Licensed clinical psychiatrist specializing in cognitive behavioral therapy. Accepting new patients.
tracking: afteryourdeathormine
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This blog contains NSFW and triggering content.
Est: June 2013.
How do you sense the passing of time?
Did you make it to work on time this morning? Go ahead and thank the traffic gods, but also take a moment to thank your brain. The brain’s impressively accurate internal clock allows us to detect the passage of time, a skill essential for many critical daily functions. Without the ability to track elapsed time, our morning shower could continue indefinitely. Without that nagging feeling to remind us we’ve been driving too long, we might easily miss our exit.
But how does the brain generate this finely tuned mental clock? Neuroscientists believe that we have distinct neural systems for processing different types of time, for example, to maintain a circadian rhythm, to control the timing of fine body movements, and for conscious awareness of time passage. Until recently, most neuroscientists believed that this latter type of temporal processing – the kind that alerts you when you’ve lingered over breakfast for too long – is supported by a single brain system. However, emerging research indicates that the model of a single neural clock might be too simplistic. A new study, recently published in the Journal of Neuroscience by neuroscientists at the University of California, Irvine, reveals that the brain may in fact have a second method for sensing elapsed time. What’s more, the authors propose that this second internal clock not only works in parallel with our primary neural clock, but may even compete with it.
Past research suggested that a brain region called the striatum lies at the heart of our central inner clock, working with the brain’s surrounding cortex to integrate temporal information. For example, the striatum becomes active when people pay attention to how much time has passed, and individuals with Parkinson’s Disease, a neurodegenerative disorder that disrupts input to the striatum, have trouble telling time.
But conscious awareness of elapsed time demands that the brain not only measure time, but also keep a running memory of how much time has passed. Scientists have long known that a part of the brain called the hippocampus is critically important for remembering past experiences. They now believe that it might also play a role in remembering the passage of time. Studies recording electrical brain activity in animals have shown that neurons in the hippocampus signal particular moments in time. But the hippocampus isn’t always necessary for tracking time. Remarkably, people with damage to their hippocampus can accurately remember the passage of short time periods, but are impaired at remembering long time intervals. These findings hint that the hippocampus is important for signaling some – but not all – temporal information. If this is the case, what exactly is this time code used for, and why is it so exclusive?
In their new study, the researchers tried to unravel this mystery by training rats to discriminate between different time intervals. They then rewarded the rats with treats when they indicated, by choosing between different odors, that they could tell how much time had passed. Before some of the trials the scientists injected a chemical that temporarily inactivates the hippocampus. This allowed them to test whether a functional hippocampus is necessary to distinguish between different time intervals.
The rats with inactive hippocampi could tell the difference between vastly different time intervals (e.g., 3 versus 12 minutes) just as well as the control rats, but performed no better than chance at detecting differences between similar periods of time (e.g., 8 versus 12 minutes). This suggests that the hippocampus is important for distinguishing between similar time intervals, but isn’t needed when the intervals are very different. But oddly enough, this pattern only held up at long time periods; rats with nonfunctional hippocampi were not just normal at discriminating between similar time periods at short scales (e.g., 1 versus 1.5 minutes), but they in fact performed better.
So while the hippocampus does signal elapsed time, it has a very particular role in doing so. It specifically discriminates between similar time periods at long time scales – on the order of several minutes. When you can tell that you’ve been showering for 10 minutes, and not 15, you can thank your hippocampus. But when you sense the difference between 1 and 1.5 minutes, or 20 minutes and an hour, other brain regions have taken over as internal time-keeper.
While it may seem odd for the hippocampus to perform such a highly specialized function, this is perfectly consistent with what we know it does in other domains. The hippocampus is renowned for its ability to discriminate between overlapping objects or experiences – a process known as pattern separation. This study suggests it pattern separates many features of an experience, detecting subtle differences between objects, places and time periods.
The hippocampus might be oblivious to events that happen on a second-by-second scale, but we’re certainly able to track the rapid passage of these moments. Considering that the striatum is believed to track time on the order of seconds, the authors propose that the hippocampus and striatum might actually compete with one another, such that when the hippocampus is quieted, the striatum is freed to function even more effectively than usual. Although it’s not a good idea to intentionally damaging your hippocampus (you’ll develop a significantly graver problem), doing so could theoretically boost your ability to track the passage of short time periods.
But it’s unclear whether this inhibitory relationship is reciprocal or unidirectional. If the hippocampus and striatum indeed function as separate, antagonistic clocks, does the striatum suppress the hippocampus, just as the hippocampus appears to impair the striatum? Scientists know that damaging the striatum leads to a host of problems processing time. But could it also confer one particular time-telling superpower – that of distinguishing between similar long time intervals - by launching the hippocampus into high-gear? Only further research will tell.
