onedayillsailagain

source: http://www.brainstimjrnl.com/article/S1935-861X(09)00084-9/abstract Background Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) is a non-invasive method for stimulating the human cortex. Classical conditioning is a phenomenon of developed associations between stimuli. Our primary objective was to determine whether TMS effects could be conditioned. Prepulse inhibition represents another relationship between two stimuli, and a secondary assessment was performed to explore this relationship. MethodsAn auditory-visual conditioning stimulus (CS) was paired with the TMS unconditioned stimulus (US) over motor cortex producing a motor-evoked potential (MEP) unconditioned response (UR). Two versions of the CS-US pairing paradigms were tested, one with a short intertrial interval (ITI) and another with a long ITI. The short ITI paradigm had more CS-US pairings and shorter session duration than the long ITI paradigm. Tests for conditioned responses (CRs) were performed following CS-US pairing (CS+/US+), by presenting the CS alone (CS+/US−). Reverse testing was also performed after CS-US pairing (CS+/US+) in separate sessions, by presenting the US alone (CS−/US+). ResultsEvidence for CRs was found only with the short ITI paradigm. The magnitudes of CRs were smaller than TMS-induced MEPs, and the CRs were found only in a percentage of tests. Prepulse inhibition was robustly evident for the long ITI paradigm, but not for the short ITI paradigm. ConclusionsWe have found evidence that classical conditioning principles can be applied to brain stimulation in humans. These findings provide a method for exploring brain and behavioral relationships in humans, as well as suggesting approaches to enhance therapeutic uses of TMS or other forms of brain stimulation. I consider purchasing the full article.

Thankyou! It's quite simple to build actually, and it costs less than 20 dollar if you already own a multimeter. But if I get it working properly, my door will be open for anyone here who wishes to try it out. Thankyou! Is written in a style that anyone can learn it? From basics to details, like a study book for first years of anything usually is? I consider buying a very good pocket book on the Anatomy of the nervous system, but it only covers anatomy I believe. Furthermore it is in Dutch, and learning in English would be more universal, as opposed to constant translating. I agree on it being radical. Every professional I have seen so far, is scared of what I'm doing. I just think: well if I don't take any risks, I'm not going to get anywhere. Can't let fear rule your life right? So thus the radical approach(es). I intend on combining it with neurofeedback! Some of the NeuroSky EEG's seem to be of good quality, I will invest in that later in my journey. However, neurofeedback works best if you have some basic stability of mind/focus. Which is why I will do tDCS first. But I suppose the benefits would be unsurpassed by many techniques, if I were to do a 20 minute tDCS session, followed by 20 minutes of meditation, finishing with 20 minutes of neurofeedback. And that each day, and neurofeedback+meditation perhaps twice a day. So far, so good: Only problem is; I get an output of 5.8 mA, which is too high. Apparantly I bought a normal diode, and not a CRD, so this would be what is causing it. Tomorrow the shops are closed, so Friday is the soonest I can adjust this. The person at the electronics shop seemed very intrigued, so I suspect he is willing to help me out. He also told me something about how Transdermal Stimulation was used a long time ago to reach the same effects of Penicillin? And that people are getting immume to Penicillin, so they are re-implementing this technique. Or something along the lines. Last note on the tDCS is that I have yet to buy electrodes. I need to figure out which size first. Ordering them online is my only option, and Amazon states 3 weeks shipping. (remember: I'm in Holland) So my search continues. And then there's the appointment I had today. Well, it was more an argument than a real conversation. It was me trying to explain my radical undertakings were based on careful consideration and rational thought, and her trying to convince me what I was doing (I tried different meds in the past) was risky. It all came down to: "It's my responsibility so shut up" vs "you should be weary of these things because your not a professional." Anyways, I didn't get any Keppra. "The study is only experimental, and I won't prescribe anything that I don't know of. Furthermore I think we should rule out all other possibilities before diagnosing you with HPPD" So I replied with "Well then, guess I'll be feeling better when I'm 25 thank you very much!" I really wanted to yell at her, even though I'm not a violent person. Besides, she was a very nice person. So my chance of getting Keppra is now dependant on the appointment I have in 2,5 weeks. And then they'll probably do some more unnecessary testing. Also she told me it is highly unlikely I'll get an EEG. So now I have to cough up 600 euros to get the care I need. I really want to break something. * deep breath * Luckily my grandmother is rich and in the country for the time being, so I'll have to discuss with here. I really hope the Tenoten arrives soon and that it will provide me with some clarity, so I can hold out untill the next appointment. They told me not to take any medicines, but I was aloud to take homeopathic stuff. What they actually meant was don't anything anything that alters your brain chemistry, but they didn't say that. Tenoten is "homeopathic" according to the box My plan to post a succinct update failed. Oh well. I consider having a friend synthesize Keppra for me in the time being, but that is more radical than just faking a script. Cheers everybody, be well!

