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: “Chicken? I like chicken.”
Nah, Tom is tired of chicken. It comprises most of his free meals at Chipotle, where he works.
Perhaps he’s enjoying the visit? Maybe he misses your cooking and would like to stay for dinner?
Hey, Darks. I included you psychologically in a response but not postingly. Please excuse and look below....
Yo, when I hallucinate I know it.
Come here you waskally wabit!
Or above. Haha—I can’t do anything right tonight. You should have seen me attempting to change the rabies tag on Crowbar’s collar. The state must have received a deep discount on flimsy metal dog tags and they don’t include the mahoska that attaches it to the collar.
Car key rings. It helps if you have strong fingernails.
My vet usually includes the little ring greeble with the tag.
Last time they didn’t.
But the tag honestly does bend easy, the ring is adamantium, and somehow critter keeps the ring while leaving an undamaged tag laying on the floor.
I don’t understand.
We file the tags in a drawer.
I came across an assortment of such a few days ago, all expired by about fifteen years.
Misread: “We fire the tags.”
Beware the drawer of fire!
Your correspondence shall be tested in the flames!
Your tags refined!
Pat worked on the Tag Cannon for a long time!
W00t!
Yes, my Favorite Daughter’s first husband had a sign in his garage that said, “Welcome to Guy Town, where men are men and stupidity runs rampant.” Yep. I was relieved when she divorced him.
Boy, that Floof sure looks like me this morning. All orangy-feeling, and such.
Good morning.
It took three tries but I finally was able to find a ride to pick up the BB SUV at 0700 this morning, and even though it was only gone overnight, I missed it! It represents freedom from four walls.
It seems that “Death In Paradise” has risen in popularity since I began requesting it at the library, so that each season finds me at #2 or #3 on the wait list. I like it because the more I watch it, the funnier it gets. I’m able to see more funny things in it, and heaven knows, I need the laughs! So I’m thinking, if its not too expensive, I’ll get the entire eight seasons for a Christmas present to me.
Keep an eye out for a bargain price.
I’d like to be Orange Cat this morning, too.
Looks like I’ll have to order Death In Paradise” one season at a time because the full eight seasons is $169, free S&H. That’s on eBay. Amazon has a limited quantity and most of it is their video service.
They have to make money somehow, now that commercial television is almost gone.
Patrick and I just finished the WSJ Thursday crossword without cheating, although we did have help from Shannon.
Yes, but...
I went to get something from the lined closet, then ended up sorting the items and putting them in a drawer because the closet is full (very small closet) and then I made the bed and then...
Now it’s almost time for Skyler to come and get me so I can pick up the BB SUV. Then home to relax! NOT! I have dishes to do. I need to quit eating. Or cooking.
I need to take a shower so we can stop by the library after dropping Pat at school. Another gloomy day here in which I am super unmotivated!
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