Tag Archives: Brain

WHAT REALLY KILLED ROBIN WILLIAMS

On August 11, 2014, entertainment genius Robin Williams took his own life inside his Paradise Cay, California home near San Francisco. The coroner initially ruled that Williams, age 63, died by suicide—asphyxia by hanging antecedent to, or caused by, clinical depression. However, when the final autopsy results were in, an entirely different picture played out. Robin Williams was in the advanced stage of a somewhat common, but almost always undiagnosed, brain disease called Lewy Body Dementia or LBD.

As Williams’ window, Susan Schneider Williams who now represents the Lewy Body Dementia Association, stated, “The disease was a terrorist in my husband’s head. Any way you look at it, the presence of Lewy bodies in his brain took his life. Depression was only a symptom. Unfortunately, we as a culture don’t have the vocabulary to discuss brain disease in the way we do about depression. Depression is only a side effect of LBD—it’s rooted in neurology. His brain was literally falling apart, and not one thing could be done about it.”

Lewy Body is a strange term. We’ll examine where that name came from, what exactly LBD is, what causes it, and how this always-fatal disease can be managed in its three progressive stages: early, mid, and late. But first, let’s have a brief look at this remarkable man’s achievements. Perhaps “remarkable” isn’t a powerful enough word for Robin Williams.

Robin McLaurin Williams was born on July 21, 1951, into an average American family. But from an early age, there was nothing average about him. He showed a God-given gift for improvision comedy and acting. By the early 1970s, Williams was in high demand as a San Francisco-based stand-up comedian, and he went on to be one of the funniest funnies of all time.

Few can forget many of Robin Williams’ outstanding character roles. He got his television start in Mork & Mindy and went on to film. Popeye. Hook. Good Will Hunting. Dead Poets Society. Good Morning Vietnam. The World According to Garp. World’s Greatest Dad. Night at the Museum. The Birdcage. Moscow on the Hudson. Jumanji. And, of course, Mrs. Doubtfire.

Williams also did voice-overs in Aladdin, Robots, and Happy Feet. He won numerous awards—six Golden Globes, five Grammys, two Primetime Emmys, two Screen Actors Guilds, and an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor. As well, Williams won the Cecille B. DeMille award in 2005.

Robin Williams had his struggles through life, though. He was addicted to cocaine and alcohol which set him into fitful mood swings. He was in and out of rehab for years. However, by 2010 he was stable and substance free, except for therapeutic prescriptions issues to combat what was thought to be clinical depression.

It was not. Robin Williams had an undiagnosed brain disorder. A disease that was only discovered after his death and was verified by brain sectioning at his autopsy. What was suspected to be Alzheimer’s or Parkinson’s in the last year of his life turned out to be Lewy’s Body Dementia—a condition under the general dementia umbrella and an extremely deadly disease.

You’re likely wondering what this weird name is and what it entails. Rather than me paraphrasing the information, let’s go to the best source available. No, not Wikipedia or ChatGPT.  It’s the website of the Lewy Body Dementia Association, and here’s what it says:

Lewy body dementia (LBD) is the 2nd most common type of progressive dementia after Alzheimer’s disease. The name comes from a discovery by Dr. Friedrich Lewy in the early 1900s of abnormal bodies or deposits of alpha-synuclein proteins in areas of the brain that can only be verified through an autopsy. These bodies alter the production of dopamine and acetylcholine that are vital neural transmitters.

LBD is not a rare disease. It affects more than a million people in the United States alone. Because LBD symptoms may closely resemble other, more commonly known disorders like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease, it is widely under-diagnosed.

LBD is an umbrella term for two related diagnoses:

  • A person with dementia with Lewy bodies will develop dementia and other LBD symptoms, one of which may be changes in movement, like a tremor (parkinsonism).
  • With the other form of LBD, people will present first with changes in movement, leading to a Parkinson’s disease diagnosis; over time many will develop dementia years later. This is diagnosed as Parkinson’s disease dementia.

As time passes, people with both diagnoses will develop very similar cognitive, physical, sleep, and behavioral symptoms. The earliest symptoms of dementia with Lewy bodies and Parkinson’s disease dementia are different, but both are due to the same underlying biological changes in the brain.

LBD is a multi-system disease and usually requires a comprehensive treatment approach with a collaborative team of physicians and other health care professionals like occupational, physical, or speech therapists. Early diagnosis and treatment may extend your quality of life and independence. Many people with LBD enjoy significant lifestyle improvement with a comprehensive treatment approach, and some may even experience little change from year to year.

For a more in-depth explanation of Lewy Body Dementia disease, here’s a trip to the medical research department at Johns Hopkins University:

Lewy Body Disease (LBD) is a complex and often misunderstood neurodegenerative disorder that affects millions of individuals worldwide. Characterized by the accumulation of abnormal protein deposits called Lewy bodies in the brain, LBD poses significant challenges to both patients and caregivers. In this article, we delve into the neurological aspects of LBD, exploring its development, detection, effects on the human body, and its associated symptoms.

Development of Lewy Body Disease

Lewy Body Disease primarily affects older adults, typically manifesting after the age of 50. While the exact cause of LBD remains unknown, researchers believe that a combination of genetic, environmental, and lifestyle factors may contribute to its development. Genetic mutations, particularly in genes associated with the production and clearance of alpha-synuclein protein, have been implicated in some cases of familial LBD. However, most cases of LBD occur sporadically without a clear genetic link.

