Posted by psychobot5000 on January 19, 2009, at 19:30:07
In reply to Re: Atypical APs with lowest SRI - for AD augment » Marty, posted by Marty on January 19, 2009, at 17:21:05
For what it's worth, Marty, yes, I sure think that makes sense. The idea that a broad increase in levels of this or that neurochemical was -the- solution to mood disorders always rang false to me--a too simple solution to a problem in an extremely complex machine that we don't really understand yet. When you think about the problem of mood disorders in terms of the way the brain ACTUALLY SEEMS TO FUNCTION, it almost seems necessary to approach the problem through the brain's various distinct signaling and processing systems (which ones are responsible? How? can they be nudged in one direction or another in order to help?)
I'm sure your paradigm about focusing on brain-regions and pathways must be an improvement over what's come before--say, the serotonin theory of depression (which for me (as a layman) never seemed to hold the most basic level of intellectual credibility--it seemed almost...lazy).So yes! By all means let us focus on brain regions and signaling pathways!
Psychbot>
> Oh, another quick thought sharing with anyone trying to find himself a cure:
>
> Stop thinking in terms of messengers (neurotransmitter) and think way more in terms of systems/pathways and brain regions! Drugs which increase this or decrease that often are more specific to some regions than others for some reason.. USE THAT !
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> 'More of this or less of that' kind of thinking is just plain wrong for some of us. Ever watch some Mayo Clinic brain scan that shows how some brain regions works too hard and some too few ? We have to reinforce the expression of some brain region and weaken the expression of others.. NOT reinforce in a leveled/linear way EVERY or ANY system with more or less DA or NE or SE .. but balance the expression by favoring some over others! Brain-wide receptor NUKING versus the subtlelity of geopolitics! That's strategy is currently saving my life beyond my wildest dreams!
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> Neurologic engineering ... know your tools (drugs) and know yourself (reaction to tried drugs.. even side effects talks alot when you knows well your toolbox !) You can't attain a surgeon precision level .. (faaaaar from that) but I think it is possible to do a clean job of rebalancing brain regional expression. I can tell you my reinforced prefrontal cortex is quite happy to being able to shut the f*ck up to my amygdala since I'm on Agomelatine/Low dose trazodone !
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> For anyone not getting what I'm talking about, consider this (not too bad) analogy: It is thought your car doesn't work because of a lack of Gaz and you're trying to get the damn machine to work by filling the WHOLE car with Gazoline .. In the truck, on the windshield, IN THE TIRE.. close all the windows/door and fill the damn whole thing ! -> find where you need that gaz.. and find a way to deliver it where it counts without splashing everything else ! LOL
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> Does that makes sense ?
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> /\/\arty
poster:psychobot5000
thread:874727
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20090104/msgs/875032.html