David S. Kozin

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Neurontin can cause a high, and talked with some other who use it. I currently take Gabapentin and have for a very long time. It does have withdrawals at higher doses, but manageable. It is very effective and rapid effect of reducing "anxiety to complete an action." such as visiting the message board. It is stressful when I have not been on for some time because of my personal situation, and without gabapentin I would feel overwhelmed to come back. It lowers an anxiety overthinking threshold. That being said, during the days I was very involved with drug use, I knew people trading a single pill of Ecstasy for an 800 mg of Gabapentin. We always tried to get our hands on gabapentin. I believe i could run a controlled study with users of cocaine (very infrequent, but for social reasons) and have it paired with Gabapentin and see most coke users switch. It is also abused as a recreational drug in prisons at high doses. I do notice that my body is much less affected by cold at higher doses as well. - David

File Name: NEWEST HPPD ARTICLE File Submitter: David S. Kozin File Submitted: 22 Apr 2012 File Category: HPPD Research Articles COMPUTATIONAL NEUROSCIENCE!!! GO CRAZY WITH THE MATH! Click here to download this file

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Dr. Goadsby has seen a few patients with HPPD symptoms in his time and a leading researcher for Headaches. I like his phrase for the syndrome, and also pointing out interesting quantitative data here. Thanks for posting! David

The definition of HPPD has changed since the DSM-IV-TR was developed, and essentially has taken to mean any chronic persisting altered visual experience caused by hallucinogen, non-hallucinogen psychoactive drug, toxin, trauma, and unexplained. Opiates could cause altered visual experiences, and also the reason you were taking the opiates for a year likely involved some stress on your body and other aspects of your biological/psychological experience. I dislike "HPPD" as a name because it is okay if the clinical community would only use it for hallucinogens, but the other problem is the definition of a hallucinogen. Take enough opiates and you will hallucinate, and amphetamine is not a hallucinogen but withdrawal off amphetamine (higher dose/longtime) produces hallucinations. ANSWER: It is possible that codeine caused your symptoms, but I would also consider the state your body was in as a whole and anesthesia and antibiotics have been associated with these visuals. Sincerely, David

I have so many articles named fulltext(x).pdf where x is any value from NULL to 400 or so. Additionally, many of the articles download with a number sequence. I am working through the articles and placing them in appropriate category/etc not only for this purpose but for a project. I have completed an audio version of my HPPD plan I wrote, and working that with programs to break it up into sections and put it up on the visiondisorders.org web site. - dk

I have a full copy of the paper, but because it was just published I am going to hold off on disseminating it, but not to worry you are not missing much unless you took Math to Linear Algebra or Differential Equations. The publication is exciting because it comes from new researchers from a new perspective: Computational Neuroscience. J Comput Neurosci. 2012 Feb;32(1):25-53. Epub 2011 Jun 14. [/left] Hallucinogen persisting perception disorder in neuronal networks with adaptation. Kilpatrick ZP, Bard Ermentrout G. [/left] Source Department of Mathematics, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, 15260, USA, zpkilpat@pitt.edu. [/left] Abstract We study the spatiotemporal dynamics of neuronal networks with spike frequency adaptation. In particular, we compare the effects of adaptation being either a linear or nonlinear function of neural activity. We find that altering parameters controlling the strength of synaptic connections in the network can lead to spatially structured activity suggestive of symptoms of hallucinogen persisting perception disorder (HPPD). First, we study how both networks track spatially homogeneous flickering stimuli, and find input is encoded as continuous at lower flicker frequencies when the network's synapses exhibit more net excitation. Mainly, we study instabilities of stimulus-driven traveling pulse solutions, representative of visual trailing phenomena common to HPPD patients. Visual trails are reported as discrete afterimages in the wake of a moving input. Thus, we analyze several solutions arising in response to moving inputs in both networks: an ON state, stimulus-locked pulses, and traveling breathers. We find traveling breathers can arise in both networks when an input moves beyond a critical speed. These possible neural substrates of visual trails occur at slower speeds when the modulation of synaptic connectivity is increased. [/left]

This is a link to a short video browsing through the pages of the text to demonstrate the quantity of information. It is a very rough draft, but contains much of the information: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Lw4rpHy9rc

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Considering an Intern to help co-author text (it needs an editor and someone to help keep me from running on and on...). I am looking at an online format that will also include print. - David