Neurological Pathology

At the core of LBD pathology is the abnormal accumulation of alpha-synuclein protein, forming Lewy bodies within neurons. These protein aggregates disrupt normal cellular function and communication within the brain, leading to widespread neurodegeneration. Areas of the brain particularly affected by Lewy bodies include the substantia nigra, which plays a crucial role in movement control, and the cerebral cortex, responsible for cognitive functions.

Detection and Diagnosis

Diagnosing LBD can be challenging due to its overlapping symptoms with other neurodegenerative disorders such as Parkinson’s disease and Alzheimer’s disease. A comprehensive medical history, neurological examination, and a battery of neuropsychological tests are often employed to assess cognitive function, motor abilities, and psychiatric symptoms.

Brain imaging techniques, such as MRI and PET scans, may reveal characteristic patterns of brain atrophy and dysfunction associated with LBD. Additionally, a definitive diagnosis of LBD can only be made post-mortem through the examination of brain tissue for the presence of Lewy bodies.

Effects on the Human Body

Lewy Body Disease has profound effects on both motor and non-motor functions, significantly impacting quality of life. Motor symptoms include bradykinesia (slowed movements), rigidity, tremors, and gait disturbances resembling those seen in Parkinson’s disease. Non-motor symptoms encompass cognitive impairment, hallucinations, fluctuations in attention and alertness, sleep disturbances, autonomic dysfunction (such as orthostatic hypotension and urinary incontinence), and psychiatric manifestations like depression and anxiety.

Treatment and Management

While there is no cure for Lewy Body Disease, various treatment strategies aim to alleviate symptoms and improve patients’ quality of life. Medications targeting dopamine levels in the brain, such as levodopa, may help alleviate motor symptoms. Cholinesterase inhibitors, commonly used in Alzheimer’s disease, may improve cognitive function and psychiatric symptoms in some LBD patients. Multidisciplinary approaches involving physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech therapy, and psychological support are essential for managing the diverse array of symptoms associated with LBD.

Takeaway

Lewy Body Disease presents a complex clinical picture characterized by the interplay of motor, cognitive, and psychiatric symptoms. Understanding its neurological underpinnings is crucial for early detection, accurate diagnosis, and effective management of the disease. Ongoing research efforts aimed at unraveling the molecular mechanisms underlying LBD pathogenesis hold promise for the development of targeted therapies that can ultimately improve outcomes for individuals living with this challenging condition.

I’ll jump back to the Lewy Body Dementia Association for the diagnostic symptoms of the disease.

Motor Symptoms

  • Bradykinesia (slowed movements)
  • Rigidity (stiffness)
  • Tremors (usually less prominent than in Parkinson’s disease)
  • Gait disturbances (shuffling gait, balance problems)

Cognitive Symptoms

  • Fluctuating attention and alertness
  • Memory loss
  • Executive dysfunction (problems with planning, organizing, and problem-solving)
  • Visuospatial difficulties (problems with spatial awareness and perception)

Psychiatric Symptoms

  • Hallucinations (visual hallucinations are particularly common)
  • Delusions (often related to the hallucinations)
  • Depression
  • Anxiety
  • Apathy
  • Irritability or aggression
  • Sleep disturbances (REM sleep behavior disorder, vivid dreams, acting out dreams)

Autonomic Dysfunction

  • Orthostatic hypotension (drop in blood pressure upon standing)
  • Urinary incontinence or urgency
  • Constipation
  • Erectile dysfunction (in men)

Other Symptoms

  • REM sleep behavior disorder (acting out dreams physically)
  • Sensitivity to neuroleptic medications (may worsen symptoms)
  • Changes in sense of smell
  • Difficulty swallowing (dysphagia)

Note that not all individuals with LBD will experience all of these symptoms, and the severity and combination of symptoms can vary widely from person to person. Additionally, symptoms may fluctuate over time, with periods of relative stability interspersed with episodes of worsening symptoms. Early recognition and management of these symptoms are crucial for improving the quality of life for individuals living with LBD.

Detecting and verifying Lewy Body Disease (LBD) involves a comprehensive approach that combines clinical evaluation, neurological assessments, and diagnostic tests. Here’s a breakdown of the steps involved in the detection and verification process.

Clinical Evaluation

  • A thorough medical history is obtained from the patient and their caregivers, focusing on the onset and progression of symptoms.
  • A neurological examination is conducted to assess motor function, cognitive abilities, and psychiatric symptoms. This may include assessing gait, muscle tone, reflexes, coordination, memory, attention, and mood.
  • Careful observation of symptom patterns, including fluctuations in cognition and alertness, visual hallucinations, and motor symptoms resembling Parkinson’s disease.

Diagnostic Criteria

  • LBD is diagnosed based on established clinical criteria, such as the consensus criteria proposed by the DLB Consortium or the McKeith criteria.
  • These criteria outline the characteristic features and diagnostic markers of LBD, including cognitive fluctuations, visual hallucinations, Parkinsonism, and rapid eye movement (REM) sleep behavior disorder.
  • Criteria may also specify supportive features, such as neuroimaging findings and autonomic dysfunction, which further support the diagnosis of LBD.

Neuropsychological Assessment

  • Neuropsychological tests are administered to evaluate cognitive function, including memory, attention, executive function, and visuospatial abilities.
  • These tests help quantify cognitive impairment and track changes over time.

