Scott Alexander explores the motivational system as described in 'The Hungry Brain', connecting it to dopamine, willpower, and predictive processing theory. Longer summary

Scott Alexander revisits Stephan Guyenet's book 'The Hungry Brain', focusing on its description of the motivational system. He explains how the basal ganglia in lampreys and humans select behaviors from competing 'bids' made by different brain regions. The post then discusses dopamine's role in this system and how disorders like Parkinson's disease and abulia affect motivation. Scott concludes by proposing a theory linking dopamine levels, willpower, and the predictive processing model, suggesting that high dopamine levels may represent confidence in overriding default behaviors with more willpower-intensive actions. Shorter summary

Scott Alexander examines the risks of Adderall use, analyzing medical, addiction, tolerance, and neurotoxicity concerns, concluding that the benefits outweigh the risks for well-informed patients. Longer summary

Scott Alexander explores the risks of Adderall use, examining medical risks, addiction potential, tolerance development, and possible neurotoxicity. He critically analyzes existing research and shares his clinical experience, ultimately concluding that while there are some concerning risks, they are not severe enough to stop prescribing stimulants to patients who might benefit from them, provided they are well-informed about the risks. Shorter summary

The post explores the complex relationship between smoking and schizophrenia, critiquing conflicting studies and cautioning against hasty conclusions about nicotine's effects on schizophrenia risk. Longer summary

This post examines the relationship between smoking and schizophrenia. It starts by noting the high prevalence of smoking among schizophrenics and discusses various theories for this, including the self-medication hypothesis. The author then analyzes two conflicting studies on whether smoking causes or prevents schizophrenia. One study suggests smoking increases risk, while another, which controls for confounders, indicates smoking may decrease risk. The post criticizes how the first study, despite being newer, ignores the contradictory findings of the second study. The author expresses frustration with this scientific approach and cautions against pushing people at risk of schizophrenia away from nicotine without stronger evidence. The post ends by noting that smoking definitely decreases Parkinson's Disease risk and reiterating that tobacco smoking is still harmful overall. Shorter summary