Quantifying Emotionial Intensity

[HarmonyInDisonance]

Okay guys, a few of you may be familiar with me from another thread by now.

 

I'll begin by saying this thread is a two part experiment for me.

 

1: I simply want to test a theory involving the intelligence of people with BPD, AND, more importantly, learning attitude.

 

2: I believe emotional intensity can be quantified, into pretty much any standard. I want to eventually get it down to joules, but that will take awhile.

 

So, the first is more of a social experiment. The second is simply because I think I can avoid the intellectual snobbery and politics of other forums dedicated solely to science.

 

Crap wife is home with groceries gotta split, get it split?

[HarmonyInDisonance]

Okay, let me start by saying references are appreciated. I don't really care how, a link is fine, no need for the APA guidebook or anything. In case you are wondering, yes I seriously posted this here. I will probably run a duplicate of this thread or two elsewhere. I am looking for constructive input. You can go so far as to tell me I am just plain wrong, just provide some credible source that supports your thoughts.

 

That being said, we all know that thoughts, emotions, and locomotive responses start out as electricity. Nothing like it typically works in your walls, but electrical energy just the same. In fact, human energy output can be equated to volts, amps, and wattage. Let me see if I can find that real quick here... Got it,

 

Okay the human brain uses about 20% of total calorie consumption (http://www.hhmi.org/bulletin/feb2012/pdf/ask_a_scientist.pdf). So lets see, the average daily consumption is about 2000.

 

We also know that 1 large food calorie is equal to..... 4.184 (Joules to calories conversion calculator)

 

The formula is in the link, but for convenience sake...

 

Small & large calories

 

Small calorie (cal) is the energy needed to increase 1 gram of water by 1[FONT=Arial]º[/FONT]C at a pressure of 1 atmosphere.

Large calorie (Cal) is the energy needed to increase 1 kg of water by 1[FONT=Arial]º[/FONT]C at a pressure of 1 atmosphere.

Large calorie is also called food calorie and is used as a unit of food energy.

How to convert from joules to calories

 

Joules to thermochemical calories

 

1 calth = 4.184 J

The energy in thermochemical calories E(calth) is equal to the energy in joules E(J) divided by 4.184:

E(cal) = E(J) / 4.184

Example

 

Convert 600 joules to thermochemical calories.

E(cal) = 600J / 4.184 = 143.4 calth

Joules to 15[FONT=Arial]º[/FONT]C calories

 

1 cal15 = 4.1855 J

The energy in 15[FONT=Arial]º[/FONT]C calories E(cal15) is equal to the energy in joules E(J) divided by 4.1855:

E(cal15) = E(J) / 4.1855

Example

 

Convert 600 joules to 15[FONT=Arial]º[/FONT]C calories.

E(cal15) = 600J / 4.1855 = 143.352 cal15

Joules to large/food calories

 

1 Cal = 4.184 kJ = 4184 J

The energy in large/food calories E(Cal) is equal to the energy in joules E(J) divided by 4184:

E(Cal) = E(J) / 4184

Example

 

Convert 600 joules to food calories.

E(Cal) = 600J / 4184 = 0.1434 Cal

 

 

So, if we can find a way to use brain imaging to isolate an area related to a specific emotion, target it, and find the specific calorie burn of that sole area.

 

 

 

Has this been done before, if so someone let me know, it could save me a lot of time.

 

 

 

I have a few ideas on how to accomplish isolating the area of activity.

 

 

 

At any rate the idea here is to prove or disprove whether or not people diagnosed with BPD truly feel emotions more intensely.

 

 

 

It would be useful in later studies as well, such as determining any correlations between higher outputs in brain activity, and higher deviations in sub-atomic experiments. You know, the human observer factor. I have a verrrrrrrry far fetched theory regarding mitochondrial stimulation and "certain" human brainwave emissions.

 

 

Any thoughts?

