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Paranormal beliefs linked to brain chemistry

Less searchable M0rd4nt

10:26 / 28.07.02

Paranormal beliefs linked to brain chemistry (From the New Scientist.)

Quote:

"Whether or not you believe in the paranormal may depend entirely on your brain chemistry. People with high levels of dopamine are more likely to find significance in coincidences, and pick out meaning and patterns where there are none."

Naked Flame

10:39 / 28.07.02

Seems to me we really need to know about the dopamine levels of the scientists who performed the experiments. I mean, if they're high, they could have imagined the whole thing.

I find the semantics of that quote rather boggling- particularly given that the article also noted that skeptics and low-dopamine subjects missed meanings and patterns that were there.

Less searchable M0rd4nt

11:32 / 28.07.02

Well, that's really what interested me about the article-- maybe sceptics are sceptics because they miss things?

Ganesh

11:33 / 28.07.02

Makes sense, really. When high levels of L-dopa were used to treat Parkinson's Disease type symptoms (immortalised in the film, 'Awakenings'), the individuals concerned developed acute paranoid psychoses.

Also, many antipsychotic drugs (Chlorpromazine, Haloperidol, etc.) work by blocking dopaminergic neurones. It's not that surprising, therefore that lower, 'sub-clinical' levels of dopamine (ie. that don't quite bring one into paranoid psychosis territory) are likely to aid pattern-recognition - whether helpfully or adversely.

Credulity-juice?

Bill Posters

10:41 / 29.07.02

Whether or not you believe in the paranormal may depend entirely on your brain chemistry.

Why this line of cause-effect? Why not, 'Your brain chemistry may depend entirely on whether you believe in the paranormal? Neuroplasticity being what it is, I fail to see why the 'chemistry' has to be given determinate power, as opposed to being the secondary and derivative variable.

Sebastian

13:14 / 29.07.02

Reading your comments makes me feel quite at home, kuddos.

Its also amusing why the hell they always assume that brain chemistry is stable during a life span, considering it probably changes in matter of hours as the caribbean weather does over a week.

Chuckling Duck

13:41 / 29.07.02

The most interesting note is that dopamine levels seem to correlate with the brain's pattern-recognition threshold. Is it a direct relationship or possibly a side product of some other biochemical reaction? Very interesting stuff.

tSuibhne

14:48 / 29.07.02

quote:
However, the single dose of the drug did not seem to increase the tendency of believers to see coincidences or relationships between the words and images.

That could mean that there is a plateau effect for them, with more dopamine having relatively little effect above a certain threshold, says Peter Krummenacher, one of Brugger's colleagues.

Something about the above quote doesn't sit right with me. But, I'm not completly sure what it is.

Over all, I think there might be some merit to the over all findings. But, I'm afraid the whole thing is going to be over generalized and over simplified.

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