So when you make it to work on time tomorrow, acknowledge not just one, but your multiple inner clocks, and rest easy you have a healthy hippocampus.
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themedicalstate posted this A truly well-tailored person suit must be worn with panache.
Expedit esse deos, et, ut expedit, esse putemus.
Nomenque erit indelebile nostrum.
Nec species sua cuique manet, rerumque novatrix ex aliis alias reparat natura figuras: nec perit in toto quicquam, mihi credite, mundo, sed variat faciemque novat, nascique vocatur incipere esse aliud, quam quod fuit ante, morique desinere illud idem. cum sint huc forsitan illa, haec translata illuc, summa tamen omnia constant.
The default is NBC canon; fleshing out the details will take place, as needed, in each individual thread. Hannibal is fluid, and his concept of truth & history is abstract, to say the least. No truth is immutable. No lie is wholly without backing. I tend to use Harris for more thorough fleshing out, but overlay NBC canon where Harris was just too cracky.
There was a cliff; there was a fall. And where, indeed, did the physical remnants drift to?
One could argue about Hannibal's psychology; he certainly expresses traits common to psychopathy and sociopathy (both loaded terms with their own historical biases) but does not neatly fit into any category. He is articulate, polite, charming, and disarming. A grudge will not be forgotten.
I am not a medical professional. I am not certified to offer medical, psychiatric, or personal advice in any way. This is a roleplay blog—based off of a manipulative, abusive, charming character whom I do not own or in any way represent.
Do not use any of Dr Lecter’s advice. By submitting any ask, you are actively accepting the fact that this is purely entertainment and not any substitution for medical care. By submitting an ask, you are also accepting that I am not responsible for what you choose to do with the completely fictitious content which I produce.
To be very blunt: I don’t know what I’m doing. You should not expect me to. I don’t want to be sued because someone took a fictional character’s fictional advice. (Would you take the advice of a stranger at the bus stop? Your answer should be no, and you should treat this no differently.)
That being said, if you want someone to talk to, I can always offer a shoulder.
You can find psychiatric, survivor, and crisis resources in the Resources tab. Please use them.
This blog is private and 21+. My expectation is that you’re the legal age of majority for your location. And that you don’t actually kill people.
I will only be following back blogs that I’m actively playing with on this account. I will not follow you back if you do not list your age somewhere on your blog; I will not play with you if you are not at least 18 years old, regardless of thread content or geographical location.
I don’t believe in ‘exclusivity’ and find it an abhorrent, exclusionary practice.
The more established and fleshed-out your character, the more likely I am to want to play. This goes across the board for canonical characters and OCs. Grammatically-aware para/paragraph-style (third-person prose) preferred. I get rankled easily by consistent errors and/or lack of proofreading.
There is a very large difference between creative grammar/word choice/formatting and purple prose. 'Cerulean orbits' or other such nonsense? That's not creative; it makes no linguistic sense whatsoever. Bend grammar; don't flay the languague, ffs.
I don’t automatically post new follower starters, nor do I respond to unnegotiated starters from others, mutuals or otherwise. Drop me an OOC message or ask to negotiate play. Do feel free to send in memes, and certainly come talk to me OOC in general.
If you find that replying to a thread is becoming a chore/you’re not looking forward to it/you’re no longer feeling it, please let me know. I’m more than happy to drop a thread, start something completely new, put something on hiatus, etc. I just ask for the same courtesy in return.
If you’re just not feeling RP with me in general, that’s really ok. I promise I won’t get upset or turn you into salami. Just let me know so neither of us feels awkward about an abandoned thread sitting there. I’m drama-free, so please just communicate with me. Communication is awesome.
Relationships are not presumed, regardless of canon, without previous discussion.
Hannibal is not a woobie. He is not a sweet, misunderstood gentleman who just ‘happens’ to have a penchant for eating people whom he finds crass. Hannibal is a self-aware sociopath*; a calculating, cold-blooded monster hiding in a very fine suit. Please do not be surprised when he acts accordingly.
Your character has high odds of being maimed, murdered, and/or consumed.
On various spectra, I would categorise Hannibal as grey-panromantic (generally presenting as aromantic) and grey-pansexual (presenting as asexual). The vast majority of his physical sexuality is a power play; getting under his skin to something less constructed is extremely unlikely.
It should go without saying that this entire show is a giant trigger & ergo this blog will contain consistently mature/disturbing fictional content. Gore, NSFW images, and NSFW threads are not usually behind readmores. I will not make a habit of tagging gore, murder, cannibalism, etc, since doing so would be redundant.
However, if you would like a specific trigger tagged or put behind a readmore, please let me know. I’m more than happy to oblige.
And finally:
disclaimer: Hannibal Lecter is not my creative property, and I own nothing here except my own prose. This is all in good fun; I thank you in advance for not suing me.
Pending.
Pending.
Pending.
Pending.