Neuroimaging Studies

  • Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and positron emission tomography (PET) scans may be performed to assess brain structure and function.
  • MRI may reveal patterns of cortical atrophy and changes in brain volume associated with LBD.
  • PET imaging with radiotracers targeting dopamine transporters or amyloid plaques can provide additional evidence supporting the diagnosis and differentiate LBD from other neurodegenerative disorders like Alzheimer’s disease.

Cerebrospinal Fluid Analysis

  • Lumbar puncture may be performed to analyze cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) biomarkers associated with LBD, such as levels of alpha-synuclein protein and markers of neuroinflammation.
  • While not routinely performed, CSF analysis can provide supplementary information to support the diagnosis of LBD in some cases.

Genetic Testing

  • Genetic testing may be considered in cases of familial LBD or when there is a strong family history of neurodegenerative diseases.
  • However, genetic testing is not typically performed as part of routine diagnostic evaluation for sporadic LBD.

Multidisciplinary Evaluation

  • A multidisciplinary team approach involving neurologists, neuropsychologists, geriatricians, psychiatrists, and other healthcare professionals is often utilized to ensure a comprehensive assessment and accurate diagnosis of LBD.
  • Verification of LBD relies on the integration of clinical findings, diagnostic tests, and adherence to established diagnostic criteria.
  • Given the complexity and variability of LBD presentation, accurate diagnosis and ongoing monitoring are essential for effective management and supportive care.

Treatment Options

  • LBD is a multi-system disease and typically requires a comprehensive treatment approach, meaning a team of physicians from different specialties, who collaborate to provide optimum treatment of each symptom without worsening other LBD symptoms.  ​
  • A comprehensive treatment plan may involve medications, physical, occupational, speech or other types of therapy, and counseling.

Medications

  • There are many treatments that can help with the symptoms; all medications prescribed for LBD are approved by the Food and Drug Administration to treat symptoms in other diseases, like Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease.
  • These medications can offer symptomatic benefits for cognitive, movement, sleep, mood and behavioral changes in LBD.
  • There are not yet any medications that slow or stop the progression of LBD.

Cognitive Symptoms

  • Medications called cholinesterase inhibitors are considered the standard treatment for cognitive symptoms in LBD.
  • These medications were developed to treat Alzheimer’s disease. However, some researchers believe that people with LBD may be even more responsive to these types of medications than those with Alzheimer’s.
  • These drugs sometimes help control behavior problems and hallucinations as well.
  • Another medication that may be helpful is memantine (Namenda).

Movement Symptoms

  • Movement symptoms may be treated with a Parkinson’s medication called carbidopa/levodopa (Sinemet), but if the symptoms are mild, it may be best to not treat them in order to avoid potential medication side effects.

Visual Hallucinations

  • If the hallucinations are not disruptive, they may not need to be treated. However, if they are frightening or create challenging behavioral changes, a physician may recommend treatment.
  • Cholinesterase inhibitors are sometimes effective in treating hallucinations and other psychiatric symptoms of LBD. In addition, newer ‘atypical’ antipsychotic medications may be tried.
  • Most LBD experts prefer quetiapine or clozapine when treatment is necessary for safety or quality of life concerns.
  • Caution is required to find the lowest effective dose in this situation.
  • A newer medication, pimavanserin, was approved to treat psychosis in Parkinson’s disease; results from another clinical trial of this medication in people with dementia and psychosis are pending.
  • While older ‘traditional’ antipsychotic medications such as thorazine and haloperidol are commonly prescribed for Alzheimer’s patients with disruptive behavior, these medications may cause severe side effects in those with LBD.
  • For this reason, older traditional antipsychotic medications like haloperidol should be avoided.

WARNING: Up to 50% of LBD patients treated with any antipsychotic medication may have a severe reaction, such as worsening confusion, heavy sedation, and increased or possibly irreversible parkinsonism. If severe fever or muscle rigidity occurs, contact your doctor immediately; you may have a potentially life-threatening condition that is treated by stopping the medication.

REM Sleep Behavior Disorder (RBD)

  • RBD can be quite responsive to treatment, so your physician may recommend a medication like melatonin and/or clonazepam.

Medication Side Effects

  • Speak with your doctor about possible side effects.
  • The following drugs may cause sedation, motor impairment, or confusion:
  • Benzodiazepines, tranquilizers like diazepam and lorazepam
  • Anticholinergics (antispasmodics), such as oxybutynin and glycopyrrolate
  • Older antidepressants
  • Certain over-the-counter medications, including diphenhydramine and dimenhydrinate.
  • Some medications, like anticholinergics, amantadine, and dopamine agonists, which help relieve parkinsonian symptoms, might increase confusion, delusions, or hallucinations.

Surgery and Anesthesia

  • Be sure to meet with your anesthesiologist in advance of any surgery to discuss medication sensitivities and risks unique to LBD.
  • People with LBD often respond to certain anesthetics and surgery with acute states of confusion or delirium and may have a sudden significant drop in functional abilities, which may or may not be permanent.
  • Possible alternatives to general anesthesia include a spinal or regional block. These methods are less likely to result in postoperative confusion.
  • If you are told to stop taking all medications prior to surgery, consult with your doctor to develop a plan for careful withdrawal.

