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 ...
Doc appointment today.
Yay.
Blood draw, chest x-ray, EKG..
It turns out the kale was in a different recipe. This one was sausage, beans, and zucchini.
I hope the doctor found everything in its proper place and functioning reasonably well. I hate when things start to fall apart.
;o]
*tagline*
“There’s way more tentacles than there should be.”
That sounds dire!
“Doc, they’re just standard human nerceptors.”
Oops! “Where did those come from?”
Keep saying that until it’s time to manifest.
What a cute morning Floof!
Good morning.
I just finished a letter to my not-so-favorite son. I found out on FB that he is finally doing better and may be back to work on Monday.
I really am tired of learning things a day late and second hand.
Gonzo is now re-named the Screamer. He just does NOT want me to leave!
Poor Gonzo! I need to text one of my sons and remind him that he needs to get his W-2 if he wants to file for his tax refund.
My kitty tried to roll while on my shoulders.
It didn’t work out well.
Oh, noes!! Poor little catalump! Did she land on her feeties?
The Crafty Kara from Idaho, sent me a text about 0330 to tell me that her oldest daughter, who has been suffering with a sinus infection for the last month, was taken to the ER for emergency surgery to remove a mass from her brain.
It appears to be an abscess from a sinus infection, but acted like a brain tumor, causing a change in behavior, including language and actions, and needless to say, her husband of almost a month is pretty frantic.
They have an ENT specialist on standby to help with any blockage in the ear. I mean, a MONTH with a sinus infection??? *sheesh* (don’t get me started)
Oh my, that’s terrible! I hope they get it all cleared out with no additional harm. My cousin the anesthetist had a terror of abscesses in the brain ... I didn’t know that was even a real thing.
Thank you.
You’re welcome.
I’d never heard of it until this early morning, and of course, if I could be there to give Kara moral support, I would be. I don’t know if the kids are on their parents’ insurances, but I suspect if not, they’re starting their married life with a whopping medical bill.
Your cousin probably has good reason to fear the abscesses of the brain!
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