDonald)
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To: Tax-chick

Forest Floof? Or Maine Coon Floof?

Good morning.

I’ve gotten one letter written while waiting for you to post the Morning Floof, so all is not lost! I will finish a second and maybe write a third. Or maybe vice versa.

(My tagline went Walkabout so I had to recycle one.)

I think my kitchen timer is about to give up the ghost after over 20 years. I think I paid $10 for it, and that was a lot of money to me then, but it has been worth it!


2,396 posted on 01/15/2020 4:09:56 AM PST by Monkey Face (I don't call it "getting old." I call it "outliving the warranty." ~~ FB ~~)
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To: Monkey Face

Forest cat. In Scandinavia! I decided on a winter picture today.


2,397 posted on 01/15/2020 4:31:33 AM PST by Tax-chick ("The diversity cult is destroying the very foundations of our civilization." ~ Heather MacDonald)
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To: Tax-chick

SLC got hit with a monstrous storm again yesterday, and Provo currently has a temp of 18°. *shiver*

So a Forest cat in Scandinavia is perfect!

I’ve had my shower, but I need to get in and fold my sleep shirts then make the bed. And then my day can start for real.


2,398 posted on 01/15/2020 4:44:12 AM PST by Monkey Face (I don't call it "getting old." I call it "outliving the warranty." ~~ FB ~~)
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To: Monkey Face

We’re supposed to get a change from 70s and rain. If this is going to be a typical winter, long-term, we all need galoshes!

Vlad has the online test for the Geography Bee this morning. He will do spectacularly, of course, but it’s at a location we haven’t been to, so we need to leave a little after 9:00.


2,399 posted on 01/15/2020 4:50:03 AM PST by Tax-chick ("The diversity cult is destroying the very foundations of our civilization." ~ Heather MacDonald)
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To: Tax-chick; Monkey Face; NicknamedBob; null and void; no-to-illegals; Silentgypsy; ColdOne; ...

Happy Wednesday, everyone.


2,400 posted on 01/15/2020 5:02:52 AM PST by ArGee (Excellence or diversity? Ask for diversity, you get diversity. Ask for excellence, you get both.)
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