tDCS and its implementation potential in treating HPPD is core in my current research. Feel free to message me regarding this subject. Attached is the research article. Enjoy! Update: (PDF) tDCS and visual perception, Antal, Paulus 2008. Why do I get the feeling I posted this already? Oh well, I'll just leave it hanging here. TMS_Chapter13_Miniussi_2012.pdf

Hmm that sounds acceptable. Feel worse, then feel better. Better than feel bad, feel worse, nothing happening So a quick update of the quest so far: Yesterday I went to both the psychiatrist and the addiction clinic. I was disappointed, but it went better than I expected. Psychiatrist rubbed his chin alot and said a lot of cryptic quasi-insightful mumbles. However the people at the addiction clinic seemed genuinely interested in helping me. They agreed that, yes indeed, I don't have an addiction (aside from tobacco). Alas there was no neuroanalysist, I had been misinformed about that. After 2 hours of tedious questioning, and another appointment today, they informed me it would take 2,5 weeks to have my case reviewed. Sigh, sigh, and sigh. But it was a very friendly girl about my age, and she promised she would do the best she can to help me. That's a lot more than I've gotten out of any other 'professional'. Tomorrow I have another appointment with the psychiatrist. Or well, my first appointment with a psychiatrist. Previous people were apparantly psychiatric nurses, whatever that means. I left her some files on HPPD to review before our appointment, and hopefully she will be easier to convey my issues to. After re-explaining, and pointing out in the study, that Keppra is safe and efficient for treating HPPD, I got a big "Ohhh... *silence* .... she'll cover that with you tomorrow, perhaps it's a possibility". So who knows, I might walk out of there with a prescription. The lady also seemed more human from our brief introduction, so I have good faith to get somewhere. Furthermore, I decided to take matters into my own hands. My (ongoing) research pointed out that tDCS (transcranial direct current stimulation), theoretically could be very beneficial for HPPD. This is why I contacted a private institution (had I known those existed in Holland earlier..... Oh well). Hopefully the addiction clinic will request a qEEG and my insurance will cover it. Otherwise it's a whopping 600 euro's. I went to the library and got some books on Neurology. They don't seem very elaborate however, so I might buy some books online (basic neurobiology and neuropathology etc.) And lastly, tomorrow I am going to buy components to build a tDCS device. I don't know the first thing about electricity, but I figure if I follow the instructions exactly, nothing can really go wrong. Should be safe. So I've spread out my chances, and actively engage in getting shit done, to put it bluntly. And now there's someone singing next to me, cats having sex sound even better. Hence line of thought is lost. I'll update if anything significant happens.

I was contemplating this today. Many people, or at least myself, also have speech problems, tinnitus, reduced motoric function, less/different feeling of the body. Perhaps it could be indeed broken down into people that merely experience the localized visual aspect (HPPD), and people that also experience other sensory perception distortion (HPSD? ) Hmm has just been a wild theory so far, but I plan to research the involvement of other sensory systems. I remember reading that HPPD was suspected to be a disinhibition of the cerebral cortex, whereas elsewhere it was contradicted by that it was disinhibition of only the visual cortex. I guess other areas could also be affected to produce this faulty sensory gating. Hell, I'll know more once I get my qEEG! Visual if you like we could exchange theories by chat or something.. I'm doing my own research as well involving various mechanisms. I could really use some help with my theories. Let me know how you think about it. Sorry for the offtopicness 415_stylee, I'll digress.