Boogres makes one of the most important points to new members and deserves repeating: You must also remember that those who do get better have no reason for coming on this website (or coming back, leaving, etc.) Nothing is more satisfying than getting a private e-mail that says, "Hey David, sorry I am no longer on the web site. But I think it is doing more harm than good at this point, I can handle my hppd and I don't want to focus on it." No need to say sorry, but often people usually do. Nobody makes money off the web site, so if HPPD was cured then I would be as happy as the rest of you. Most people have anxiety about HPPD because they have it and nobody believes them, they are afraid to tell their spouse, they feel alone, and also don't underestimate a feeling of guilt (I did this to myself, why did I take that last pill/dose/etc?). I don't have the exact statistics, but my experience is that the more drugs a person has done the better they handle HPPD. Rationale: If you took LSD only two times and get HPPD it is easy to beat yourself up over the decision and consequence over just experimenting. Whereas my case, I am lucky I didn't die from drug use. HPPD acted as a set of breaks. I think one of my tricks is that I believe I am lucky HPPD is all I have. I shouldn't be alive and I never got arrested. The worst cases to overcome are those individuals who were dosed by someone else without them knowing and got HPPD.

Artvandelay, I WANT TO STATE THAT THIS IS AN EXHAUSTIVE ANSWER AND IS ALSO A GENERAL ONE NOT INTENDED TO GIVE YOU THIS MUCH ABOUT IT, BUT IT COULD HELP OTHERS AS WELL You began experiencing mild visual disturbances after using ketamine followed by binge drinking and more ketamine resulting in much more severe visual disturbances. The vision problems were accompanied with increased anxiety after reading about the potential life-time course of HPPD. You associate your increased anxiety with discovery of the disorder and also are concerned with coping with persistent anxiety/stress and constant worrying about the symptoms. </p> The first question is to look at your drinking, which you state was binge drinking for a month and a half. Have you always had problems managing your alcohol? Having month long and beyond binge drinking episodes is likely to result in dependence on alcohol that is not that long lasting like a alcoholic of 10 years, but will cause anxiety and problems. Your body has adjusted to receiving the alcohol and any time you are not drinking to match its expectations you will experience heightened anxiety and stress and often depression that accompanies Alcohol Dependence. Alcohol abuse can heighten your symptoms, and I expect that you are now concerned with your drinking which is leading to a overall state of depression. The way alcohol is affecting you and other areas of your life will cause stress and you have visuals, which once were manageable now occupying your mind constantly. What you say next should help you see part of the problem: I know that I can attribute my HPPD getting worse to stress and anxiety as I have been sober from all drugs except alcohol for two months and am not starting up again soon. You have not been sober for two months; you have been drinking. You started as a binge drinker so I am assuming you are not referring to a glass of wine in the evening, so you are probably drinking relatively heavily when you do drink (congrats on the three weeks!). You can not be sure your HPPD is worse as a result of stress and anxiety alone, but the continued dependence on alcohol and also the stress and anxiety associated with this. (Pay attention to what you said as well, which is you do not plan on starting up again soon. This is much different than stating I have sworn off all substances and intend on living my life in sobriety. When I hear again soon any addict who realizes they are one knows that this really translates to "I want to and will probably do them again, but maybe I don't want to but I can't imagine life without ever having a k-hole again I am not being harsh, but being honest with you. I am an addict (I once stayed on ketamine for 3 weeks straight, waking up with it and sleeping to it, so I know ketamine's draw) and I am an alcoholic in recovery, and I have worked for 1 year almost every day listening to 5 new stories about a person's drug use, plans to not use, and how it affects them while working in an inpatient detox hospital where I was there point of contact and read charts and heard their secrets. If I didn't care about your health I would gloss this over and tell you that you are fine. Alcohol Dependence almost killed me, but I found that I was abusing alcohol only when I was not appropriately medicated to manage severe anxiety and lacked a support system. I have not had a drink in 5 months and feel great, (before that when I relapsed for a few weeks I was on a year without a single drink) but last time I remember sliding into alcohol abuse for even a few months I was experiencing what you are stating and making poor decisions Next key point, by your description you can stop using alcohol and I would recommend you do so. Why, you state that in your three weeks of sobriety your symptoms were less, but you do have remaining anxiety and worried about HPPD and perhaps other issues and returned back to alcohol, which resulted in your symptoms worsening. It is a simple causal relationship: <u>Every time you drink you have an increase in problems with HPPD</u>. Your concern is that knowing alcohol will make your symptoms worse, but perhaps you can drink through the anxiety (I put down 3 bottles of wine in a few hours and HPPD was least of my worries at the time.) and you are looking for something to help you besides alcohol. There are options, and the best would be as Boogres said and drug-free methods to cope. That might mean looking at why you were binging in the first place or looking at lifestyle changes. But, if you drink again you do so knowing it has one effect that is persistent: Your HPPD is worse. Remember: Members like Boogres and countless others experience very severe visual symptoms, many have anxiety, depression, depersonalization and derealization. They will report you can manage HPPD and live an excellent standard of life despite your visual symptoms and <strong>THEY ARE