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 ...
Marvelous! You’ll have to send me a snap when it arrives.
If certain people don’t stop acting like nobody but themselves can hear the guitar, There Will Be Blood. I’m not going to shut the sunroom door, because that would be passive-aggressive again. Instead, I’m going to get on the treadmill and turn on an outdated political podcast really loudly. “Oh, I didn’t know anyone else could hear it!”
Excellent idea, treadmill and political podcast at volume!
I topped up the tank and it was only when I pulled up to the pump under the bright lights that I saw what the Epic Fail Lawn Destruction and Sprinkler Head Decapitation Service had done to my windshield yesterday. I hate those people. I’ll start putting the windshield cover on early Monday mornings. Or better yet, do it when they come so they can see me put it on. GAH! First it was my doormat that Charlie made, and now this.
Laugh of the day!
modern times...keeping classic art relevant...
;>)
LOL!!! Good morning.
People would rather use hand sanitizer than soap, so I want to know what they will do when there is no more hand sanitizer because the supply chain can’t keep up with demand. Modern times!
I like soap better.
I’ve never used hand sanitizer, and if I wanted to, I would make my own. I, like you, T-c, prefer soap. :o]
Agrer....nothing better for a solid healthy hand wash than soap, hot water and an old fashion loopy pot holder to scrub it all away.
Man battles hallucinating shower curtains, his story next up on YargNews!
Terrifying.
...must...steal...graphic...
A number of topics had been posted on this. I know! I'd missed ALL of them.
Some People Are Hearing The Word 'Yanny' And Others 'Laurel' In This Audio Clip | TIME
Another kitty?
I never had a cat until four years ago, in my 50’s.
Adopted an old female who lost her lease.
One became eleven, and it was a struggle to adopt them out as fast as they arrived. Now, I’m down to 5 ... all vaccinated & sterile. The excitement had to end eventually.
That’s why I can’t be on the daily cat ping list.
Wha...???
Mind altering, visually disturbing.
Some ideas:
Your local guitar shop might have more ideas.
Also missed the topics about how Laurel beat up his girlfriend. ;^)
Mind eraser.
And nobody suspects shower curtains, ever.
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