Got both appointments in a couple of hours. I'm gonna catch some sleep and reply once home again.

Pun is necessary in such meager times Regarding the implications, my apologies. I should rephrase: "It is not unnatural one could relate PE to HPPD". HPPD is complex, and most of it is really a chicken-or-egg dilemma. Skip to 2:37. Opgezwolle - Passievrucht/Bosmuis ft. Duvel Now I no you don't speak dutch. Aside from it being decent rap, an uncommon phenomena, it is relevant. "Meestal lever ik meer dan 10 seconden werk, anders wachten we even, en gaan gewoon verder, waar we waren gebleven." translates to: "Usually I deliver more than 10 seconds work, otherwise we'll wait for a little, and just continue, where we left off" That's my adopted motto, perhaps keep that in mind?

Thankyou guys for all the insight, the information here has been very helpful and initiating for the research I am conducting.

I wouldn't know the exact pathology of ADHD, but methylphenidate seems to be a NDRI (Norepinephrine Dopamine Reuptake Inhibitor). Note that Bupropion isn't an agonist, but a NDRI. However the distrubution of inhibition differs between them, and targets DA more than NE, and vice versa. Can't remember which one though did which though. Either way, this makes Bupropion and Methylphenidate largely similar. Bloodplasma half-life etc. also play a role however, and this shows how two similar substances can have quite a different effect. Methylphenidate is also known as pharmacoke, whereas Bupropion is prescribed for smoking cessation because of its NaC antagonism (idk if that is the correct abbreviation, but it's Nicotinic AcetylCholine). Methylphenidate can indeed be a harsh substance. If you are looking for ADHD alternatives, I recommend researching Modafinil. It is far less addictive and subtle in its pharmacology, yet is als somehow a DRI. source Hate to seem to be promoting a substance, but from what I can collect Modafinil is highly preferable over Methylphenidate or Amphetamine, and I would recommend it over those two substances any day. You could buy Nuvigil, which is Modafinil's precursor, over the counter, and see what it does for you. I don't know about availability in Sweden, but I remember it being over the counter in the US. Otherwise, internet can be your friend. Again, I don't like promoting anything, but if you need, I could provide a reputable source for Modafinil. Just always make sure to check the importation laws of your country, as they can seem to contradict themselves. In most EU countries, import of medicine for self-administration is condoned. I'm sure your government has it's laws online, like most EU countries. Also your doc might be weary of helping you. Regarding if Sinemet would do anything about the rage, it is a question of the pathology of your rage. If your rage is is caused by DA deficiency, then the short answer would be yes. Raising DA levels can be pharmacology done in roughly three ways: taking a precursor for Dopamine (Sinemet), agonizing Dopamine (not Bupropion, but Salvinorin A, for example is a partial DA agonist, albeit primarily taking effect by κ-opioid antagonism), and lastly by inhibiting reuptake of DA (for which the list of agents is quite extensive, but here fit Bupropion and Methylphenidate, but also Modafinil). Anyway, hope to have somehow informed you a little. I might've misconstrued some things above, as I'm no professional, but that's what I grasp from it. Good luck with the rage! Ohh, perhaps Tenoten is something to look into as well. Seems to be calming, which IMO would be more beneficial for rage than a NDRI's and DRI's. I personally like the sound of it, and have ordered it for other reasons. I will asses its effects and post them online.

