Recent comments in /f/science

Johnnyring0 t1_j8xjb3j wrote

Reply to Psychedelics activate the same receptors as serotonin, so why aren't we always tripping? Psychedelics may cause neuronal plasticity and relieve depression by activating intracellular serotonin receptors that serotonin itself cannot, suggests a new study. by rjmsci

Many things can bind to a single type of receptor. When I studied psychopharmacology in college there were a lot of great analogies, one of which comparing a receptor to a lock, and a molecule that binds a key. However, a traditional lock and key is too simple, imagine a lock that can sense every part of the key (a full 360 / 3-D analysis). Since there is so much variability in different molecules, with polarity/charge, etc. A lock and key is far too simple of an analogy, but if you can imagine a mind blowing, highly complex version, you can get closer. And rather than the lock opening a door or something, imagine it turning on a machine. But based on how the lock is turned (or activated) it can change the function of the machine, or turn the machine off/on/partially on/off, etc. Completely changing the function of the machine based on what is needed.

A receptor can be activated in so many varying degrees, and each variation causes it to do something different within the cell. There are so many different cascading mechanisms within the cell based on how the receptor is activated. Serotonin does something very different than psilocybin to that receptor, and thus activates a different cascade of activation within the cell.

Here is a basic image of a signaling cascade within a cell from a single receptor. Notice how there are multiple pathway possibilities from a single receptor within the cell.

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altcastle t1_j8xhecr wrote

Reply to comment by socokid in Scientists find people with Long Covid have 2 major cytokines of the immune system (IL-8, IFN-γ) reduced by 100% by sagdiyev1

I got sick for at most a day in Nov 21 and this all hit my suddenly end of Jan 22. They can’t even be sure I had COVID but given how I had sudden LC symptoms that’s what my doctor said was very likely. Always wondered why it came months after like a 1 day mild fever.

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KnottaBiggins t1_j8xcdsk wrote

Reply to comment by RabidBeaverLake in Religious Hermit Found Buried in The Fetal Position. The woman buried was living with septic arthritis and also advanced venereal syphilis. This would have meant she lived with severe, visible symptoms of infection affecting her entire body, and later on, neurological and mental health decline by Wagamaga

Probably why she spent her whole life wasted in prayer - wanting that god to cure her.

Thoughts and prayers...

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Wagamaga OP t1_j8xc96f wrote

Reply to Depression can lead to memory dysfunction. This study may pave way for new drugs. Results of a large study involving brain scans show that patients with moderate to severe depression have 7-10 per cent fewer serotonin 4 receptors in the brain than healthy test subjects. by Wagamaga

In many patients, depression is associated with memory dysfunction. Now the results of a large study involving brain scans show that patients with moderate to severe depression have 7-10 per cent fewer serotonin 4 receptors in the brain than healthy test subjects.

The researchers from the University of Copenhagen, Psychiatry in the Capital Region and Rigshospitalet performed PET scans of 90 patients with depression who still had not received treatment and just as many healthy test subject of the same age. A PET scan will reveal the amount of serotonin 4 receptors in the brain.

“You cannot tell from a scan whether a person is depressed or not. But we could tell that there was a difference between the patients and the test subjects. The former had fewer serotonin 4 receptors,” says Clinical Professor Gitte Moos Knudsen from the Department of Clinical Medicine and the Neurobiological Research Unit at Rigshospitalet.

Largest PET brain scan study of its kind Previous studies have shown that the serotonin 4 receptor affects the risk of depression, while others have shown that it is associated with human memory. The new results, which have just been published in the scientific journal JAMA Psychiatry, are based on the largest PET brain scan study ever to have been conducted on patients suffering from depression. The aim of the study was to describe the connection between depression, memory dysfunction and low receptor levels.

https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamapsychiatry/article-abstract/2801424

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AutoModerator t1_j8xc4rh wrote

Reply to Depression can lead to memory dysfunction. This study may pave way for new drugs. Results of a large study involving brain scans show that patients with moderate to severe depression have 7-10 per cent fewer serotonin 4 receptors in the brain than healthy test subjects. by Wagamaga

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HollywoodThrill t1_j8xagq5 wrote

Reply to Religious Hermit Found Buried in The Fetal Position. The woman buried was living with septic arthritis and also advanced venereal syphilis. This would have meant she lived with severe, visible symptoms of infection affecting her entire body, and later on, neurological and mental health decline by Wagamaga

"thanks God, I have VD. What's that? You want me to live the rest of my life in seclusion without contact with other humans? Sure, that tracks."

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loverevolutionary t1_j8x9b4h wrote

Reply to comment by wicklowdave in Compared to wolf pups and kittens, dog puppies tend to spontaneously match actions demonstrated by a human — even in the absence of food rewards by marketrent

Why? Wolves are animals that live in packs. Dogs were just wolves who found the most kickass pack to join. They perform a service for their pack and get a great life in return. No shame there, as most wolves probably aren't pack leaders anyway.

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nickyfrags69 t1_j8x8ysr wrote

Reply to comment by rjmsci in Psychedelics activate the same receptors as serotonin, so why aren't we always tripping? Psychedelics may cause neuronal plasticity and relieve depression by activating intracellular serotonin receptors that serotonin itself cannot, suggests a new study. by rjmsci

>but compounds that primarily modulate the serotonin system do relieve it

That's not necessarily accurate though. First off, Ketamine has a much higher success rate, suggesting at the bare minimum that other mechanisms can relieve depression without touching serotonin receptors. Second, most of the benefit of SSRIs seem to be indirect/downstream, which is why they take so long to kick in.

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