Other Types of Treatments

  • Lifestyle interventions include eating a healthy diet, exercising, and remaining socially active.
  • Physical therapy includes cardiovascular, strengthening and flexibility exercises, as well as gait training.
  • Speech therapy may improve low voice volume, poor enunciation, muscular strength, and swallowing difficulties.
  • Occupational therapy helps maintain skills and promotes functional ability and independence.
  • Music and aromatherapy may reduce anxiety and improve mood.
  • Individual and family psychotherapy may be useful for learning strategies to manage emotional and behavioral symptoms and to help make plans that address individual and family concerns about the future.
  • Support groups may be helpful for caregivers and persons with LBD to identify practical solutions to day-to-day frustrations and to obtain emotional support from others.

—   —   —

This might be a lot of cut & pasted material—some maybe repetitive—however I think it’s important to be aware of Lewy Body Dementia.

So far, LBD is incurable but somewhat manageable if detected early-on. Our population is aging. Today’s demographics represent an ever-increasing older population, and the numbers are that many of our folks and friends around us, including ourselves, will develop some form of a degenerative brain disorder like LBD which is what really killed Robin Williams.

DO YOU TRUST YOUR GUT FEELINGS?

Everyone—you and me included—has heard their small inner voice speak. It might have been a muffled word of sage advice, a loud yell of urgent caution, or a simple suggestion towards the right move. Evolutionary, our subconscious source of wisdom has served us well—“Whoa! Don’t step outside the cave right now” to “Hey! This wheel and axle invention will be big.” But as real as intuition is, many people choose to ignore their instincts. How about you? Do you trust your gut feelings?

There are lots of terms for gut feelings. Intuition is the main one, but there’re differences of opinion as to what constitutes raw instinct, subtle intuition based on life experience, and plain old gut feelings—also known as the sixth sense, vibes, foresight, precognition, visceral nudges, being-in-the-world, hunches, and downright lucky guesses. These are socially-acceptable labels, not to be confused with pseudoscience stuff like tactic knowledge, remote viewing, morphic resonance, ESP, clairvoyance, and cryptesthesia. Then there’s a half-way, new-age idea called Grok. You might want to Google that.

What got me going on today’s post is a recent comment left on an old DyingWords thread where a fellow made a statement that relying on gut feelings amounted to as much as taking a ride on a Ouija board. “Hang on a moment,” I replied. “I have decades of investigation experience and, if there’s one thing I’ve learned, I’ve come to rely on my gut feelings—hunches, intuition, Grok, or whatever you wanna call them.”

Just a quick personal story before we move on to look at the philosophy, psychology, and physiology behind intuition as well as taking a test to see how much you trust your gut feelings. In 1985, I was part of a police Emergency Response Team (ERT or SWAT for Americans). We were sent to the frozen wilds of the Canadian north to arrest an armed and murderous madman. Michael Oros, the bad guy, got the drop on my partner and me just as I had this incredible gut feeling that he’d silently crept up behind us. I spun around right as the fire-fight started. Because of this intuitive gut feeling—this overpowering presence of imminent danger—I was able to react to save my life and probably the lives of other teammates.

I didn’t imagine that gut feeling. It was as real as the keyboard I’m writing this on, and I have no explanation for it other than we, as human beings, are hard-wired to receive subconscious information through a process best known as intuition. Whether we use our gut feeling’s information or discard it is a matter of personal choice.

Gut feeling intuition has fascinated scientists and philosophers. It fascinates me, as well, and I don’t qualify as either a scientist or a philosopher. It’s not just people who have intuition and gut feelings. Why do dogs seem to know when their owners are coming home, and why do horses naturally understand what people to trust and what people to mistrust? Is it animal common sense?

Surely there’s more to human intuition/gut feeling than common sense. Something else is at work here, and the philosophical theories go back as far as Plato. In his book Republic, Plato defined intuition as “a fundamental capacity for human reason to comprehend the true nature of reality—a pre-existing knowledge residing in the soul of eternity—truths not arrived at by reason but accessed using a knowledge already present in a dormant form and accessible to our intuitive capacity”. Plato called this concept anamnesis.

Ancient Eastern and old Western philosophers intertwined intuition with religion and spirituality. From Hinduism’s Vedic, we get two-fold reasoning for human gut feelings (mana in Sanskrit). First, is imprinting of psychological experiences constructed through sensory information—the mind seeking to become aware of the external world. Second, a natural action when the mind is aware of itself, resulting in humans being awareness of their existence and their environment.

In Buddhism, you’ll find a similar take on intuition. Monks teach that intuition is a faculty in the mind of immediate knowledge that’s beyond the mental process of conscious thinking, as conscious thought cannot necessarily access subconscious information or render such information into a communicable form. Gut feelings, according to Buddhism, are mental states immediately connecting the Universal Mind with your individual, discriminating mind.

More modern-day philosophers, like Descartes, say intuition is “pre-existing knowledge gained through rational reasoning or discovering truth through contemplation that manifests in subconscious messaging.” Descartes goes on to say, “Whatever I clearly and distinctly perceive to be true is true no matter if I see it subconsciously.”

Immanuel Kant offered this: “Intuition consists of basic sensory information provided by the cognitive faculty of sensibility equivalent to what loosely might be called perception through conscious and subconscious.”

In Psychological Types written in 1916 by Carl Jung, you’ll read this: “Intuition is an irrational function, opposed most directly by sensation and less opposed strongly by the rational functions of thinking and feeling. Intuition is perception via the unconscious using sense-perception only as a starting point to bring forward ideas, images, possibilities, ways out of a blocked situation, by a process that is mostly unconscious.”