[HarmonyInDisonance]

Okay just to restate... I believe that by isolating an area of the brain seemingly responsible for a specific emotional response, we can determine it's specific calorie burn. This should be possible to accomplish by first establishing the subjects resting metabolic rate, heretofore referred to as RMR, then comparing RMR calorie consumption with calorie consumption during extreme emotional response. RMR is basically what we consume when running at idle, ie, just sitting around all day (Does Thinking Really Hard Burn More Calories?: Scientific American).

 

The human brain in this state runs on about 12 watts. This in and of itself is amazing, considering that a supercomputer rivaling the human brain consumes literally 1000s of watts. NEAT

 

Hell, my machine is capable of consuming 1200watts by itself.

 

At any rate, a control group would have to be established. If possible two control groups would be better. One group agreeing to the testing while aware of the study. The other group should only be made aware of as little as possible, obviously this is to see if perception of the study has an effect on results.

 

It would be nice to do the exact same with the BPD group. One group made aware of the nature of the study, the other simply participating.

 

I'm sure there is a perfectly legal and ethical way to go about this, blind studies are done all the time.

 

My theory, now that I have organized my thoughts, is simply this.

 

I believe that in comparison to the average brain of a normal healthy adult, the average brain of a person with BPD will consume more calories when exhibiting a response to the exact same stimuli.

 

Obviously there will be variance issue, but I believe as the system is developed and expanded we can find ways to solve problems with variance.

 

Above all else I am always concerned about accurate results.

 

Thoughts?.......Anyone?

[HarmonyInDisonance]

I have to streamline my work later today. I will post the revised material upon completion.

[AlexDP]

Okay just to restate... I believe that by isolating an area of the brain seemingly responsible for a specific emotional response, we can determine it's specific calorie burn. This should be possible to accomplish by first establishing the subjects resting metabolic rate, heretofore referred to as RMR, then comparing RMR calorie consumption with calorie consumption during extreme emotional response. RMR is basically what we consume when running at idle, ie, just sitting around all day (Does Thinking Really Hard Burn More Calories?: Scientific American).

 

The human brain in this state runs on about 12 watts. This in and of itself is amazing, considering that a supercomputer rivaling the human brain consumes literally 1000s of watts. NEAT

 

Hell, my machine is capable of consuming 1200watts by itself.

 

At any rate, a control group would have to be established. If possible two control groups would be better. One group agreeing to the testing while aware of the study. The other group should only be made aware of as little as possible, obviously this is to see if perception of the study has an effect on results.

 

It would be nice to do the exact same with the BPD group. One group made aware of the nature of the study, the other simply participating.

 

I'm sure there is a perfectly legal and ethical way to go about this, blind studies are done all the time.

 

My theory, now that I have organized my thoughts, is simply this.

 

I believe that in comparison to the average brain of a normal healthy adult, the average brain of a person with BPD will consume more calories when exhibiting a response to the exact same stimuli.

 

Obviously there will be variance issue, but I believe as the system is developed and expanded we can find ways to solve problems with variance.

 

Above all else I am always concerned about accurate results.

 

Thoughts?.......Anyone?

 

 

 

Is it possible to determine the specific calorie burn of an isolated part of the brain responsible for a specific emotional response?

 

Don't get me wrong, but I think you're way off with this research.

 

1. Burning calories is not just about specific parts of the brain. It's much more complicated than that.

 

2. I think it's impossible to link calorie burn with an emotional response for this reason.

 

3. Even if a "normal" person burns less calories than a person with BPD that means nothing, because, again, burning calories is a total body process and is also about health, fitness and a million other factors.

 

So I guess that no, I don't think this can be done nor should it be done nor would it even prove anything.

[AlexDP]

I have a verrrrrrrry far fetched theory regarding mitochondrial stimulation and "certain" human brainwave emissions.

 

I'm sure you do. Maybe though, you should start with the basics and not consider yourself a genius.

[HarmonyInDisonance]

mat5592

April 3rd, 2013, 12:49 PM

okay,

so

you're hypothesizing that a person with BPD, who experiences more intense emotions, will burn more calories responding to the same stimuli as a control group?

