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At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1992

Visual hallucinations in patients with macular degeneration.

OBJECTIVE: This study was undertaken to determine the prevalence of visual hallucinations in patients with macular degeneration, describe such hallucinations phenomenologically, and possibly determine factors predisposing to their development. METHOD: Using a case-control design, the authors screened 100 consecutive patients with age-related macular degeneration for visual hallucinations. Each patient with visual hallucinations was matched to the next three patients without hallucinations. The patients and comparison subjects were compared in terms of scores on the Beck Depression Inventory, Eysenck Personality Questionnaire, Telephone Interview for Cognitive Status, and a structured questionnaire including demographic characteristics, family history, and medical and psychiatric history. Ophthalmologic data were obtained by chart review. RESULTS: Of the 100 patients, 13 experienced visual hallucinations. Four variables were significantly associated with having hallucinations: living alone, lower cognition score, history of stroke, and bilaterally worse visual acuity. Hallucinations were not associated with family or personal history of psychiatric disorder or with personality traits. In 11 (84.6%) of the 13 patients, the hallucinations had begun in association with an acute change in vision. CONCLUSION: These results indicate that visual hallucinations are prevalent among patients with macular degeneration. They appear unrelated to primary psychiatric disorder. The predisposing factors of bilaterally worse vision and living alone support an association with sensory deprivation, while history of stroke and worse cognition support a decreased cortical inhibition theory.

Aged↗
PubMed1992

Toward a brain map of auditory hallucinations.

OBJECTIVE: This study asks whether auditory hallucinations are reflected in a distinctive metabolic map of the brain. METHOD: Regional brain metabolism was measured by positron emission tomography with [18F]-fluorodeoxyglucose in 12 DSM-III schizophrenic patients who experienced auditory hallucinations during glucose uptake and 10 who did not. All patients were free of neuroleptics and 19 had never been treated with neuroleptics. Nine patients were reexamined after 1 year to assess effects of neuroleptic treatment. RESULTS: Compared with the patients who did not experience hallucinations, the patients who did experience hallucinations had significantly lower relative metabolism in auditory and Wernicke's regions and a trend toward higher metabolism in the right hemisphere homologue of Broca's region. Hallucination scores correlated positively and significantly with relative metabolism in the striatum and anterior cingulate regions. Neuroleptic treatment resulted in a significant increase in striatal metabolism and a reduced frontal-parietal ratio, which was significantly correlated with a decrease in hallucination scores. CONCLUSIONS: Auditory hallucinations involve language regions of the cortex in a pattern similar to that seen in normal subjects listening to their own voices but different in that left prefrontal regions are not activated. The striatum plays a critical role in auditory hallucinations.

Adult↗
PubMed1979

Visual hallucinations during hallucinogenic experience and schizophrenia.

The visual hallucinations experienced by a 26-year-old woman under the influence of hallucinogens and during schizophrenia are described. Three types of hallucinations are delineated: (1) superimposed hallucinations, (2) spatial and depth distortions, and (3) animations. These three types of hallucinations appear to represent consecutive gradations on a continuum of the ego function of reality testing, with superimposed hallucinations revealing the least and animations the greatest degree of disorientation. The findings of the present study indicate the need for a research design that compares the hallucinations of schizophrenics to the toxic hallucinations of nonschizophrenics.

Adult↗
PubMed1992

Self-repair in dialogues of schizophrenics: effects of hallucinations and negative symptoms.

This paper concerns the discourse features of verbal hallucinations and negative symptoms of schizophrenia. A total of 46 schizophrenics, varying in verbal hallucination and in negative symptoms status, and 22 controls were tested on the Reporter Test. The frequency with which they issued inadequate instructions, attempted to repair the inadequacies, and the success of repairs were compared. We observed that schizophrenics, on the whole, issued more wrong and incomplete instructions. This was in part related to their worse working memory, but it was not affected by verbal hallucinations or negative symptoms. We observed, further, that schizophrenics had no particular problems monitoring messages for inadequacies. We did find, however, that schizophrenics with verbal hallucinations had a specific problem with self-repairing wrong instructions. We interpret these results in the framework of Hoffman's (1986b) plan disruption-based model of verbal hallucinations; the Frith (1987) and Frith and Done (1988) internal monitoring model of positive and negative symptoms; and finally Frith and Frith's (1990) model of negative and positive schizophrenia and we use the results to specify the models.