Freud—always the contrarian—called bullshit on Jung. Freud said, “Knowledge can only be attained through the conscious intellectual manipulation of carefully made observations. I reject any other means of acquiring knowledge such as intuition (gut feelings).”

That’s a short canvassing of philosophers. So, what do the scientists say about gut feelings?

Well, neurologists have a lot to offer about how intuition is biologically tied into the gut. They say our gut, our gastrointestinal (GI) system, has an entire mind of its own called the Enteric Nervous System (ENS) that operates alongside, but independent of, our brain and Central Nervous System (CNS) functions. Our ENS is two layers of more than 100 million nerve cells lining the entire GI system from start to finish—from our esophagus to our anus, or from our yap to our hoop as a layperson might say.

This incredibly complex ENS has a full-time job of regulating our GI tract whose main purpose is to keep us alive through sustainable nutrition. Neurologists say the ENS acts on instinct and constantly exchanges information to our brain through our CNS. When the ENS senses something awry, it immediately alerts the brain that can choose to react consciously or subconsciously.

That works both ways. When the brain consciously or subconsciously alarms, it notifies the ENS which just might explain why you get that feeling in your stomach—that gut feeling. It’s why anxiety can bung you up or make you throw up. In the end, it might be diarrhea that ultimately lets you know to trust your gut feelings.

Okay, that explains the neuroscience behind the ENS gut feeling reaction. But it doesn’t explain what intuition is, and it’s probably worthwhile to look at a definition of intuition which seems to be a different process than a physical gut feeling. Here’s the best differentiating explanation I could find about instinct, gut feeling, and intuition.

Instinct — our innate inclination toward a particular behavior as opposed to a learned response.

Gut Feeling — a hunch or a sensation that appears quickly in consciousness (notable enough to be acted upon if one chooses) without us being fully aware of the underlying reasons for its occurrence.

Intuition — the process giving us the ability to know something directly without analytic reasoning, bridging the gap between the conscious and subconscious parts of our mind, and also between instinct and reason.

If I understand this correctly, gut feelings are short flashes of raw sensory alerts while intuition is a higher-evolved mechanism of subconsciously processing information without stopping to run reams of paper through the mental printer. So, my reasoning goes, intuition must be more of a learned behavior manufactured through experiences, both consciously built and subconsciously retained. Gut feelings, on the other hand, are more instinctive and primal.

I looked around for scientific studies on intuition and found credible works by Daniel Kahneman who won a Nobel Prize for his work on human judgment and decision-making. Without going into detail, Dr. Kahneman and his group conclusively proved there was a valid science behind human intuition which included—not surprisingly—gut feelings.

Another scientific study led by Dr. Gerd Gigerenzer of the Max Plank Institute for Human Development, agreed. Dr. Gigerenzer stated, “People rarely make decisions on the basis of reason alone, especially when the problems faced are complex. I think intuition’s merit has been vastly underappreciated as a form of unconscious intelligence.”

These intuition studies tie into works done by Dr. Gary Klein’s organization at the Natural Decision Making Movement who studied real-life decision processing by people in high-stress situations. They observed police officers, soldiers, paramedics, nurses, and fighter pilots coming to the conclusion that these professionals’ intuitive abilities developed from recognizing regularities, repetitions, and similarities between information available to them combined with their past experiences.

Out of their scientific work of studying intuitive reactions under stressful and challenging situations involving time pressure, uncertainty, unclear goals, and organizational restraints came a fighter pilot training model called the OODA Loop or the Circle of Competence. It’s a simple formula every high-performance jet jockey now memorizes to the point of being instinctive, intuitive, and gut-felt. It goes like this:

O — Observe
O — Orient
D — Decide
A — Act

So, is developed intuition, or its cruder form of visceral gut feeling, reliable? I’d say if it’s good enough to train fighter pilots with then it’s good enough for us. Let’s put it to the test.

I found a terribly non-scientific (but totally fun) click-bait site with a ten-question roll-through called the Queendom Gut Instinct Test. You can take it for a spin here:

https://www.queendom.com/queendom_tests/transfer

To score your results, you have to click the boxes at the site, but don’t worry—there’s no cost involved, and it’s an interesting self-perspective based on your gut reaction answers. These are the ten questions and multiple choice answers:

1. Did you ever get the sense that something was wrong or someone was in danger and ended up being right?
Yes ———  No ———

2. Do you believe that your gut instinct is at least as reliable as your rational mind?
Yes ———  No ———

3. Do you believe that a person can give off good or bad “vibes?”
Yes ———  No ———

4. You’re shopping with your partner for a new home. The real estate agent you’re working with pulls up to a beautiful house in the exact style you are looking for. However, when you walk through the front door, you are suddenly overcome with a sense of dread and foreboding. The place has a really creepy ambiance. What would you do?
A ——— Walk right back out. There is definitely something wrong with this place.
B ——— Ask the agent about the house’s history. If something bad happened here, I am not      buying it.
C ——— Do a tour of the place, since I am here anyway. If I can’t shake the negative feeling       AND there are major structural issues with the house, then I won’t buy it.
D ——— Shake it off. Even if something occurred, my partner and I will fill it with better memories.
F ——— Make an offer. Who cares about the house’s history? This is my dream home!

5. Two weeks before you’re about to go on a trip overseas, you have a recurring dream that the airplane you’re on needs to make an emergency landing due to a technical failure. What would you do?
A ——— Ignore it. It’s just a sign that I am nervous about flying.
B ——— Go on the trip, but say a few prayers or bring my lucky charm.
C ——— Reschedule my flight. There’s obviously a reason why I am having this dream every night.

