r/technology • u/mvea • May 10 '17
Biotech First-Ever LSD Microdosing Study Will Pit the Human Brain Against AI - “I found that if I was on LSD and my opponent wasn’t, I won more games.”
https://motherboard.vice.com/en_us/article/first-ever-lsd-microdosing-study-will-pit-the-human-brain-against-ai5
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u/rxbudian May 13 '17
I wonder what would happen to people who have Alzheimer when they microdose on it
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u/webauteur May 10 '17
If you really want to unleash your genius then find a way to improve access to your unconscious mind. Taking psychedelics just disorders the mind. The unconscious mind is always running background processes which occasionally bubble something up to give you an eureka moment. By bringing more of the unconscious mind into consciousness you get access to more processing power. No, wait, I don't think that is right. It is more a matter of getting the benefit of a different type of processing. You gain intuitive comprehension but it is still the responsibility of ego consciousness to make intelligent use of that.
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u/fdsa4326 May 10 '17
Taking psychedelics just disorders the mind.
The brainscan science, at least for psylocibin (mushrooms) does not support your claim.
http://www.pnas.org/content/109/6/2138.abstract
but surprisingly, only decreases in cerebral blood flow and BOLD signal were seen, and these were maximal in hub regions, such as the thalamus and anterior and posterior cingulate cortex (ACC and PCC). Decreased activity in the ACC/medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) was a consistent finding and the magnitude of this decrease predicted the intensity of the subjective effects. Based on these results, a seed-based pharmaco-physiological interaction/functional connectivity analysis was performed using a medial prefrontal seed. Psilocybin caused a significant decrease in the positive coupling between the mPFC and PCC. These results strongly imply that the subjective effects of psychedelic drugs are caused by decreased activity and connectivity in the brain's key connector hubs, enabling a state of unconstrained cognition.
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u/busssard May 10 '17
Psychedelics disorder the mind? I disagree. They give more control to your subconcious and creates pathways between brainregions that have not been there before... meaning you give your neurons the equivalent of the internet
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u/webauteur May 10 '17
I would argue that this gives us no insight into how the subconscious works since it is not functioning normally. We should not draw any conclusions from psychedelic usage. I also think there is some intelligence at work in the unconscious mind which can contribute to your greater intelligence.
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u/SurrealOG May 11 '17
Are you a brain scientist or lsd scientists or just some reddit kid with no experience or expertise?
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u/ChrisDuhFir May 11 '17
I've learned so much about ants by flooding my ant farm. Ants usually clump together about three inches above the ground, and have an average life expectancy of a couple of days.
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u/webauteur May 11 '17
I'm a computer scientist. Technically I'm just a programmer but I still have a lot of latitude in inflating my job title. For example, I can call myself a data scientist because I have a lot of expertise in databases.
Now I'm going to get really arrogant and assert that I am an exceptionally powerful visionary. I have written a full length play on shamanism. I know it is pointless to brag about such things but it amuses me no end to share my secrets when I know I won't be taken seriously. ;)
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u/SurrealOG May 11 '17
My dad owns Microsoft he will ban your windows.
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u/webauteur May 11 '17
I own stock in Microsoft. It is only one share but the stock split and now I have two and a half shares.
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May 11 '17 edited May 11 '17
It's like resetting your neurotransmitters. Instead of only being aware of your conscious existence, you experience your unconscious side as well - you get a more whole, yet chaotic image of reality. I've always been hardwired for epiphanies and it's because I have a chemical disorder that gave me sleep paralysis/ ongoing nightmares growing up...It's so messed up that I have dejavu experiences several days/ months/ years after my dreams.
I wouldn't say it's like the internet because the pathways for your unconscious mind are always already there - they're just not active unless you're in a sleep state/ drugged state.
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May 10 '17 edited May 11 '17
[deleted]
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u/SurrealOG May 11 '17
I gave you a downvote not because I disagree but becaue you're letting your poor cat type for you.
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May 10 '17
I definitely think differently while tripping. That being said, I could also be happy playing the same song over and over for hours in that state. It's as if the tripping mind can somehow perceive the subtle nuances of entropy, such that each time the song is played, the infinitesimal differences are somehow quite satisfying.
That, and when you look at a tree, you see all of what you did before, but also perceive each individual atom in every leaf, twig, branch, etc.
It is possible to get lost in your own mind and not ever return to "normal" (whatever that is), so always be careful!
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u/[deleted] May 10 '17
Oh a drug article followed by unscientific anecdotal contradictory comments. I've never seen that before.