Adult↗
PubMed1976

Simple formed hallucinations confined to the area of a specific visual field defect.

Thirteen patients with transient or permanent homonymous visual field defects experienced formed hallucinations localized to the affected part of the visual field. The lesion was occipital in 8 instances (infarction 7, porencephalic cyst 1), parietooccipital in 3 (infarction 2, angioma 1) and probably parietal in 2 (epilepsy 1, encephalitis 1). The disorder involved the right hemisphere in 9 cases, the left hemisphere in 3 cases and both hemispheres sequentially in one patient. Hallucinations were accompanied by palinopsia in 2 cases, metamorphopsia in one case and constriction of one pupil in another case. This particular type of hallucination is considered as an irritative phenomenon of the visual association cortex which can be symptomatic of a parieto-occipital lesion and does not necessarily implicate the temporal lobes. Distinctive features about the visions were that they consisted of people, animals or objects. There was no auditory accompaniment and any action that took place was stereotyped and did not tell a story. In most cases, the hallucinations were not clearly related to any visual memory. It is suggested that the visual association cortex amy be responsible for the organization of visual percepts into broad categories of which people, animals and objects are representative. The occurrence of such hallucinations with a visual field defect suggests that the cells of the association cortex are more likely to discharge spontaneously once they are deprived of their normal afferent inflow from the calcarine cortex.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1977

Somesthetic hallucinations and motility in schizophrenia: neurophysiological views and information flow model.

Clinical study of three schizophrenic men without known seizure disorders has heuristic implications, pointing to neurophysiological factors in their somesthetic hallucinations: (a) In two instances the body areas involved in such hallucinations (the abdominal cavity and the top of one foot) also happen to be represented side by side on the "map" of the receptive somesthetic areas at the postcentral gyrus. (b) In all three schizophrenic men the occurrence of their somesthetic hallucinations can be conceptualized along the lines of MacKay's (1970) information flow model for perception in general, with some specific modifications, which center around the key roles of sufficient change occurring in two specific aspects of this model. (c) Further conceptualization is suggested within Grey Walter's (1973) testable model of triple association among Conditional, Imperative and Operant Response--albeit mostly in reverse sequence with respect to somesthetic hallucinations under discussion. These schizophrenic men reveal in their past and present experiences a pattern in which the sequence of events is initiated through changes at the efferent side (restriction of voluntary motility), which trigger afferent experiences, albeit hallucinated ones. Practical implications center around the probably salutary role of voluntary motility performed purposefully and at the person's own pace.

Adult↗
PubMed1977

A study of reported hallucinations in a southeastern county.

In traditional Western psychiatric theory, seeing or hearing things that other people do not think are there could be termed a hallucination which is often considered indicative of underlying psychopathology. The psychiatric interpretation of pathological meanings of these experiences for an individual can be contrasted with an anthropologic approach which considers whether there are underlying cultural influences to account for certain distributions of reported hallucinations and their content and to ask about the social and spiritual, as well as psychologic, meanings of such experiences. This paper presents data on reported hallucinations in a random sample of the general population of a county in north central Florida. When the results of the questions on hallucinations were compared in relation to sociodemographic variables, it was found that hallucinations were more commonly reported by the young, by blacks, by members of the lower socioeconomic quintiles and by those belonging to certain church types. These data will be discussed from the complementing and contrasting psychiatric and anthropologic viewpoints.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1976

Asymmetry of information processing in hallucinators and nonhallucinators.