6. Your friend introduces you to his or her new significant other. From the first conversation, you get the sense that there is something off about this person – like he/she is hiding something, or not being genuine. What would you do?
A ——— Dismiss it as paranoia. I barely know this person, so I have no right to judge him or her so quickly.
B ——— Put the feeling aside for now, but keep an eye out for suspicious behavior.
C ——— Try to probe a bit and/or do some research to see if there is something to my hunch.
D ——— Warn my friend to be careful and not to trust this person too quickly – my gut is never wrong.

7. Time to upgrade your wheels. How would you most likely approach this purchase?
A ——— I would conduct some research, weigh the pros and cons of different models, and then find a car that fits my needs and budget.
B ——— I would do some research on different models, then test drive the car to see how I feel in it.
C ——— I would have a general idea of what I want, but it would come down to one thing: if it’s the right car for me, I will know it when I’m in it.

8. You’re out buying coffee when you come across an old colleague who left the company to start his own business. He had a major fallout with management when he was turned down for a promotion. He says his startup is doing great, and he offers you a job on his team with a lucrative salary as well as benefits. It sounds like an amazing opportunity – but your gut is telling you to turn it down. What would you do?
A ——— Thank him for the offer, but decline. My gut is obviously picking up on something that he’s not telling me.
B ——— Ask him to give me some time to consider the offer, and then do some research on his company to see if it’s doing as well as he says it is.
C ——— Jump on the offer. There is no way I would turn down this amazing chance for a better job!

9. As you’re leaving your friend’s place and walking to your car, you hear a clear voice in your head say, “Don’t drive home. Stay here for the night.” You decide to listen and sleep over. The next morning, you find out that there was a fatal 8-car accident the night before – on the exact road you were planning to take, at the exact time you were about to leave. What would you most likely be thinking?
A ——— “Interesting coincidence.”
B ——— “That’s so strange. Maybe someone is looking out for me.”
C ——— “I am so grateful I listened to that warning in my head.”

10. You’re at a convenience store to pick up a lottery ticket. How do you choose your numbers?
A ——— I let the machine pick them at random.
B ——— I play the same numbers every time.
C ——— I pick the numbers based on what my gut tells me.

Again, you’ll have to take the test at its online site to get your Gut Instinct Score. How did I make out? I got an 85, and here’s what the site said about me:

Your gut instinct has been your ally. It’s that older, wiser friend who always has your back and stops you from making stupid decisions. When your gut tells you to pay attention, to be careful, to not trust someone, or to go right instead of left, you won’t question the information. You are in tune with your intuition. Chances are that on those rare occasions when you didn’t trust your gut, you regretted it. Just keep in mind that your logical reasoning is your ally too. It is not the antagonist to your intuition, it’s simply an additional source of information and a way to process it all. Just as you shouldn’t rely solely on your intuition to make major financial decisions, you also shouldn’t rely on logic alone as a survival mechanism. Make good use of both. When you use analytical reasoning to evaluate a problem and your intuition to pick up on deeper, more hidden sources of information, you’ve got the best of both worlds.

The Gut Instinct Test doesn’t tell you which questions you got “right or wrong”. I think there’s some sort of algorithmic scoring process that gives you a value which is why I got an 85 or an 8.5 out of 10. I know which one I bombed (for sure) and that was the lotto number thing. I always use the machine quick-pick because I’m too lazy to think it out for myself.

How about you DyingWords followers? Do you trust your gut feelings? And if you take the test, how about sharing your results?

THE TRUE STORY ABOUT WHO REALLY STOLE JFK’S BRAIN

United States President John F. Kennedy’s assassination is the mother of all conspiracy theories. There’s been more BS, crap and craziness written about JFK’s murder than all the stuff ever spewed out of Donald Trump’s yap. However, there’s one bizarre angle to the JFK murder story that’s true. Someone actually stole JFK’s preserved brain from the National Archives, and the real mystery is who.

The facts surrounding the JFK Assassination are fairly straightforward. On November 22nd, 1963 the 35th President of the United States was fatally shot while riding in an open limousine through Dealy Plaza in downtown Dallas, Texas. Three rounds were fired. The first missed. The second struck Kennedy in the upper back, exited through his throat and seriously wounded Governor John Connally who sat in front of the Commander-in-Chief. The third bullet hit President Kennedy in the back of his head and killed him.

Despite what conspiracy theorists want to believe, Lee Harvey Oswald—acting alone—triggered all three shots. Oswald was a seriously-troubled young man employed at the Texas School Depository building where he fired from the sixth floor—now known as the “sniper’s nest”. Lee Oswald used an inexpensive, military-surplus rifle he obtained through mail order and left it behind when he fled the scene.

It’s simply a case of a lone nut with a cheap rifle from a tall building or a crazy who brought his gun to work and shot the President. Oswald then killed a Dallas police officer who street-checked him and was later captured hiding in a movie theater. Then, Lee Harvey Oswald was murdered—fatally shot by another nut-job named Jack Ruby. This occurred in the basement of the Dallas PD headquarters in what was the biggest breach of security in the history of policing.

JFK’s missing brain story began at his autopsy at the U.S. Navy hospital in Bethesda, Maryland. Before getting to that strange-but-true tale, it’s important to know why the autopsy was done near Washington, D.C. and not in Dallas, Texas where the murder took place.