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Interesting.. I've tried both Choline Bitartrate and Alpha GPC, but never CDP-Choline.. Perhaps I'll give it a shot one of these days, if I can find a deal on ebay. According to this, what happens is the electronic signals get bottlenecked into the Visual Cortex, am I right? It would make sense, that with heightened excitability along those pathways, the signals get scrambled. Also regarding dopamine: perhaps it is a localized dysfunction of tyrosine hydroxylase? It is well known for dopamine depletion to hinder vision. The only problem would be that, by following this theory, one makes the presumption that something is wrong in the retina, and not the brain. If it was merely a retinal problem, I doubt all co-morbid problems would be so prevelant. source Perhaps that's more where dopamine's role comes into play. If Tyrosine Hydroxylase is deficient in that area, it would be logical for Sinemet to ameliorate visual symptoms no? Either way, basically what you are trying to figure out is why the hell Sinemet helps HPPD symptoms, correct? Tricky stuff, I wouldn't have the darnest clue. Good post though

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I wouldn't know about PE, but I myself experience severely lowered libido since HPPD struck me. This is partly due to loss of confidence, i.e. the anxiety that would come with sex would greatly outweigh any possibility of enjoying it. Hell I've had to turn down some really amazing women, just because of the fact that I'm way too anxious to be in any kind of romantic involvement whatsoever. IMO, PE is probably related to anxiety, which is produced by HPPD/DP/DR. It is not unnatural that you would then say HPPD causes PE.

Cannabis aroma is a very unique and strong scent, which can easily trigger memories or feelings. Especially if it's not just a stray whiff. I speculate this is a psychosomatical issue. I myself get anxious memories from the scent of marijuana. However, if I smoke it, I go batshit crazy, even if only taken two puffs. But sometimes I have friends over and they smoke weed, and I'm not bothered by it. Perhaps buy marijuana incense, or just some good kush, and get used to the smell i.e. eliminating the conditioned (fear) response to the stimuli. Cheers.

I left the video, so your interest hasn't been completely wasted. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I13IOKfeLzw tDCS covered by "Through the Wormhole"

Thankyou for sharing. Robert Sapolsky also has some very entertaining lectures on Human Behavioural Biology. Stanford University was so kind to film and publish these on , for those who are interested.

Hey guys, you might want to check out my topic before considering such invasive procedures. That is, if I can get some people to back up the theory. Anyways, join the discussion jay: I'm sure if your doctor suggests brain surgery, he will be willing to try out the procedure discussed in the aforementioned topic. As for my personal view: I wouldn't do it. Brain surgery is something I would only do if I would die otherwise. Neurosurgery is way too invasive for something that isn't acutely fatal IMHO. Subdermal scalp implants, perhaps, but definitely not the removal of tissue etc.

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It seems I was overly enthusiastic about all this.. Anyway simply put, the initial theory was that perhaps a nutraceutical regimen could mimic the effects of Dr. A's COMT study. This would involve EGCG (decarboxylase inhibitor -> mimicking carbidopa), Quercetin (COMT inhibitor -> mimicking Tolcapone), and Mucuna Pruriens (contains L-DOPA.. enough said). That theory lead me to uncover a model for treating HPPD, namely: HPPD = Sensory Gating Deficits characterized by disinhibition of the visual apparatus (visual cortex/occipital lobe in particular), and inhibition of other cortical regions. Sensory Gating Deficits and neuronal excitability can both be altered in various ways, leading to many possible ways of treating HPPD. One of these would be NIBS (non-invasive brain stimulation), such as HD-tDCS (IMO the best option, as it exhibits the most precise targeting of regions of any NIBS method). Yeah, those are the basics. Maybe most of you knew this already, but for me it took quite the time to extract this from all the scientific jargon. Either way, thought I would come back here to simplify this for those of you who are just merely beginning to research HPPD, as a push in the right direction.

1. At what age did you first develop HPPD? 17 (a couple of months before my 18th birthday) 2. What drugs had you used prior to it, and how often? Marijuana (age 12-15 daily, rare use after that), MDMA crystals (single experience around age 14/15), XTC (perhaps twice), Amphetamines (single low dose, around age 14), Salvia Divinorum (twice, never noticed any visual disturbances afterwards), Cocaïne (a couple of times around age 14, at age 16 I had an addiction which lasted approxamitely 5 months, after which I had quit cold turkey without any issues), Alcohol (over the years, a fair amount. from age 15-17 increasing amounts, some monthly periods of daily use, which at the time was regarded as a cultural thing. other times months without use, or very rare use), Tobaco (age 12-14, and age 15 to this date) 3. Which substance most likely triggered your HPPD? A combination of Amphetamines (perhaps 2 grams) and XTC (180 mg I was told). A very, very, bad combination. Amphetamines were prior to XTC. 4. Had you experienced any mental health, cognitive or visual issues prior? Which? Aside from the aforementioned, not much. A depressive period around age 12, perhaps lasted 1-2 years, after that I became quite happy and content with life. A period of high anxiety related to chronic marijuana intake, which subsided over the years after cessation. Cognitively.. Episodic memory-loss related to alcohol and cocaine intake. A period of paranoia, occasionally with psychotic symptoms occuring only during or right after cocaine use, subsided with abstinence. This came with some visual effects, such as shadows and movements, but they always disappeared with abstinence, and vision returned to normal. Generally speaking, my mental health was in quite a good place prior to the "incident".

