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 ...
The Morning Floof looks like there’s some Persian in it. So squeeful!
Good morning.
I’m off to take a shower, now that the bathroom is free of drying sleep shirts and has warmed up enough to let me. I wish I were still asleep, but there it is. I need to go to Walmart asap.
It’s a Persian. All that fur!
Good morning. I wouldn’t mind being asleep, myself, but there you are. Good luck at Walmart!
Think of it as a safe following distance. Bob could make a sudden turn or stop!
Walmart was lucky! I always enjoy the drive there and back, and like to walk the length of the store, because. Having no one in the aisles allows me to actually walk a distance. And of course, there are the employees that are cordial. They’re still stuck on the self-check but I’m hoping it will lose its flavor. Like the chewing gum on the bedpost, overnight.
I need to go fold the sleep shirts and get them put away, but I don’t feel up to it at the moment. For some reason, this seems like a very slow-moving week.
I DID get a letter written and added some bookmarks and a decal, so maybe it will arrive by Satiddy.
Congratulations on your Walmart success! I got music arranged for Sunday, and my next thing will probably be a trip to the library, unless the missing byos have fallen back in bed, in which case I may fall back in bed.
Kitteh just came out of the drier and can’t do a thing with her fur.
Good morning, everyone. Happy Wednesdeh.
w00t!
When I peeked last night and saw there were 2 left I almost - ALMOST - posted 2.
It's true. Every WalMart I ever visit has people wondering when Face will come to their store. I keep saying, "No such luck today."
That’s like me when I wash my vehicle — for at least an hour afterward, I can’t do a think with it! Happy Odin’s Day to you as well!
I don’t know what I’m doing. I need to go make my bed, finally. I have a major case of the S-L-O-W-S this morning.
You are too kind, my FRiend! Thanks!
When I’m particularly clumsy I’ve used, “Sorry, I just washed my hands and I can’t do a thing with ‘em.” Or feet, or whatever.
From the NY Post:
“The speed of government is a thing to behold. Fifty-six years after the Verrazzano Bridge opened, workers put up a new sign that corrected a typo by adding a second “z.”
“The bridge opened in 1964, but it wasn’t until 2018 that Albany passed legislation to fix the last name of Italian explorer Giovanni da Verrazzano. It took nearly two more years to fix the first of 19 signs.
“What’s the rush?”
Still, for anyone who doesn’t think government can move fast, check out how quickly they change the “projected payoff” lottery signs. They can do THAT fast enough.
Thank you.
Hey, y’all.
Excellent point, ArGee.
Afternoon. It’s chilly and damp here. Jake is lying in his bed by the window while birds chirp and frogs peep. The byos are doing some housework to earn $2 each for Dungeons and Dragons. I’m going the Spanish Volunteers Committee meeting later, and that means I won’t be far from Your Local Game Store at the relevant hours.
Well, Ganag, I was going to check in a little earlier, but it seems my get up and go got up and went, so now, I’m ready to head down the hall.
See all y’all tomorrow!
Greetings
I hope you have a good night!
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