IMO nootropics (I'm hesitant about Galantamine though because some studies have shown it decreases lifespan in rats) are the only worthwhile LD supplements at the moment, they work straight away too. Unless you're low in some b vitamins then supplements can help, but if you eat well, you shouldn't be deficient in vitamins.
Originally Posted by Alyzarin
The following rant is about only a theory... not set in stone.
I spent a lot of today researching KCC2, a transporter in the brain. This subject has pretty much been blowing my mind. I've known for a long time now that GABA, the major inhibitory neurotransmitter, is said to have excitatory actions instead in young brains, but I never really knew why until now. It's because GABA(A) receptors actually are excitatory receptors, but they're constantly modulated throughout the brain by KCC2 which causes their effect to become inhibitory instead. A slow rise in KCC2 is what causes the change to happen with age, and evidence that this is all the case can be seen in rare circumstances like where GABA is localized in vasopressin neurons; it's one of the only places without KCC2 also being present, and GABA has an excitatory action there. Disruptions in this setup have been implicated in neurological disorders particularly those related to injury or disease, but there's also some evidence that KCC2 is not functioning at full capacity in schizophrenia. That's what really brings me here.
Has that been studied at all? Your whole theory rests on this as far as I can tell. Are you just assuming that because vasporession neurons don't have KCC2 present that it must be what makes GABA excitatory? Are there any other molecules which are also not present?
The rest of your post does lend weight to the argument, I'm just wondering if you're not going too far in to hypothesis-land and mistaking it for theory.
Originally Posted by Alyzarin
I admit, I'm always on the look for new explanations of how this system in the prefrontal cortex works, but I do think this is a pretty neat idea. Studies seem to show that 5-HT2A receptors are not directly involved in the development of schizophrenia, but that 5-HT2A inverse agonists can act as antipsychotics to help with the symptoms. They have been found to do this through the recepter heterodimer in the prefrontal cortex that inversely links 5-HT2A and metabotropic glutamate receptor 2 (mGluR2), and mGluR2 agonists have correspondingly been shown to be active as antipsychotics as well. So my first thought is of course that anything that lowered 5-HT2A activity would induce the activity of KCC2 if it worked that way, and if it was linked up in the prefrontal cortex as well then activation of mGluR2 could logically have the same effect. This interests me because of how I believe I can tie it in to the way oxytocin works in the prefrontal cortex. It induces the release of endocannabinoids which activate presynaptic CB1 receptors to inhibit local glutamate release, which leads to lowered activation of mGluR2. I've mentioned this before recently, it's how I believe cannabinoids and sexual practices like kundalini get there overlap with psychedelics. This lowered glutamate is known to cause anti-anxiety effects in healthy amounts, and this is likely at least in part because of its mGluR2 inhibition because 5-HT2A agonists can do the same. Psychedelics usually cause mainly euphoria in low to moderate doses, but the chances of things get much stranger increase dramatically the higher you dose.
Do you know if CBD inhibit glutamate more than THC, or if THC doesn't at all, or maybe even has the opposite effect? That would be very interesting if so.
Originally Posted by Alyzarin
The way I see it, in this theory that could be related to how little inhibitory activity of GABA people are comfortable with. It's the same kind of thing that makes some people freak out on weed while others don't; some people find that lower GABA can be rewarding by means of enhancing dopamine activity and the like while others just get anxious from it. So when you lower KCC2 activity, it's the same as blocking the regular inhibitory activity. The intense and cosmic alterations in perception that can come with psychedelics and sexual euphoria could then in this way come about from disinhibition of systems like dopamine, allowing there receptors to be more active than normal. And quite intriguingly to me, there have been some mGluR2 antagonists which were said to effect the activity of dopamine receptors in a manner resembling this.
So all cannabinoids lower GABA? How does that work? Sorry I removed a bit of the post while wuoting and I'm having trouble following the logic, but it sounds very interesting.
I was thinking the lowered glutamate release stopped it's inhibition of GABA, I think you mentioned that in another post a while back. Maybe I'm remembering wrong.
I'm also wondering how much I fucked up my brain by taking anti-depressants and xanax lol
Originally Posted by Dianeva
I've just realized that the following happens to me a lot. I'm confronted with something, whether a particular image, song, object, smell, video, place, person, thought or some other type of situation. I know that this thing is supposed to make me feel a certain way, because I always have in the past or I have some investment in having that reaction. But often, I realize I can't feel what I expect to feel, and then feel a sense of loss while I try to feel it and don't succeed. I don't usually consciously notice any of this. I'm so dedicated to the reaction I'm supposed to have, I sometimes trick myself into thinking I'm having that reaction, by simply forming the appropriate thoughts without any feeling to back them up, because the fact that I'm not really feeling anything doesn't fit with my view of myself.