The bullets struck John Fitzgerald Kennedy at 12:30 p.m. He was in the emergency ward at Parkland Hospital within ten minutes where doctors hopelessly tried to save his life. They declared Kennedy dead at 1:00 p.m. and his body remained in the ER while authorities frantically tried to figure out what to do.

In 1963, there was no federal law regarding murdering the President of the United States. This was state jurisdiction under the Texas Penal Code, and the body possession / medical examination responsibility fell to the Dallas County coroner, Dr. Earl Rose. Rose worked at Parkland hospital and was nearby when Kennedy expired. Upon the declaration of death, Dr. Rose prepared to do a forensic autopsy which he was imminently qualified to do.

“No *#@$*#& way, Dr. Rose,” said the Kennedy team. “We’re getting the *bleep* out of Dallas right *#@$*#& now and Jack Kennedy’s coming with us.” A heated argument and physical scuffle arose as Dr. Rose blocked the door—backed-up by a Dallas police officer and a Justice of the Peace. On the Kennedy side were the Secret Service, led by Agent Roy Kellerman, and the president’s chief aid, enforcer and boyhood friend, Kenny O’Donnell.

Complicating matters was that about-to-be-sworn-in President Lyndon Johnson was terrified of a plot to kill them all. He, too, desperately wanted to get back to Washington’s safety. Air Force One sat ready at Love field which could have quickly swept Johnson away.

Except for one problem. Jackie Kennedy refused to leave her now-deceased husband in Dallas. She would not get on that plane without Jack, and there was no way Johnson wanted to be seen “abandoning a beautiful widow”. LBJ “et al” quickly worked a deal.

Dallas District Attorney Henry Wade got involved. He knew the law and knew it was an offense under the Coroner Act to remove a body from the State of Texas without the presiding coroner’s permission. That was not happening. Dr. Rose wasn’t about to give up the murder-victim-of-the-century, and D.A. Wade wanted to get out of the mess. Wade looked up the penalty for illegally removing (stealing) a body from Texas jurisdiction.

The fine was $100.00. Kenny O’Donnell had it in his wallet and forked over the hundred bucks to the J.P. With that, the president’s body was out the Parkland door, onto the plane and headed for home. That left the question of where to do the autopsy on the deceased U.S. President.

The new Johnson Administration thought it would be a nice touch to let the grieving widow decide. Jackie Kennedy, in a shocked and sickened state, thought that because “Jack was a Naval man” the autopsy should be done at the Navy facility in Bethesda. It seemed like a fitting touch.

President Kennedy’s body arrived at Bethesda Naval Hospital at around 8:00 p.m. EST. To say the scene was a circus or a gong show was apt. Two Naval doctors with pathology—not forensic—experience led the medical team. Once they realized gunshot wounds were out of their wheelhouse, they brought in a third doctor who’d seen and treated a lot of battlefield wounds.

Between them, they bungled and fumbled through JFK’s autopsy. Complicating matters and adding stress to a stressful situation, they performed before a total audience of thirty-two (32) individuals who came and went throughout the four-hour procedure. Some were assistants who had a reasonable role. Others were mere spectators who had absolutely no business being there.

Critics look at JFK’s postmortem exam as being the worst forensic autopsy ever conducted. That’s not entirely fair, as they mostly got it right. They concluded that JFK was shot twice. One in the back—the other in the head. Both bullets originated from behind and above the presidential limousine and (from later lab testing) both bullets came from Oswald’s 6.5 mm Italian Carcano rifle.

What they didn’t get right was the correct anatomical placement of the bullet entrance points on JFK’s body. They used flexible and non-precise reference points to place the wounds. This led to enormous speculation about shooter numbers and sniper locations. It’ll probably never end.

What the autopsy team did get precise was information about injuries to the president’s brain. The JFK autopsy report has been publicly available for decades. There’s no secret there. You can download it from the internet, and you can find the actual autopsy photos if you know where to look. Here’s what the pathologists had to say about JFK’s brain:

Supplementary Report of Autopsy Number A63-272 President John F. Kennedy

Gross Description of Brain

Following formalin fixation, the brain weighs 1500 grams. The right cerebral hemisphere is found to be markedly disrupted. There is a longitudinal laceration of the right hemisphere which is para-sagittal in position approximately 2.5 cm to the right of the midline which extends from the tip of the occipital lobe posteriorly to the tip of the frontal lobe anteriorly. The base of the laceration is situated approximately 4.5 cm below the vertex in the white matter. There is considerable loss of cortical substance above the base of the laceration, particularly in the parietal lobe. The margins of this laceration are at all points jagged and irregular, with additional lacerations extending in varied directions and for varying distances from the main laceration. In addition, there is a laceration of the corpus callosum extending from the genu to the tail. Exposed in this latter laceration are the interiors of the right lateral and third ventricles.

When viewed from the vertex, the left cerebral hemisphere is intact. There is marked engorgement of meningeal blood vessels of the left temporal and frontal regions with considerable associated subarachnoid hemorrhage. The gyri and sulci over the left hemisphere are of essentially normal size and distribution. Those on the right are too fragmented and distorted for a satisfactory description.

When viewed from the basilar aspect, the disruption of the right cortex is again obvious. There is a longitudinal laceration of the mid-brain through the floor of the third ventricle just behind the optic chiasm and mammillary bodies. This laceration particularly communicates with an oblique 1.5 cm tear through the left cerebral peduncle. There are irregular superficial lacerations over the basilar aspects of the left temporal and frontal lobes.

