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There's a good chance you hallucinated this week without ever knowing it
Inverse ^ | October 11, 2019 | By Jack Barton on

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 ...


TOPICS: Health/Medicine
KEYWORDS: dontreadthetag; dopamine; hallucinations; hearingvoices; jayaubreyjones; koalaoil; laurel; molassesmaiasma; monkeyfacerules; pangolin; penguinhumor; psychosis; schizophrenia; undeadthread; undeadthreadhere; unghandmoose; yanni; yannilaurel; yourbrainondrugs
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To: moose07

Thanks, Moosie!! I printed it so I could read it again when the confusion starts. I hate that!


481 posted on 11/07/2019 6:04:33 AM PST by Monkey Face (No amount of evidence will ever convince an idiot. ~~ Mark Twain ~~)
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To: moose07
Having an elected head of state is not for us...good grief, no...cough.

We're only supposed to have a chief administrator. People really, really, really seem to want a chief nanny.

482 posted on 11/07/2019 6:20:35 AM PST by ArGee (Excellence or diversity? Ask for diversity, you get diversity. Ask for excellence, you get both.)
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To: moose07; Monkey Face

Reading completed with less trauma than usual, we will belay Current Environmental Issues in favor of a trip to Pestmart to get crickets for the lizards.


483 posted on 11/07/2019 6:35:56 AM PST by Tax-chick (Tomado de la mano, yo voy con Cristo a donde El va!)
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To: Tax-chick; moose07; Monkey Face
"... in favor of a trip to Pestmart to get crickets for the lizards."

I think I understand; the appellation is determined by the items sought.

484 posted on 11/07/2019 7:19:24 AM PST by NicknamedBob (If you can't do something well, you won't do anything good.)
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To: NicknamedBob

Quite so.

There were also catz, who told us they would love us if we took them home, but we know better.


485 posted on 11/07/2019 7:31:04 AM PST by Tax-chick (Tomado de la mano, yo voy con Cristo a donde El va!)
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To: Tax-chick

“I haz purrfect balance.”


486 posted on 11/07/2019 7:47:10 AM PST by Silentgypsy (Call an addiction hotline and say you're hooked on phonics.)
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To: Silentgypsy

Much better than mine!


487 posted on 11/07/2019 7:47:49 AM PST by Tax-chick (Tomado de la mano, yo voy con Cristo a donde El va!)
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To: ArGee; Tax-chick; Monkey Face; NoCmpromiz; Darksheare; NicknamedBob; no-to-illegals; Covenantor; ...

Hi, y’all.


488 posted on 11/07/2019 7:49:24 AM PST by Silentgypsy (Call an addiction hotline and say you're hooked on phonics.)
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To: Silentgypsy

It’s Thursday here, unless I’m hallucinating.


489 posted on 11/07/2019 7:52:22 AM PST by Tax-chick (Tomado de la mano, yo voy con Cristo a donde El va!)
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To: Silentgypsy

As we used to say back in the sixties, Greetings and Hallucinations!

(Note thread topic.)


490 posted on 11/07/2019 7:56:58 AM PST by NicknamedBob (If you can't do something well, you won't do anything good.)
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To: Tax-chick

It’s Thursday here and I *am* hallucinating.


491 posted on 11/07/2019 7:58:05 AM PST by ArGee (Excellence or diversity? Ask for diversity, you get diversity. Ask for excellence, you get both.)
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To: Tax-chick

Here, too.


492 posted on 11/07/2019 8:18:33 AM PST by Silentgypsy (Call an addiction hotline and say you're hooked on phonics.)
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To: NicknamedBob

I am awake, I am awake.... (To the tune of “The Jury Sleeps Tonight.”)


493 posted on 11/07/2019 8:21:15 AM PST by Silentgypsy (Call an addiction hotline and say you're hooked on phonics.)
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To: Silentgypsy; ArGee; Monkey Face; NicknamedBob

Afternoon, folks. Things are rather dim here, myself included.


494 posted on 11/07/2019 12:47:05 PM PST by Tax-chick (Tomado de la mano, yo voy con Cristo a donde El va!)
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To: Silentgypsy

Greetings


495 posted on 11/07/2019 1:23:49 PM PST by Darksheare (Those who support liberal "Republicans" summarily support every action by same.)
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To: Darksheare

And hallucinations.


496 posted on 11/07/2019 1:34:49 PM PST by Tax-chick (Tomado de la mano, yo voy con Cristo a donde El va!)
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To: Tax-chick

With much trembling delerium for all.


497 posted on 11/07/2019 2:32:36 PM PST by Darksheare (Those who support liberal "Republicans" summarily support every action by same.)
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To: Darksheare

Salutations


498 posted on 11/07/2019 3:47:17 PM PST by Silentgypsy (Call an addiction hotline and say you're hooked on phonics.)
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To: Silentgypsy

And if monsters are involved, “Salivations”


499 posted on 11/07/2019 5:09:10 PM PST by Darksheare (Those who support liberal "Republicans" summarily support every action by same.)
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To: Tax-chick

Cold and rainy here


500 posted on 11/07/2019 5:09:43 PM PST by Darksheare (Those who support liberal "Republicans" summarily support every action by same.)
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