 

well, without getting into all of the complicated testing, you could go ahead and compare the two groups in a different way to see if something is there. you could try testing the body weight, fat percentage, bmi or whatever accurate assessments of weight/health there are, as well as the diets, physical activity, etc of the BPD group and compare with the control group. if the BPD group is lighter on average, or loses weight easier or whatever you decide, you might be on to something. this seems like an easier thing you could do before you decide to go into further testing. of course my idea is very vague and unstructured, but i'

m

just trying to help.

 

Me

April 3rd, 2013, 01:56

PM

"

Originally Posted by

mat5592

okay,

so

you're hypothesizing that a person with BPD, who experiences more intense emotions, will burn more calories responding to the same stimuli as a control group?

 

well, without getting into all of the complicated testing, you could go ahead and compare the two groups in a different way to see if something is there. you could try testing the body weight, fat percentage, bmi or whatever accurate assessments of weight/health there are, as well as the diets, physical activity, etc of the BPD group and compare with the control group. if the BPD group is lighter on average, or loses weight easier or whatever you decide, you might be on to something. this seems like an easier thing you could do before you decide to go into further testing. of course my idea is very vague and unstructured, but i'

m

just trying to help."

 

 

 

 

 

Not at all, you make good points actually. I was wondering about variance due to different metabolic rates. Establishing RMR for all groups will be easy. Establishing how much they burn under load, per say, will also vary in different degrees depending on the things you mentioned and naturally varying efficiency calorie utilization. Basically some people are more fuel efficient than others.

Thanks for your post, it triggered some thoughts and new avenues of approach.

 

mat5592

 

April 3rd, 2013, 03:06

PM

glad i could spark some ideas. that's why it's good to work in groups and communicate with others. i know i will often have trouble thinking outside an area that i've already focused on, but when talking with someone else it gets easy.

 

Me

 

April 3rd, 2013, 03:10

PM

"

Originally Posted by

mat5592

glad i could spark some ideas. that's why it's good to work in groups and communicate with others. i know i will often have trouble thinking outside an area that i've already focused on, but when talking with someone else it gets easy.

 

 

 

It's the thing I miss most about college!

 

My head hurts now though. I'

m

an INTP type, on a caffeine rush, that has gotten completely fascinated with something, in other words I've been readin and taking notes for about three straight days. The kids stink, my wife is mad at me... But hey! My theories may have some validity,

so

, still a good day.

"

 

 

Alec Bing

 

April 3rd, 2013, 03:13

PM

BPD can causes changes in physical behaviour, for example, overeating, undereating, overexcercising, not sleeping, sleeping too much, getting into (physical) fights etc. You would have to correct for this.

 

Continued in next post

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[HarmonyInDisonance]

April 3rd, 2013, 03:23 PM

"

Originally Posted by

Alec Bing

BPD can causes changes in physical behaviour, for example, overeating, undereating, overexcercising, not sleeping, sleeping too much, getting into (physical) fights etc.  You would have to correct for this."

 

 

 

 

 

Hence the need to establish some kinda baseline according to averages. It's not perfect, but for the moment it's a start. Also it may be possible to test a pool of subjects and try to form a group with very similar metabolic rates, efficiency or fuel return per calorie....

 

See, now why I have a headache? I get stuck on something eluding me and its bye bye daddy for a week. Sigh, thanks for your reply, I get better input in these forums than I did in school. CTU online, it ain't perfect, but they worked around my crazy life

so

it got me started.

 

Well as fascinating as this is, and with the new ideas... I have to go fix a stupid bathtub. My children jammed the drain shut somehow. There's only four on them. .... God help me.

 

Thanks again.

 

mat5592

 

April 3rd, 2013, 03:45

PM

you could control most of the variables, but that would be much harder to do. you could have them consume the same amount of calories and give them the same amount of physical activity, etc. this would leave the only variable being the person's bmr, which is basically what you're trying to measure. given a large enough group of people, the averages should be the same. of course getting people to follow what you want is easier said than done without having them in your control.

