As already mentioned, synthesism grew out of, in part, a desire to deduce the unitary function or theme of functions within different classes of neurotransmitters. The selves are associated, some of them at least, with specific evolutionary functions and their own neurotransmitter, emotions, and psychiatric disorders. This is more than a useful mnemonic device for remembering such things; it also suggests the function of some major neurotransmitters and, indirectly then, the use of pharmaceuticals that target these chemicals in the nervous system.
For example, depression can be caused by many things and each of the selves described earlier coincide with each of these potential causes. One can develop a tendency to be on the more positive or more negative side of the spectrum of feeling described by each self. Depression can mean being low on your system 1 feelings and anti-narcolepsy medication or sedatives for being too high on system or self 1 may be indicated if depression manifests as sleepiness and/or mania presents as hyper-alertness. Mood disorders also manifest in terms of physical sensitivity, as in the tale of the Princess and the Pea, so opiates can in some cases be indicated in symptoms comorbid with a mood disorder. Anhedonia or lack of sensitivity to rewards for behavior is a mood disorder associated with recreational drug abuse. Dopaminergic drugs may help ameliorate this.
And so on and so forth looking at social anxiety and acetylcholine, mental fatigue and cannabinoids, and classical depression accompanied by loneliness helped with serotonin.
One major implication of all this is not that psychotropics help people feel good but rather open up their sensitivities to be reset by new experiences in a given, by the neurotransmitter class, domain.
As for using this analysis to understand dystrophinopathies, perhaps looking at the location of dystrophin in the brain, like the cerebellum, associated with fine motor control as well as skeletal muscle and its low functional levels being associated with, among other psychiatric disorders, ADHD, what can we say is the theme that unites all of these locations and functions with symptoms like easily pulled muscles and easier fatigue? The answer is dystrophin may be somehow involved specifically with sustained effort, both required for some movements and for focusing mentally on some tasks.
Also, looking at dystrophin as part of a device that literally squeezes muscle fibers with electrical current, subjective relativity suggests such an analysis and identification of the different parts of dystrophin molecules as serving a particular function in a nano-scale device and if in the future nano-scale creations can be made that do what dystrophin does to somehow ground the electromechanical action of muscles so the fibers do not deteriorate over extended periods of use, perhaps a real cure is in sight that does not involve gene therapy; though gene therapy seems the most promising and should not be abandoned for my pie-in-the-sky philosophizing obviously. Take it from somebody with muscular dystrophy, what must be considered is the fact that the nervous system and musculature are highly interrelated and neuroscience should therefore have something to say about muscle wasting disorders outside of Parkinson’s.
The end.