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 ...
That must be the massive weak storm that is hitting SLC and will work its way downstate to us, eventually, today.
At least its Sunday so you don’t have to commute. ;o]
I’d like turning the calendar to the new month, except that my age, it just means another wrinkle or age spot to mar my beautiful skin. ;o])
</sarc
Workaholics -- sheesh.
Numerous recent kittehs appear to have witnessed the same phenomenon....
There’s a lot of weird stuff going on out there.
Morning Kitteh knows all....
Look at that cute little nu-nu! Morning Floof wants to know who’s in charge.
The laundry is done, and now I’m going to go put some gas in the truck. Because I’m not ready to hang the clothes just yet.
Good morning. Best wishes on the gas! I paid $1.19/gal on Friday. Cheaper than milk!
I think gas in $2.79 here, because we’re the “gateway to Zion Park,” dontchaknow? So gas prices have to be high. *kof-kof*
My home county has decided to be a 2-A Sanctuary county. YAY!!!
It hasn’t come up here. I’m sure our sheriff would agree, though.
The hint of orange on kittah before today’s kittah certainly strikes a pose. Orange is my new favorite color. May all be well with all and everyone and theirs.
T’aint true. Carmen Electra gets depressed ever time she remembers your name.
Thank you. I hope you have a great day, week, and month, too!
Is weird stuff normal ??? Maybe .....
Maybe it only seems weird to us because we aren’t cats.
We just learned that Vlad qualified for the state GeoBee again.
Thank you. If I’d have known retirement was going to cause me and better-half to work as hard as we now do, I’d of hired somebody to do all this work for us. Otherwise we be squatters in paradise ......
I hear from a lot of retired people that they’ve never been so busy!
Actually I did hire people to do all this work for us but they want to be paid in folding money. Retirement breaks my heart and the bank .......
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