It's dangerous out there. Take this!
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 ...
Interestingly Dogs have been telling us about the quinine cure for C19 for years: BARK! BBARK!
Many Many interesting chemicals are in the Bark.
LOL! It is true there are many interesting chemicals. I hope it is found to be an effective treatment for this disease.
It did not actually cure malaria, of course.
We have limestone and calcium in the water here. And there are enormous aquifers under half the state and almost all the state of Nevada.
“Don’t drink the water.” It’ll kill your kidneys.
Crikey. I couldn’t figure out why it was so hard to fall asleep last night and when I woke up this morning and went to take my pills and there was last night’s dose, waiting.
And here I am. Up at 0030. Unngh. The bedding, towels and sleep shirts have been sorted and I’ll be heading for the laundry room in a few minutes.
Got an email from My Favorite Daughter and she is basically panic-stricken. That poor child. She thinks the end of the world is here.
Luck with the laundry. Poor daughter.
It's dangerous out there. Take this!
I sure could have used that! Something to hang onto is almost essential on a Monday!
Look at those eyes!! Almost looking right though you!
Good morning.
The laundry is done except, of course, for hanging the sleep shirts and support stockings. Wearing the latter has really cut down on the swelling of my feet.
Of course, hanging those items is the least of the chores — the other, or course, is putting clean sheets on the bed.
I need to write to the Girl Child and tell her not to worry because she has cats.
Good morning. It’s Monday here, too. Raining again: the cats got wet.
The shirts are hanging and I just emailed a letter to my Girl Child, with an excerpt from FR about the declining numbers in the COVID-19 scare. She’s evidently listening to Lame Stream Media.
So all that needs to be done now is making the bed.
I had another Herrschner’s catalog in Saturday’s mail, and in it were photos of the winners from the annual afghan contest. Top prize was a pair of flamingos! It’s a beautiful thing, and of course, I thought of my dear friend! Maybe, in the next month or two, I can get the kit to make. That would be so much fun!
For us, it’s a day like any other day, only we don’t have to drive all over.
As I’ve said before, its no different to me, except for the shopping. I miss walking briskly in Walmart during the early hours, but that will resume soon.
I just caught this on the news — Utah has had its first death from COVID-19. No other info except that it was “a family man.” Most likely in the SLC area.
Still looking forward to a trip....
Now THAT’S what I call a fur-ball.
Good morning, everyone. Happy Monday. Sunday’s kitteh and I both want to go outside more. Actually, I just want to go outside without having to think about it.
Good morning to you. I hope your Monday isn’t all Monday-ish. Any word on when you’ll be able to go back into the city?
I’ll go outside later. It’s not really a nice day for outdoorsiness.
The byos reached their math goals, so Vlad is making a cake.
Rain. Bleak, wet, gray rain. It might get rainy inside as well.
Sounds like it’s time for “Death in Paradise”! We watched a couple of episodes last night. I finished one potholder and got a second almost halfway done.
Monday is not too bad. I have no idea when the lock-down will end. The FReeper in me fully expects to be assigned a job in a "critical industry" at any moment and the current state of affairs will not end. This is our "Communist Revolution" without anyone firing a shot.
But that's a topic for another time.
Assuming FR isn't shut down, that is.
Yes, Season 3 of “Death In Paradise” is at the library, but I want to finish this season of “Murdoch Mysteries before I go it, hoping that Season 5 of “Endeavor” is also in by tomorrow.
Meanwhile, my fingers are also busy with soft pieces of string being formed magically into works of art to wear. Or look at.
You have amazing fingers. Mine can make potholders, at least!
My fingers are my built-in therapists. They are only where they are to serve me and my manias.
;o]
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