For example, a few years ago while in a bad depression I used to look at the stars a lot and felt this sense of profoundness. I'd take in the beauty and try to comprehend how far away the stars were and how small it made me feel, how insignificant everything that happened really was. I told myself then that I'd feel that again whenever I look at the stars, even after my depression was gone. But now, whenever I look at the stars, I don't feel a thing. Yet I almost always convince myself that I do. I purposely slow down my thoughts, mimicking being lost in awe. But I'm really not. The stars just look like a bunch of uninteresting dots in the sky.
This example took a long time, but there are many others. I expect an unexpected specific memory of being with my ex to bring me pain so I think I'm feeling that pain, since that used to be what my reaction was, but if I were to really concentrate I'd realize it barely made me feel anything anymore. A song might once have made me feel a certain way which I want so badly to feel again in the moment, so I listen to it, but I don't feel anything no matter how hard I try. A lot of the time, I want to feel something because if I don't I feel heartless, like there must be something wrong with me. For example, what made me think of this topic originally was GrannyPigms' post above mine, which expresses discontent with the fact that anyone might not share his appreciation of space. It happens a lot with things like that, that I know are supposed to be beautiful, like if I look at a sunset, I expect to find it beautiful, but to be honest, I often don't. Or the opposite, when I hear about intense suffering, I expect myself to be devastated, and if I were to admit that I'm not I'd feel cold hearted.
And what might be the worst part is, even when I do feel something genuinely, I'm so happy about the fact that I'm feeling something so strongly, that I begin to exaggerate it until it isn't even sincere anymore. It's like I start observing myself feeling whatever I am from the outside, imagining whatever is going on like it's a story and I'm just a character I'm reading about. And of course at that point, I'm not even feeling what I was, but I still imagine that I am. Can anyone relate to this?
I can definitely relate. Like Aly, I don't think it's age at all.
I know that thinking too much seems to do this. Which is kind of obvious, but only if you've tried meditation and other practices which help you to stop thinking constantly, stop the internal chatter. Otherwise it just seems normal and you don't even consider that it could be taking away from external experiences.
Space is one of the most awe-inducing things for me, but even sometimes I go out there to try and relax and I'm really just like "....meh.... dots"
Then other times I've had extremely profound experiences where I realise I am literally sitting in the universe on a giant rock, and that I usually don't think I am is just an illusion caused by the atmosphere and Sun, making me feel separate.
See even just then I felt a little bit of the awe again, until I started thinking through it too much trying to explain it.
I would suggest meditating and just getting used to letting thoughts come and go, not paying attention to them but instead paying attention to something external.
Over time you will start to notice much more feelings because you're focusing on the environment rather than your own thoughts.
With the other disaster stuff, that's simply distance. If you saw someone die in front of you, I would say you would probably be mortified.
But even if you weren't and you still kept thinking, maybe trying to figure out what you can do, that's not wrong, in fact it's better in situations like that.
What I'm saying is either way is neither right or wrong. And it's a different matter than the other thing.
Originally Posted by Linkzelda
So when they want to have fun and have a good time, the child is nothing but a distraction to them, but if the child comes in when they're drunk with less inhibitions, they'll accept him when they hear him hum tunes. It's almost disheartening and depressing that a mentally-handicapped child humming to the tune of a song, and their less inhibited state of being, they are somehow to alleviate themselves of their contradicting logic towards him. It's so amazing how a liquid can do that to you, to temporarily make yourself think things are better only to go back to treating the child like shit when you're sober.
It's like to them, they're so horrible even in laughter and joy around this kid.
Sometimes I wonder:
If the drinking makes you so happy with your child, then why the fuck are you so sad, angry, threatening, after it? Especially when someone like that kid who can barely even conceive simple speech is going to live a life of being in a trapped shell of incompetence. It reminds me a lot of this song,
I love that song.
Also I think this related to what Dianeva was talking about. When you drink, it makes emotions much more intense because you aren't inhibiting them.
You should realise that although it may seem that it's "just the alcohol" doing it, it could just as easily make a less kind person get angry.
They are probably angry when sober because they realise all that you just said, that their kid's life isn't going to be good and that it is going to be a struggle for all of them, for the rest of their lives. This can weigh on a person.
But when they're drunk, they can just roll with the happiness from the simple little accomplishments.
Originally Posted by GavinGill
And staying with him results in far too much emotional distress and mental trauma.
If you don't have any children, get the marriage annulled by claiming you two haven't consummated the marriage yet. If you have children, then see a marriage counselor and figure things out - either patch things up if possible, or ask them how to go about the separation process.
Or continue as is and grow more miserable as the days pass. In which case, good luck.
Even with children, a divorce is the best way to go, if things are this bad. No point even trying to fix things if you're clearly just incompatible, in the hope it will be better for the kids.
Growing up in a household that isn't cohesive at all is quite damaging.
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