In previous work we had developed evidence suggesting that hallucinating schizophrenics differ from nonhallucinators in the pattern of errors made in a shadowing task. Non hallucinators appeared to be less willing to guess when they were unsure. The errors of the hallucinators seemed more semantically elaborate. The experiment had not been designed to study these factors and the current experiment was conducted using a technique reported by Pisoni et al. These workers had studied normal Ss in an immediate recall task, using semantically well integrated (SWI) or poorly integrated (SPI) sentences. Pisoni et al. had shown that right ear presentation produced more accurate recall of SWI as compared to SPI sentences, whereas left ear presentation failed to discriminate these sentences. Utilizing the methods of Pisoni et al., we replicated their findings in a normal control group. The results from our hallucinating and nonhallucinating groups were different from each other, the nonhallucinators being less accurate, discriminating semantic integration level on left rather than right ear input, and making more fragmented errors. Little support could be found for attributing this pattern of performance to nonspecific aspects of the procedures. It appears that the nonhallucinators process information differently from hallucinators. These differences may reflect alterations in language development. It is speculated that such differences might be consistent with interference with the development of brain asymmetry.

Age Factors↗
PubMed1977

Quadruplet hallucinations. Phenotypic variations of a schizophrenic genotype.

This article provides an in-depth analysis of hallucinations in monozygous quadruplets concordant for schizophrenia. Since all four are genetically identical, deviations among them with regard to various aspects of hallucinations probably represent the effects that nongenetic factors can produce in hallucinating schizophrenics. Concordance probably represent the effects of genetic factors. We present here findings based on this research strategy, and a brief review of the literature on hallucinations.

Adult↗
PubMed1992

Auditory hallucinations in women and men.

The total population of a community schizophrenia registry sample yielded information about the relative lifetime frequency of hallucinations in women and men. Whereas hallucinations in non-auditory modalities were equally distributed between the two sexes, auditory hallucinations were significantly more common in women. These results will be considered in relation to the existing literature on hallucinations and gender.

Adult↗
PubMed1992

Persistent auditory hallucinations correlate with the size of the third ventricle in schizophrenic patients.

In a study of psychotherapy in schizophrenic patients, the existence of certain clinical and anamnestic variables, such as persistent auditory hallucinations, was found to correlate with a negative outcome. To test whether these clinical variables could be a sign of organic brain abnormality, the records of 33 schizophrenic patients who had been examined by computerized tomography (CT) were investigated regarding the occurrence of these symptoms. A significant correlation was found between width of the third ventricle and the occurrence of such auditory hallucinations, which also persisted between acute phases. No correlation was found between the CT measures and other clinical characteristics, including hallucinations rated at admission by the Comprehensive Psychopathological Rating Scale (CPRS). The results are interpreted to suggest a disturbance of diencephalic brain regions in a subgroup of schizophrenic patients that are further characterized by persistent auditory hallucinations and a lack of response to psychodynamic psychotherapy.

Adult↗
PubMed1978

Cocaine hallucinations.

The author reviews the literature on hallucinations that occur as a result of acute and chronic administration of cocaine. He examined the phenomenology of cocaine hallucinations in a group of 85 recreational cocaine users, 15 of whom reported hallucinatory experiences in visual, tactile, olfactory, auditory, and gustatory modalities. He discusses a new phenomenon of "snow lights" in terms of initiating a progression of symptoms leading to the classic "cocaine bugs." He also points out the similarity of cocaine hallucinations to entoptic phenomena and migraine hallucinations, which suggests a common mechanism of action based on CNS excitation and arousal.

Adult↗
PubMed1979

The form and content of schizophrenic hallucinations.

To evaluate changes in the hallucinatory experience, the author analyzed the form and content of the hallucinations of 10 schizophrenic patients during two phases of their illness, the acute phase and remission. In both test periods the patients experienced auditory hallucinations as objectively real and as directing their thoughts and behavior. Nonauditory hallucinations appeared more common than cursory examination would suggest. The patients were able to stop auditory hallucinations during remission but not during the acute phase of their illness. Hallucinatory content was threatening and isolating during the acute phase but supportive and socially focused during remissions.