Visual: You gotta love internet though. Here's a US based company that sells L-DOPA. I don't know about legality and all that nonsense though. That page however, does have an interesting idea: L-DOPA+COMT inhibitor ring a bell, anyone? I don't know, haven't researched Quercetin either. But perhaps others would be interested in further investigation. Perhaps if one were to take this combo of L-DOPA, Quercetin, and EGCG, similar effects could be reached? EDIT: Further discussion on this topic can take place here, as I thought it could be a good idea to post seperately. Anyway I'll make a request voor a qEEG instead, would you care to link to the study/paper/document from which you quoted Dr. A's statement? Chris: I hope you get through with Acetazolamide. I was thinking perhaps it would be a good idea for this forum, to post a sticky in this subforum, containing information about all known possible medications, and their effects etc. There are some people who have used unconventional medications with succes, and it would be a nice referance for those running out of options, to be able to comprehensively overview other medicines, be there effectiveness merely anecdotal or not. On Sinemet: hmm psychosis doesn't sound all too fun, I can understand why they are hesitant to prescribe Sinemet. Twitches and anxiety, also not a pleasant ride. Screwing around with dopamine certainly holds risks. However, low-dose would seem to be quite harmless in that aspect, as I believe Dopamine levels have to elevate to an abnormally high level in order to produce psychotic symptoms.. I might be wrong there though. On my situation: I was supposed to have an appointment with my psychiatrist today, but it got cancelled. The guy was sick (again), and they postponed my appointment to the same date as my appointment with the addiction clinic. So now I have to sort all that out. In the meantime I await my order of Tenoten, hoping it will arrive soon, as I've yet to receive the tracking details. The past two weeks I haven't used any Phenibut, nor Kava, and by the time my appointment comes around, it will be 3 weeks. Hopefully this will be enough of an argument to portray it's unrelatedness. The last conversation I had they kept hammering on about my past drug use, and my current use of Kava and Phenibut. Seems they lack a lesson of cause and effect. With that out of the way, perhaps they'll focus on the actual issue at hand. We'll see.

I tried Tramadol a couple of times, and it honestly did little for me. Albeit not being a traditional opiod, all it did was make my tinnitus worse. One time I took twice the max. dose cause I thought it just wasn't working, and I remember nodding away and having some sort of miniture seizure. Strange dreams as well. I'd stay well clear from opiods.

Well, that can be cleansing in it's own way. Some tribes take plants in the morning to cleanse there system (throw up) for a fresh start of the day! And we all know the cleansing purge of Ayahuasca. Hehe, sorry for the humor. And yes, with Kava, apply KISS. I tried the coconut milk method, and all I got was this greasy drink, lot's of stuff to clean, and my strainer got clogged. 2 teaspoons to a glass of water is my method, knead for 5 minutes, 10 if you're patient, and enjoy

There's a topic about CBD on another forum in which I participated, as I've also considered CBD as an anxiolytic adjunct. Dixie Botanicals has Hemp Oil which contains CBD, no THC. Experience with this product has been discussed, and it seems to work, yet tolerance has been reported. Effects on visuals I would not know, as the people on those forums don't suffer from HPPD. I could post a link, but I don't know what the rules are on linking to other forums. Currently it is (you gotta love the irony) not eligible for shipment to the Netherlands, otherwise I would've given it a try.