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The vagus nerve orchestrates the mind-body connection

quantamagazine.org

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Re: The vagus nerve orchestrates the mind-body connection

#121

Post by miah_ »

loa_in_ wrote: post #109
bitnasty wrote: post #70

Earlier quoted context omitted.

My thought is the exact opposite. AI can handle predictable situations fine, but the 20% of situations which are unpredictable require a general intelligence that can understand context that current AI technology (or possibly any AI technology) just doesn’t possess. There will always be situations that training doesn’t cover.

The other side is that AI can learn every last bit of information from all CT scans, operating room video recordings (and more) in the world with no rest or sleep, and with 100% diligence

But our current "AI" isn't Intelligent and it doesn't learn.

Re: The vagus nerve orchestrates the mind-body connection

#122

Post by danbruc »

danbruc wrote: post #105
waste_monk wrote: post #99

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>Even identical males twins don't have the same penis structure/routing. Thanks for sharing your own personal example (I am the twin, in mine). A form of biometric authentication, perhaps? Assume one has a spare CT scanner or some such thing, and doesn't mind discriminating against roughly half of the population.

The Leftovers [1], season 3 episode 7. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Leftovers_(TV_series)

Maybe NSFW. [1]

[1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0zu4XlM_89s

Re: The vagus nerve orchestrates the mind-body connection

#123

Post by FollowingTheDao »

I disagree with the title. The vagus nerve is just the telephone line of the mind-body connection. The release of Catecholamines[1] and Purines[2] orchestrates the mind-body connection connection, like people talking on opposite ends of the telephone.

"It is possible to stimulate the nerve fibers with a mild electrical pulse by surgically inserting electrodes into the chest or, more simply, clipping them to an earlobe."

The electric pulse stimulates the release of catecholamines and purines which initiate and heighten nerve signals along the pathway,

The "simple" way they describe the vagus nerve leads to an inhibition of creative thinking in the field of psychiatry and health.

[1] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10843545/ [2] https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-540-79090-7_...

Re: The vagus nerve orchestrates the mind-body connection

#124

Post by FollowingTheDao »

metabagel wrote: post #47
computerdork wrote: post #43

Earlier quoted context omitted.

No problem at all, great question because, as you know with your own pain, complex health problems are difficult to solve. Actually yeah, have been basically eat a low-ish inflammatory diet for ~25 years. Ever since in my twenties, realized that I had some major health problem, took my general health very seriously, and have been eating healthy since then (eating a lot of fruits and vegetables, whole grains, and only…

I have had a couple of bouts of very painful trigeminal neuralgia, which was successfully treated with carbamazepine (an anti-convulsant). The latest bout was most likely caused by Covid. I just wonder if there is a drug which can reduce nerve sensitivity, although I guess this is a well explored topic for you. I have not continued the carbamazepine. In both cases, I used it for about a couple of weeks, and then stop…

Nerve receptor sensitivity is controlled in a large part by the amount of Guanine Triphosphate (GTP) in the cell by sensitizing the G Coupled Protein Receptors (GCPRs). Guanosine[1] and Inosine (Purines) are added to foods as flavor enhancers, along with glutamate because they are excitatory.

I have an enzyme deficiency called Partial PNP Deficiency which slows the speed I can metabolized these low level purines. When I eat these food I have full body pain as well as mood issues.

They add these to nearly every processed food in forms as innocuously sounding as "malted barely extract".

I used to need drugs, now I just need to watch what I eat (and watch other things in my environment like stress).

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guanosine_monophosphate [2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disodium_inosinate

Re: The vagus nerve orchestrates the mind-body connection

#125

Post by pnut »

hobo_mark wrote: post #119
ProllyInfamous wrote: post #3

I have extracted this (and other) nerves from cadavers, and this circuitous cranial nerve (XII?) is as beautiful and complex as the multibranch plexus -es (e.g. brachial ). So delicate. Human anatomy, at first glance, often seems wrongly-engineered. After you've worked inside dozens of people, you begin to realize that everybody is unique — and nobody is "textbook" anatomy. Who knows what all this goop even does?! If…

I know med students get to attend cadaver vivisections, is this accessible to others as well? (of course this may depend on jurisdiction and university practice, just asking in general in case anyone has experience).

Dissections, man! Yikes

Re: The vagus nerve orchestrates the mind-body connection

#126

Post by FollowingTheDao »

metabagel wrote: post #44
loceng wrote: post #7

My vagus nerves were constantly being compressed until roughly 4 months ago, when I had bilateral Eagle's syndrome surgeries - Eagle's syndrome a hardening, calcification-ossification of ligaments that connect from the styloid process and wrap around the neck connecting to front of throat; I had played American football for all of high school and most likely the cause from reptitive injuries/trauma to the tissues. We…

Low dose Xanax (alparazolam) and meditation helped me through a flare up of tinnitus. I’m not sure to what extent amplified sound and amplified pain are similar though. I found that I could eventually calm down and ignore the tinnitus sound, but I’m not sure I’ve ever felt that way about pain. Maybe something to think about. But, this is how tinnitus is handled. You have to relax and not be hypersensitive to it, beca…

Just look at how xanax works for a clue. Xanax increases the function of the GABA receptor. So you either have low GABA (inhibitory) or high glutamate (excitatory).Or have high levels of GTP which are making your auditory nerves more sensitive.

"Relaxing" will either slow glutamate release or increase GABA release. Processed foods often contain glutamate as a flavor enhancer.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8113735/

Fellow ear ringer here. My issue is with high GTP.

Re: The vagus nerve orchestrates the mind-body connection

#128

Post by TacticalCoder »

A vasovagal syncope is something. It can happen when pain is too strong and you... Simply pass out.

It happened to me once, ten years ago (probably due to a severe kidney stones incident but we never found out) and I passed out, on the ground, in front of my girlfriend.

My layman understanding is this: pain is too strong, the mind-body decides to simply turn the mind off.

Weirdly enough about one minute late I began to "think" again: laying on the floor and... Pain was gone.

That was a decade ago so... Whatever!

Re: The vagus nerve orchestrates the mind-body connection

#130

Post by abrenuntio »

fsckboy wrote: post #12

> The vagus nerve orchestrates the mind-body connection if it does, then the vagus nerve orchestrates the brain-body connection. the mind-body problem, or if you prefer the mind-brain problem, remains unsolved. and apparently, mind-brain confusion persists as well.

Absolutely this.

I had the exact same reaction: "mind" as in "mind-body" for me refers to things such as reasoning, qualia, intentionality, the fact that neural patterns somehow receive "real meaning".

The mind may or may not be immaterial. This age-old question has not been resolved in any way, not even close.

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