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 ...
bttt
Given all of my heightened botanical training when I was a lad I call that, "the bush with the blue flowers."
I suppose I could look up what this hysteria plant actually looks like, but I wouldn't remember.
On the plus side, with a National Emergency in effect that's so bad the Saratoga Raceway is thinking of canceling thoroughbred season this year (youse might wanna re-tink that 'fore I sends Vinnie around to discuss it wit youse), it's good to know that the golf course across the street was being prepared for the spring today.
I don’t know, but the Russians I know don’t seem to care much about the proper pronunciation of English vowels. For example, when I invite one to a demo they ask, “What will be duhmuhed?” So maybe “Uhpuhc Fuhl Luhwn Suhrvuhce.”
Why did I think we were talking about US cases of COVID-19? Silly me.
*snicker*
Howya!
Back from a couple of hours of pulling weeds in the front flowerbeds.
We have a Lamb’s Ear plant that I bought for Kathleen this time last year. It did really well until the weeks of rain, but new leaves were coming in over the last week or so. I pulled out all the dead stuff, and it should really take off if the weather stays warm ... just in time to be of use if we run out of toilet paper.
Hi, Mr. moose. So good to see you. Our supermarkets aren’t short on anything but bath tissue. (Got report from neighbor today on that.) This is a rural community; they’re mystified about the current to do. How are things there?
Oooooh—pretty....
Good evening SG,
I’ve been shopping in places where “Angels fear to tread “ because the supermarkets are either empty or crowded and so dangerous for infection.
Strangely these places arn’t short of anything...
The Gov has said keep out of pubs and restaurants....strangely these are now the safest places to be. Cash is being provided for any business that need help staying afloat.
The roads and public transport are very quiet, people are ‘working from home’.
Just been announced : All uk schools closed from Friday Until further notice. London Underground ,40 stations closed.
The skys are nice and quiet ,only military stuff seen today. Usually the sky is like a freeway in rush hour, all day.
They are considering locking London down for a week....there goes the stock market.
Other than that, everything is calm and controlled,as normal.
Sure it’s pretty, and the flowers smell delightful.
But I call it the Jumanji vine. Leave your car parked beside the path too long and the vines will pull it into the shrubbery and slowly devour it.
These vines eat trees. It’s like vertical kudzu.
Right now, New York is basically a ghost town.
My sister is still working at her job-in an hospital-and apparently there are still restaurants serving people in Queens.
All of the libraries-in all 5 boroughs-are closed, and there's a 1k bed hospital ship docked in NY Harbor.
W000t! Good snag!
Good morning! How nice to hear from you. I hope you’re doing well, aside from the obvious.
I planted my wisteria at the very back of the yard. I figured we’ll have moved to The Home before it eats the house.
It hasn’t encroached too much. The Upnorth People on the other side of the fence chopped at it last year from their side. I had to cut a couple of wheelbarrows’-full of branches.
Morning floof was found in a shopping basket!
Good morning,
I’m going to try to go to Walmart this morning for a few things, then later this morning I have to go in to St George to see if I can change my shuttle ride. Unngh.
I still don’t know anyone who has been tested for COVID-19 or even been exposed to it, let alone, actually have it. But I don’t know much about what goes on in the world because I’m so isolated, anyway.
Good morning. I’m glad you don’t know or know of anyone ill or exposed. It’s possible the whole thing will miss your far-off town.
DP went to Walmart yesterday. We were out of bananas. He came back with many, many bags, so I guess they had plenty of Stuff.
I’ll see how this part of the world has recovered from the fear and give a report in about an hour. I’m out the door. In the rain. The constant rain. The cold rain. the depressingly cold, constantly wet, rain.
I did hear that rain was wet these days. What’s up with that?!
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.