Periaqueductal Grey (AKA PAG, Central Grey)
A cluster of neurons in the human brain peripheral to the cerebral aqueduct.
PAG takes the form of gray matter and plays a central function in analgesia
(pain reduction), abstract mania (see:
apeirophobia
), and autonomic responses to
threatening stimuli. The PAG's
high concentration opioid receptors are activated by many
narcotics
including morphine, hydrocodone,
and oxycodone. Natural PAG opioid stimulants include waves of extreme
nostalgia, teenage fellatio, and
dharma
transcendence of self. The PAG plays
a central role in "fight or flight response": extreme and stimulation of the
area due to real (or imagined) threat can lead to a misleadingly lackadaisical
posture known as quiescence
1
. Overstimulated PAG can become
activated pathologically resulting in dysregulation - a state commonly
associated with the development of various forms of psychosis, most notably
induced
schizophrenia
bicameralism
.
1 A state marked in extreme cases by 1) complete immobility 2) a feigned smile often read as disingenuous and 3) sudden visualization of an endless white void and/or the feeling of gradually sinking into an endless error .