1. 1 year ago 

   creativity = fewer D2 receptors

   were big fans of dopamine receptor deficits as explanation for self-harming behavior and impusiveness/compulsivenss overall…even the socially acceptable kinds…

   • “The study shows that highly creative people who did well on the divergent tests had a lower density of D2 receptors in the thalamus than less creative people,” says Dr Ullén. 
   • “Schizophrenics are also known to have low D2 density in this part of the brain, suggesting a cause of the link between mental illness and creativity.”

   The thalamus serves as a kind of relay centre, filtering information before it reaches areas of the cortex, which is responsible, amongst other things, for cognition and reasoning.

   • “Fewer D2 receptors in the thalamus probably means a lower degree of signal filtering, and thus a higher flow of information from the thalamus,” says Dr Ullén, 
   • this could a possible mechanism behind the ability of healthy highly creative people to see numerous uncommon connections in a problem-solving situation and the bizarre associations found in the mentally ill.

   “Thinking outside the box might be facilitated by having a somewhat less intact box”

2. Notes

....our little team churns out.....hopefully very unpopular and uncomfortable ideas....all backed up with data however....

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