The supplementary autopsy report goes on to describe cross-section slides taken for microscopic inspection. It notes that no brain irregularities were identified outside of the catastrophic gunshot damage. The report also states that autopsy materials including photos were “delivered by hand to Rear Admiral George W. Buckley. MC, USN, White House Physician” who was President Kennedy’s personal doctor.

In layman’s terms, the JFK autopsy report describes massive trauma to the right side of the president’s brain. Nearly half of it was gone—blown away by the rifle bullet which can be graphically seen in Frame 313 of the infamous Zapruder film that captured the assassination. The other half was seriously damaged by the impact’s shock.

Conspiracy theorists like to destroy the JFK autopsy proceedings by pointing out what they see as inconsistencies like the report stating the brain weighed 1,500 grams. “Hang on,” the CTs say. “There’s lots of information on the net that says a typical adult human male’s brain weighs around 1,400 to 1,500 grams. So, JFK’s brain must have still been mostly intact… or, better yet, replaced at the autopsy to cover up something super-sinister like the shooter from the Grassy Knoll.”

Breathe easy, Conspiracy Theorists. The report clearly stipulates “following fixation in formalin” which is standard autopsy protocol. It’s not easy to cross-section a fresh brain and make thin slices for histology slides. Once a brain soaks in formalin (a formaldehyde-based solution) it becomes rubbery and workable. The process typically takes two to three weeks.

Formalin fixing amplifies tissue weight. It makes perfect sense that part of JFK’s brain fixed in formalin would weigh the same as a complete and non-fixed mass. Nothing to see here, CTs. Maybe keep on something like how Castro and the Mob cooperated to place multiple assassins around Dealy and let them pack up their guns then escape without evidence.

No, the real mystery in the JFK case is what actually happened to the president’s formalin-fixed brain after the autopsy, and how it disappeared from a locked vault at the United States National Archives in Washington, D.C.

John Kennedy’s body was released from the Bethesda morgue in the early morning hours of November 23, 1963. A funeral home team did the best they could to prepare the body for viewing. Privately, the Kennedy family saw the post-autopsy corpse, but the casket was never opened to the public.

President Kennedy’s burial took place on November 25th. Millions around the world watched the procession on TV, and many thousands lined the route from the U.S. Capitol to Arlington National Cemetery across the Potomac River in Virginia. Here, the fallen president was laid to rest—temporarily.

Back to the missing brain. There’s no transfer date on their report, but it’s likely the autopsy doctors gave the brain and related histology evidence to Dr. Buckley around the middle of December 1963. The brain and related tissue couldn’t be interred with Kennedy’s body along with the burial. So, that presented the issue of what to do with them, including the grotesque autopsy photos. The Kennedy family abhorred the thought of this gruesome material getting into public hands and being put on display like a side-show.

National Archive records confirmed they received the John Fitzgerald Kennedy autopsy materials in February of 1965. They were released to the Archives by Robert F. Kennedy’s signature, and that included the brain which was contained in a stainless steel receptacle. The effects were logged into the archives and stayed in safekeeping. That was until October 31st, 1966 when someone noticed President Kennedy’s brain and other tissues had vanished. Yes, it was Halloween, and someone had stolen them.

Meanwhile—unknown to the public—the Kennedy family prepared for President Kennedy’s permanent resting place. Somewhere in 1965, the family had Jack Kennedy exhumed and stored in a secure and secret location while they re-designed and built the Arlington grave site. They moved the grave slightly away from the original location and built a solid base that could withstand the millions of visitors who visited the shrine. That included a modern, natural gas eternal flame to replace the old and hastily-built propane torch along with granite flagstones brought in from New England.

In the middle of the night on March 14th, 1967 the Kennedy family re-interred JFK’s body in the new facility. Present were Jackie Kennedy, Robert Kennedy, Edward (Ted) Kennedy and President Lyndon Johnson. Also re-interred were the two Kennedy children who died at birth and were moved from their Massachusetts burial spots to be placed with their father.

Nothing was said about the missing brain for years—publicly. The vast majority of citizens never knew it was gone, let alone being stolen. That cat came out of the bag during The JFK Assassination Records Review Board proceedings that took place between 1992 and 1998 which were only recently released under the 2016 Freedom of Information Act.

There, in the files of the 1977 Rockefeller Commission, was the answer as to who stole President Kennedy’s brain. This commission was the first official inquiry after the Warren Commission, and it formed to quell conspiracy rumors. Unfortunately, it probably did more harm than good just as what happened during the 1978 House Select Committee on Assassinations that concluded President Kennedy’s assassination was “probably the result of a conspiracy”. They based this erroneous conclusion solely on the bogus interpretation of a Dallas PD dispatch recording that allegedly caught four shots rather than three.

The Rockefeller Commission took evidence from United States Assistant Attorney General Burke Marshall and questioned him about the brain’s whereabouts. This is what Marshall told the commissioners:

“Robert Kennedy obtained and disposed of these materials himself, without permission or informing anyone else. He was concerned that these materials would be placed on public display and wished to dispose of them to eliminate such a possibility.”

No one will ever truly know where JFK’s brain is today. The most likely scenario is it was buried along with the president’s re-interred body in Arlington Cemetery. But, one thing’s for sure. It was Bobby Kennedy who stole it.