While consensus on the exact way hallucinogens work may be a ways off, Sealfon says the research goes far in demystifying the effects of drug abuse. Also, he notes, drugs similar to LSD are routinely prescribed to patients suffering from mental illnesses, often without doctors' full understanding their effects. "If you could understand what makes a drug like LSD or mescaline have such a dramatic effect, then the principles behind that and the approaches developed for [gaining that understanding] can be applied to drugs that are used to treat neurological and psychiatric conditions," he says, adding that doctors can then "identify what drugs will have less side-effects and more specific effects"
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Add Comment"While consensus on the exact way hallucinogens work may be a ways off, Sealfon says the research goes far in demystifying the effects of drug abuse."
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisThis sentence from the concluding paragraph of the article "How Hallucinogens Play Their Mind-Bending Games" reeks of pro forma accession to prevailing judgmental conservative pseudo-mores. In order to evince proper scientific detachment, Nikhil Swaminathan should have referred to, say, "... the effects of (psychotropic or psychedelic) (substances or drugs)."
In covering such a research-oriented topic, SciAm needs to be vigilant in keeping such bias out of its articles.
Enter Your Comment Here."While consensus on the exact way hallucinogens work may be a ways off, Sealfon says the research goes far in demystifying the effects of drug abuse."
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisThis sentence from the concluding paragraph of the article "How Hallucinogens Play Their Mind-Bending Games" reeks of pro forma accession to prevailing judgmental conservative pseudo-mores. In order to evince proper scientific detachment, Nikhil Swaminathan should have referred to, say, "... the effects of (psychotropic or psychedelic) (substances or drugs)."
In covering such a research-oriented topic, SciAm needs to be vigilant in keeping such bias out of its articles.
I LOVE SHROOMS MAN THEY ARE PRETTY SWEET AHAHAHAHAHA
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thishow do theorize this information fits in with the fact that nmda inhibitors also can cause visual and auditory hallucinations. would this be part of the cascade of neurotransmitters, or is it also found in the lsd and peyote, or as a base causal agent. with the case study featured maybe being the minor cascade or do you theorize multiple ways to experience hallucinations? when dealing with the glutamate breakdown in the brain you are also dealing with nitrous oxide levels and other clearly functional interpretation modifiers when it comes to the senses. it may be possible most halucinations are more correctly explained as altered version of the way reality truly is, or the input from the senses is interpreted in the brain differently just as it is in all cases where the conscious level has been altered. Some simple examples are alcohol, and even sleepiness or severe illness causes a change in the conscious level.. The fact that auditory and sight and memory of the interpretation which we call hallcinations which I think would involve the limbic system, may be a clue on how a brain picture or memory is actually produced in the brain. The brain would have the ability to distort or imagine in normal function. why not the possibility that the brain is simply imagining with out realizing it is imagining or who is to say what reality actually looks like. I have experienced flashbacks from ptsd and they would seem to be some where between a hallucination and a memory. This brings up another reason to suspect the limbic system and nmda inhibitors causing hallucinations and the actual clinical studies which state that large doses of yohimbine can cause flash backs in a person with ptsd. It is a n-methy-D-aspartate (nmda) potentiator . My last twig to put on the pile is the fact that in certain instances ethanol can be a nmda inhibitor and it may explaining alcoholic hallucinations or the neurochemical process that causes them... thanks . artistkvip
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thissome other things which have occurred to me since posting this .. the fact that the way eye takes in information is it focuses on a narrow field or chunk then adds it to other ones in effect stitching them together to make a larger more complete picture and uses the difference in the angle of the two eyes to comprehend depth of field. The persistance of the memory is dependent upon the level of cortico steroids and other fight lite or freeze neurochemicals which alter the perception of time which is a for m of hallucination. which in effect sear in or burn in things where emotion either good or bad is present. That is why we remember the good times and the bad times with so much more clarity. Also i theorize these memories are in-coded in several different parts of the brain as i was unable for years to access some of my memory. Hallucinations could be the exaggerated process or the incorrect process of extrapolating the bigger picture from the series of small ones. who know what rue reality is there is the possibility that somethings we attribute to be hallucinations could be theoretically closer to the real veiw of the object or scene. I had vastly lessened short term memory because of an infection close to my brain and the ability to quickly reproduce a correct drawing or recreation of what i saw before me as an artist was one of the consequences during the period of lessened memory due also partially to the fact that you are on a lower for m of conciseness when you are very sick almost like you don't totally wake up. It is possible people we attribute to having higher iq's and smarter or just more awake than other people or in better physical health. It is possible aseptic meningitis may be the most under diagnosed serious illness in the world. . I SAY AGAIN ASCEPTIC MENINGITIS MAY BE THE MOST UNDER DIAGNOSED REAL UILLNESS IN THE WORLD BECAUSE IT CAN COME FROM SO MANY CONDITIONS WITH ARE CONSIDERED TO BE CHRONIC BUT NOT LIFE THREATENING, THE QUALITY OF LIFE POSSIBLE BY THE INDIVIDUAL IS THE THING THAT IS EFFECTED. I was like a comPuter with very little ram but it was the intake by my eyes or the number of different small pictures to put together that was limited. I theorize all p[people have different levels of awareness. In my photography now i seem to be able to see and take photographs of things in nature that are there for a spit second that others don't see because of not looking or being possibly unable to see what i see.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisI ate acid about four years ago and ever since then i havent been the same.It lead to serious drug problems because after eating acid im pretty sure i ended up with social phobia.Thats where the drug problems came into play.Now ive read up on social phobia and the medication for it which from what i read paxel should help but what im wondering is obviously it affected somethin in the limbic system but could that be a perminite promblem?ive read that social phobia is something that might be caused by how your childhood was and things like that but i didnt have this problem until i took the acid so could this be a problem that im gonna have to deal with for the rest of my life?Geeze i hope not that would suck!
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