 

 

scheherazade

 

April 4th, 2013, 12:08 AM

Quantifying emotional intensity is an interesting concept. I would just like to remark that during a few periods of intense emotion in my life, I have literally dropped 3-5 lbs

overnight.

I am neither PBD or overweight

so

I make that comment in support of the thought that intense emotion certainly increases the amount of calories used by our metabolism.

 

 

Me

 

April 4th, 2013, 01:14 AM

Originally Posted by

scheherazade

Quantifying emotional intensity is an interesting concept. I would just like to remark that during a few periods of intense emotion in my life, I have literally dropped 3-5 lbs

overnight.

I am neither PBD or overweight

so

I make that comment in support of the thought that intense emotion certainly increases the amount of calories used by our metabolism.

 

 

 

 

 

Thank you for your post. I have noticed that when I have had to pull off impossible amounts of learning in short times that it fatigues me more than the same amount of time spent doing hard labor. Believe me I have had some demanding jobs, but it is just not the same. I am not only tired after intense mental workouts, but brain dead as well. I am notorious for brewing water in the coffee pot in this state. Plus there is research backing up the fact that under load, the brain does use more calories. There is also research claiming the opposite, but this just does not make sense to me. Cells burn ATP, when doing more work, they must be subject to diminishing returns. I would at least think

so

. What else in known existence uses less power to do more work?

 

I am brain dead now as it where. I figured out a way to simplify this thanks to some suggestion made here. I will put this up tomorrow. Should be possible to at least get preliminary result without anything too complicated. May be possible on the cheap too. Time for bed. Thanks again for your input.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[HarmonyInDisonance]

Me

 

April 4th, 2013, 01:23 AM

Originally Posted by

Alec Bing

BPD can causes changes in physical behaviour, for example, overeating, undereating, overexcercising, not sleeping, sleeping too much, getting into (physical) fights etc. You would have to correct for this."

 

 

 

 

 

I just realized something. This got me to thinking. Intense emotions also increase heart rate and bodily consumption of calories as well. I would love to figure out specifically how much more energy the brain itself uses during intense emotion. People probably have different levels of physical response to stress.

So

the total net burn for the entire body may differ in brain to body ratio from person to person to some degree. Some BPDers for example are able to hide there intense emotions outwardly rather well. I really want to find out how much more the brain is using and, never mind I think I got it. Sweet, now time for bed.

 

 

Alec Bing

 

April 4th, 2013, 05:02 AM

Originally Posted by

mat5592

you could have them consume the same amount of calories and give them the same amount of physical activity, etc. ."

 

 

 

 

 

By definition, this would be extremely difficult with someone with severe BPD. Theoretically, maybe. Practically, not

so

much. There is also the issue of medication. Different people with BPD take different medications, and different people can react differently to the same medicine at the same dose. Attempting to control medication intake in people who are suffering from an illness would be ethically problematic.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[HarmonyInDisonance]

JackMonedula

 

April 4th, 2013, 09:07 AM

By BPD you refer to

Borderline personality disorder - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Borderline personality disorder

(

BPD

) (called

emotionally unstable personality disorder, borderline type

in the

ICD-10

) is a

personality disorder

characterized by unusual variability and depth of moods.

[1]

These moods may secondarily affect cognition and interpersonal relationships.

 

 

...

 

The

hippocampus

is smaller in people with BPD. This trait is shared by individuals with

posttraumatic stress disorder

. However, only in BPD are both the hippocampus and the

amygdala

smaller.

[72]

 

[

h

=4]Amygdala[/

h

] The

amygdala

is smaller and more active in people with BPD

 

 

I am no scientist but I guess it is not easy to measure these things.

And to find research objects can be tricky? And how to set it up in

a reliable way

so

the testing is as similar as any such can be.

 

The measurement can show how active the Amygdala is to a certain stimuli

but how to know if that is through habit or through the BPD in itself?