Acute Disease↗
PubMed1992

Modified activity of the human auditory cortex during auditory hallucinations.

Previous reports have shown abnormalities in brain metabolism and evoked responses of schizophrenic patients with hallucinations. The authors recorded electric and magnetic auditory responses during transitory auditory hallucinations in two patients. Small but replicable response delays occurred during hallucinations. The results suggest that the effect of hallucinations on auditory cortex activity is similar to the effect of real sounds.

Acoustic Stimulation↗
PubMed1992

Charles Bonnet hallucinations: a case series.

Charles Bonnet hallucinations are complex visual hallucinations which occur during clear consciousness in patients who do not suffer from psychosis, substance abuse, sleep disorders, focal neurological lesions or acute eye disease. They are well-defined images of patterns, scenes, animals or humans combined with normal perceptions and elicit a neutral or pleasant emotional response. Because of conflicting reports about cognitive or visual impairments among patients with these hallucinations, I describe the cognitive and visual status of 13 patients. One patient had preserved cognition and vision; three had preserved cognition and impaired vision; three had impaired cognition and preserved vision; and six had both impaired cognition and vision. It is unlikely that cognitive or visual deficits alone caused the hallucinations, but may have contributed to a state of sensory deprivation with visual phenomena.

Aged↗
PubMed1992

Visual, somatosensory, olfactory, and gustatory hallucinations.

Hallucinations that involve any of the sensory modalities may accompany a number of functional and organic conditions. Although characteristics of the hallucinations are not specific, they are characteristic and suggestive of specific disorders. Appropriate evaluation and treatment require consideration of the past psychiatric, neurologic, and medical history; assessment of accompanying psychiatric and neurologic signs and symptoms; and degree of response to conventional therapy. Any patient with hallucinations of recent onset or presenting a significant change in the nature of prior hallucinations, particularly when the patient does not respond to conventional therapy, deserves an evaluation to rule out treatable organic factors.

Female↗
PubMedDate not supplied

The hallucinating patient and nursing intervention.

This paper has been concerned with a patient's problematic behavior pattern, namely hallucinations. The social and dynamic significance of the behavior for the individual have been explored and analyzed and a formulation of possible developmental processes influencing the patient to utilize hallucinations has been discussed. On the basis of these analyses, formulations for a psychiatric nursing treatment plan of intervention have been presented. In conclusion, it is well to bear in mind that the schizophrenic patient, who is hallucinating, is striving to communicate in as clear and straightforward a way as he knows, the nature of his anxieties and experiences, despite how radically different they are from the nurse's, with speech content that is diffucult to follow. Thus, with this understanding, it behooves us as nurses to intervene accordingly and "decode" the hallucinated messages and thereby assist in breaking into the third stage in the evolutionary cycle of a psychosis, as cited by R.D. Laing: Stage 1 = Good (me); Stage 2 = Bad (me); Stage 3 = Mad (not me).

Ego↗
PubMed1976

An investigation of psychological factors involved in the predisposition to auditory hallucinations.

Previous research by the author (Slade, 1972, 1973) and others has suggested that psychological stress plays an important role in triggering off the experience of auditory hallucinations. Clearly, however, predispositional factors are involved as well. The present study is an attempt to investigate some of the psychological factors which may predispose the individual to such experiences. A battery of tests involving cognitive, personality and mental imagery variables and the verbal transformation effect was administered to two small groups of psychotic patients differing only in respect of a history of auditory hallucinations and a normal control group. The main conclusion was that the results lend direct support to the proposition of Mintz & Alpert (1972) that a combination of vivid mental imagery and poor reality-testing in the auditory modality provides the basic predisposition for the experience of auditory hallucinations.

Adolescent↗