CORRECT</strong>. I know of people in every profession with the exception of jet pilot who has HPPD and manages without thinking about it for days despite it being present. However, In these early stages most of us are preoccupied about the disorder and how can this get better? I can tell you that the visual snow alone from my HPPD, left untreated, makes it impossible for me to see at night and my night vision is reduced to a few feet. I cannot recognize people's faces who stand in front of me in the dark without any treatment. I would not be able to drive, and did not until I finally was prescribed klonopin which reduced the static by 75% and I thought it was a miracle. I have been on a high dose of klonopin for 10 years and looking back I can say it is also the drug that caused me the most problems in my life. I am unable to get off of klonopin without at least 6month to a year to taper. If I am without my Klonopin, the withdrawal is so bad that I would be willing to drive 24 hours to just get a half days worth. I would be willing to pay an entire pay check for 1 days worth of pills to stop the withdrawal, which is nothing short of worse than hell and at worst could result in a seizure that kills me. </div> So, what do you do? You quit drinking because you have proven it only makes HPPD worse. You also quit drinking because you have the ability to now, and if you let this continue your life will get much worse. Also, if you have never taken klonopin, valium, or xanax before and take it with alcohol you could possibly black out and die in a car accident. I little startling, but I have heard it too many times. Although it does not seem like it now, you will find a way to cope with your symptoms and focus on ways to improve your life. I spent 2 years doing nothing but read about and think about HPPD, but because I was doing it for a productive reason I could say that I never was bothered by the other 10 or so symptoms. It took my friends to support me and believe me, and my case is unique that I found talking about it to anyone who would listen was a way to deal with it. I would say outloud, "Go to hell stupid trails" and "F-uc-K you damn purple light all over the place, you think you are going to win, you have nothing." People would ask me about it and watch me yell at space and find it interesting (I was in college and a liberal drug using one at the time, so this was not that abnormal). I created hppdonline.com, and found that HPPD became the driving force and my passion in life. I turned it around to become my reason for most my main goals. HPPD, it is nothing, and the klonopin does nothing now but keep me from withdrawing and it has no affect on improving my life. It is just preventing hell. So, I am upset that HPPD led to my dependence on klonopin at high doses and for what I will see as an upcoming battle.</div> If you speak to anyone and ask them how they felt about their HPPD in the first months to year (depending on how their life and how they got the disorder) experienced it, <u>despite all of their bold talk</u> (well-intentioned, but we forget what it was like early on which should be a GOOD SIGN FOR YOU) about just accepting it and it is not that big of a deal you probably think they are lying or bragging. No, they just forgot that they once were just like you. if you look back at the web site history I can find them begging for help, asking for a magic pill, or praying it will end. I did it, I know almost everyone has. Then at some time as your life improves without drug abuse, you will one day suddenly realize you didn't think about HPPD all day. Right now you think I am nuts for saying it, and think Boogres is nuts for saying you can handle it without medications, but I hear the following all the time: "You were right, the visuals no longer bothered me and I didn't even realize that happened. I still see them, but I haven't been bothered by them," However, if you are anxious/etc then we tend to return to focus on them. I can tell you that HPPD won't kill you. The worst part about HPPD is not the visual symptoms, but the way we experience them. If we are anxious about them, then they are distressful. When we are too busy having sex or playing a sport everyone will tell you that during sex or a kickboxing match they were not anxious about their visuals. However, if you are sitting around staring at a wall you have all the time in the world to be anxious about them. See your psychiatrist, you have anxiety issues that should be evaluated as well and if you do get a benzo, read the bezo forum on this site and be warned of what they can do, and take lowest possible dose, and stop every once in a while with your doctor. You'll make it, I have no doubt. At least with eventually dealing with your HPPD. (Now, other parts like Depersonalization and other disorders like anxiety and depression I can't say, but with exception of DP they are treatable but take time.) < I wish you all the best, if I was wrong about any part of the alcohol use/etc you can correct me, but I am putting your story in a general category and without talking to you making an assessment based on a lot of experience and the most likely answer.</div> All my best wishes, David

I have answers such stressxdiathesis model/etc... but, we need to go through the problem with some structure or we will loop ourselves into frenzy. I found this the case writing the text. I would read a new article providing evidence for one small piece, and putting together the puzzle was beyond the scope of my work or I would never have finished. However, we can do this here. I will set-up sections in the forums to resemble some type of useful structure (perhaps we start at the level of the neurotransmitters and go from there. I have research with anxiety-induced genetic disregulation of multple receptor complexes including loss of inhibitory firing, role of cortical cells in information processing, the related functional anatomical structures... It begins feeling like Nitrous, you keep on taking in more balloons to get "Closer" to the "Answer" that explains "Everything" and it becomes an addiction and then you have 10 models for HPPD and a headache. I have 15 windows open with documents, so I am going to get up and take a break and return to see what I can put together to start. I have some ideas. - dk