 

I am afraid that I know too little to be on any help. To live with such a person

can be very frustrating and even dangerous of them go to violence.

 

but that is hopefully a tiny minority of them.

 

One of the few therapy that work is reported by a person that maybe have

that diagnose? Linehaan? DBT

Dialectical behavior therapy - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

she maybe knows what kind of research that have been done

in relation to assessment of her therapy that was reported to be

one of the few that had any impact on DBT? But I know too little.

 

 

Me

 

April 4th, 2013, 01:22

PM

 

I thought about that as I was trying to sleep this morning. The trick is either finding BPDers without any comorbid disorders, OR, finding BPDers that do not require medication for said comorbid disorders. For example, It is highly dangerous to prescribe an anti-depressant to a person with BPD, unless depression outweighs the risks of the medication. I also pondered going to local colleges for control groups. BPD group will be extremely difficult. However, I believe it is possible to talk to some local inpatient facilities. I have friends there,

so

they will at least hear me out. The idea is that we can find BPDers appropriate to our study. It just may take some time. I will contact additional facilities as well.

 

I'

m

wondering though, what sort of stimuli would be universal, ie. trigger the same emotion, without being unethical. Finding the right BPDers for the testing will not be hard

so

much as time consuming. The real trick as mentioned above is getting these guys to cooperate with us. The one really great thing about inpatient facilities for this cause is that they are all already subject to the same diet and activity level. We simply match the control groups calorie intact and activity level.

 

So

, its coming together. I just need to gather my notes, add what you guys have brought me, and put it all together. I will try to get in here after I'

m

done with my kids schooling for the day. I will get all my info together and streamline it. When I get it together I will edit my original post and dupe it at the bottom for convenience sake.

 

Thanks as always for excellent input.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[HarmonyInDisonance]

I have thought about this a lot and gotten a great deal of input. After consideration it should be simple to get preliminary data in from small groups initially.

 

Inpatient facilities serve meals according to calorie count. In addition to this there is also a daily routine that does not change much if at all from week to week.

 

Keep in mind this is all just on paper right now, and that the participants I need are somewhat hard to come by. I will figure out a way to deal with that later. In the time being I simply need to figure out a solid system, and I think I have.

 

Considering that BPDers in an inpatient facility consume nearly the exact amount of calories daily. There is some variance of course on account of vending machines, but $100 should convince most patients to skip the candy bar. Besides, I'm not asking anyone to do this for free either. Keeping that in mind, there is the somewhat boring routine, which can easily be matched by a control group.

 

In other words we simply need to find volunteers, that fit the criteria for the testing groups. We can do this one person at a time even if it takes years to get the numbers high enough.

 

Criteria for testing group are as follows.

 

1: Similar RMR within an established range. (to establish average due to varience)

 

2: Preferably no comorbid disorders, or disorder that do not require medications. (medications have a variety of effects on metabolic properties which could produce somewhat less than accurate results)

 

3: Formerly diagnosed lower functioning.

 

4: Must be inpatient to facilitate previous requirements.

 

Criteria for control group.

 

1: Similar RMR within an established range. (to establish average due to varience)

 

2: Able to dedicate 4 weeks to matching inpatient schedule as closly as possible.

 

3: Must not be diagnosed with any psychological disorders, or any physical limitations that would inhibit previous requirements.

 

 

After going over things I came to the conclusion that no expensive testing or equipment will be needed, just a whole lot of patience.

 

We simply start by matching calorie intact and RMR. It will take some time to figure out exactly how long it will take for metabolic rates to stabilize. At this point RMR and calorie intake should be close enough for comparison, even if only by averages.

 

Again this is just preliminary, hopefully it is successful enough to garner more attention.

 

 

Once metabolic rates are stable, we then begin testing each group with the exact same stimuli, preferably one that insights anger. I am still looking for a universal anger trigger that is not unethical or risky for liability.

 

The idea is that if BPDers really have more intense emotions then there brains will exhibit more activity. Based on the way everything in nature works, I assume it will consume more energy thus increasing calorie burn.

 

With everything in sync between test and control groups, we will know how many calories they are taking in, and burning everyday. If intense emotions are triggered for an extended period of time, the additional activity should increase calorie burn by some degree. Even if it is only small. I expect it to be increased enough to be readily apparent. It just makes sense. The brain uses electricity to move data, just like a processor. Since it uses electricity, it must conform to the law of diminishing returns.

 

The control group is of course tested in the same way.

 

In summary, by comparing an established baseline calorie burn for both groups daily, we can compare it to the calorie burn during testing days. If emotions of BPDers are truly more intense than nons, then it stands to argue that brain activity will increase during stimulation.

 

There is already math to do this.

 

And someone mentioned that the hippocampus and ablongata are reportedly smaller in BPDers than that of nons.

 

Once we establish calorie consumption before and after stimuli, to be done alternating daily, we can then convert it to any standard we want.

 

Incidentally, if this is a success, then we will be able to measure emotional intensity. If it has an effect that can be measured, then it exists. An idea, or emotion is not comprised of matter or energy. This would in essence prove that it is possible for things to exist outside of our perception, being that an intangible variable comprised of neither matter or energy can have a measurable effect on our world.

 

Any thoughts?

 

Ps. Going to try to add references tomorrow...

[HarmonyInDisonance]

Is it possible to determine the specific calorie burn of an isolated part of the brain responsible for a specific emotional response?

 

Don't get me wrong, but I think you're way off with this research.

 

1. Burning calories is not just about specific parts of the brain. It's much more complicated than that.

 

2. I think it's impossible to link calorie burn with an emotional response for this reason.

 

3. Even if a "normal" person burns less calories than a person with BPD that means nothing, because, again, burning calories is a total body process and is also about health, fitness and a million other factors.

 

So I guess that no, I don't think this can be done nor should it be done nor would it even prove anything.

 

1: True, but electrical energy can be measured in specific parts of the brain and then converted to whatever standard you want, like calories. In addition to this, it does not matter because once baseline is established and synced, it will be recorded for an appropriate amount of time (to be established later on). After which we record results during active testing. As stated earlier, we will alternate testing days with non testing days. At the end of the study we will compare the results of testing and non testing days to see if there is any difference in calorie burn for the entire body. If that yields favorable results we may then be able to go further with actual equipment to establish the electrical draw in the area in question.

 

2: Recording electrical draw during times of increased mental load is possible, and has been done recently, link tomorrow. If electrical energy can be recorded from specific parts of the brain, and it can, it can then be converted to watts, volts, joules, again whatever you need.

 

3: Which is why we are going to take advantage of the fact that inpatient facilities are full of people with BPD. They usually could really use a hundred bucks too. The best part though is that patients in inpatient facilities are already all on the same diet and daily routine. We simply match the control group to the same regimen. I'm sure these days it is not hard to find someone with a month to kill basically chilling out everyday.

 

Believe it or not Alex I do like that you challenge me. Also I was really nuts for awhile there as I was off my meds for some time. I do also have formally diagnosed bi-polar in addition to BPD which is all to do with body and brain chemistry. Thus it is traced to physical abnormalities. I know it is no excuse.

 

Plus I am out of my funk and am very much different person in this state and not apt to get angry, besides, ideas that cannot stand up to a significant challenge are usually worthless.

 

That being said, lets continue shall we?

Edited April 5, 2013 by HarmonyInDisonance
forogt something

[AlexDP]

1: True, but electrical energy can be measured in specific parts of the brain and then converted to whatever standard you want, like calories. In addition to this, it does not matter because once baseline is established and synced, it will be recorded for an appropriate amount of time (to be established later on). After which we record results during active testing. As stated earlier, we will alternate testing days with non testing days. At the end of the study we will compare the results of testing and non testing days to see if there is any difference in calorie burn for the entire body. If that yields favorable results we may then be able to go further with actual equipment to establish the electrical draw in the area in question.

 

2: Recording electrical draw during times of increased mental load is possible, and has been done recently, link tomorrow. If electrical energy can be recorded from specific parts of the brain, and it can, it can then be converted to watts, volts, joules, again whatever you need.

 

3: Which is why we are going to take advantage of the fact that inpatient facilities are full of people with BPD. They usually could really use a hundred bucks too. The best part though is that patients in inpatient facilities are already all on the same diet and daily routine. We simply match the control group to the same regimen. I'm sure these days it is not hard to find someone with a month to kill basically chilling out everyday.

 

Believe it or not Alex I do like that you challenge me. Also I was really nuts for awhile there as I was off my meds for some time. I do also have formally diagnosed bi-polar in addition to BPD which is all to do with body and brain chemistry. Thus it is traced to physical abnormalities. I know it is no excuse.

 

Plus I am out of my funk and am very much different person in this state and not apt to get angry, besides, ideas that cannot stand up to a significant challenge are usually worthless.

 

That being said, lets continue shall we?

 

Although you're making more sense now, I still don't understand why you want to use calories as a measurement. It won't be accurate and it's difficult to link calories with emotional response. Why not go the more direct way of electrical energy?

[HarmonyInDisonance]

Although you're making more sense now, I still don't understand why you want to use calories as a measurement. It won't be accurate and it's difficult to link calories with emotional response. Why not go the more direct way of electrical energy?

 

 

You see that is the frustrating thing about the brain. It doesn't just use more power so to speak, but it also burns more calories to maintain it. For example, when cells are being over worked, they must be repaired. This is especially true for the neurons being over stressed again and again. In addition, different people have different levels of electrical efficiency in their brains.

 

There is another thing as well. You may have heard the concept of "wearing ruts" in neural pathways. It is speculated that people with chronic pain persisting long after the injury is healed, are suffering from "ruts" in certain neural pathways. This is supposed to cause the pain to persist. While I don't know about that, I do know that putting the same pathways under load over and over slowly causes them to break down. This changes their conductive properties little by little. So I know there is going to be some variance there, but I think I'll know how to deal with that later.

 

At any rate, when conductivity breaks down, it takes more voltage to compensate for resistance. It takes more calories to produce more fuel and voltage. So, We first have to establish whether or not there is increased calorie burn over all. If their is a commonality among most or all subject in the test group, then, if the difference is far enough removed from control groups results, we can go forward to determine exactly what's going on Electricity wise in there.

 

There is also the fact that the brain uses by average about 20% of the bodies calories.

 

Lets try this...

 

My RMR, or Resting Metabolic Rate, is.....

 

1708 (which is crazy I know, apparently why I'm so skinny)

 

20% of 1708

 

is 341.6

 

So If I was to lay around in bed all day, 341.6 calories would be burned by my brain alone.

 

We can then, quantify this however we want, for example.

 

341.6 calories converts into 1430.21088ws

 

1430.21088ws / 60 is 23.836848wh (your typical watt)

 

So, according to this my brain draws nearly 24 watt hours in a day.

 

So matching variables between control and test group should show some difference, IF BPD truly causes increased emotional intensity, then their calorie burn will be higher than it should be during the study.

 

And again we get back to the fact that if this provides meaningful results, then just maybe someone will be will to try and determine in more detail conductivity properties of subjects brains. Either way, there should also be increased heat due to moving more voltage through a worn set of pathways in a condensed area.

 

 

Okay I'm gonna stop there for now. I've let my coffee go cold and it sounds like my kids are holding a wrestling championship in the next room.

 

You actually helped me organize my thoughts, thanks for taking the time to read this stuff.

[AlexDP]

 

There is also the fact that the brain uses by average about 20% of the bodies calories.

 

Lets try this...

 

My RMR, or Resting Metabolic Rate, is.....

 

1708 (which is crazy I know, apparently why I'm so skinny)

 

20% of 1708

 

is 341.6

 

So If I was to lay around in bed all day, 341.6 calories would be burned by my brain alone.

 

We can then, quantify this however we want, for example.

 

341.6 calories converts into 1430.21088ws

 

1430.21088ws / 60 is 23.836848wh (your typical watt)

 

So, according to this my brain draws nearly 24 watt hours in a day.

 

So matching variables between control and test group should show some difference, IF BPD truly causes increased emotional intensity, then their calorie burn will be higher than it should be during the study.

 

And again we get back to the fact that if this provides meaningful results, then just maybe someone will be will to try and determine in more detail conductivity properties of subjects brains. Either way, there should also be increased heat due to moving more voltage through a worn set of pathways in a condensed area.

 

 

Okay I'm gonna stop there for now. I've let my coffee go cold and it sounds like my kids are holding a wrestling championship in the next room.

 

You actually helped me organize my thoughts, thanks for taking the time to read this stuff.

 

The brain might use about 20% of the calories, but is not the only thing that is involved when there is an emotional response. Feelings of anxiety for example might originate in the brain, but can cause heavy breathing and sweating. If you choose to look at calories, you will see a gross difference at best: you will never be able to tell what is affecting what and why.

 

I also think that, with the brain research going on now, the focus is going to be on highlighting how the brain of someone with BPD might differ from the brain of someone "normal". The intensity of an emotional trigger for example might not even be about calories and net energy, yet in your hypothesis it is and thus you might completely miss it altogether.

 

First things first: our comprehension of the brain is so limited that what you are suggesting right now is downright impossible. What we are starting to be able to do, and what you pointed out, is removing pain triggers, by intervening at the brain. After all, all pain is "made" in the brain.

[HarmonyInDisonance]

The brain might use about 20% of the calories, but is not the only thing that is involved when there is an emotional response. Feelings of anxiety for example might originate in the brain, but can cause heavy breathing and sweating. If you choose to look at calories, you will see a gross difference at best: you will never be able to tell what is affecting what and why.

 

I also think that, with the brain research going on now, the focus is going to be on highlighting how the brain of someone with BPD might differ from the brain of someone "normal". The intensity of an emotional trigger for example might not even be about calories and net energy, yet in your hypothesis it is and thus you might completely miss it altogether.

 

First things first: our comprehension of the brain is so limited that what you are suggesting right now is downright impossible. What we are starting to be able to do, and what you pointed out, is removing pain triggers, by intervening at the brain. After all, all pain is "made" in the brain.

 

I will have to take some time to get back to you on that one. I took into account the increase in heart rate and such. All I am trying to prove ATM is that while burning very close to the same amount of calories, the test group will still consume more over all. Being that the only difference between groups is the reactions intensity, a net increase would still prove that nothing but emotional stimulation caused them to burn a markedly higher amount of energy.

 

The rest I'm gonna have to get with later. I gotta take care of my life right now. It's just an evolving system for now, I just gotta keep digging, I believe there is always a way to solve any problem it's just a matter of time and effort.

 

Besides if this turns out to be a fail, I'll just try to find another way. At least being nuts is a permanent reminder of the subject your studying. I just wish I could go back to school. I want a PHD one day. Something to validate my existence you know?

[HarmonyInDisonance]

I will have to take some time to get back to you on that one. I took into account the increase in heart rate and such. All I am trying to prove ATM is that while burning very close to the same amount of calories, the test group will still consume more over all. Being that the only difference between groups is the reactions intensity, a net increase would still prove that nothing but emotional stimulation caused them to burn a markedly higher amount of energy.

 

The rest I'm gonna have to get with later. I gotta take care of my life right now. It's just an evolving system for now, I just gotta keep digging, I believe there is always a way to solve any problem it's just a matter of time and effort.

 

Besides if this turns out to be a fail, I'll just try to find another way. At least being nuts is a permanent reminder of the subject your studying. I just wish I could go back to school. I want a PHD one day. Something to validate my existence you know?

 

There is another possibility, that just occurred to me. I'll have think on it.