Schizophr Bull
January 26, 2012
Oliver D. Howes, Paul Shotbolt, Michael Bloomfield et al.
94 citations
Auditory hallucinations in healthy individuals are associated with altered dopamine function in the brain. Using [18F]-DOPA PET imaging, the study found that healthy people who experience auditory hallucinations show differences in dopaminergic activity compared to those who do not, suggesting that dopamine dysfunction may be a trait marker along the psychosis spectrum. The findings indicate that even in the absence of a clinical diagnosis, hallucination proneness is linked to measurable neurochemical variations.
Schizophr Bull
February 1, 2019
Elizabeth Pienkos, Anne Giersch, Marie Hansen et al.
93 citations
Hallucinations are often studied as isolated symptoms, but this review argues that they emerge from a broader set of changes in cognition, perception, selfhood, time, interpersonal experience, and embodiment. The authors suggest that grouping different hallucinatory experiences under a single definition may obscure meaningful differences in their causes and subjective qualities. They review phenomenological and neurocognitive theories and the role of trauma, proposing that hallucinations are an equifinal outcome of multiple genetic, neurocognitive, subjective, and social processes. Future research should incorporate a wider range of experiential alterations, and clinical practice should use phenomenologically responsive techniques and develop targeted therapies.
Schizophr Bull
February 1, 2023
Tanya M Luhrmann, Ben Alderson-Day, Ann Chen et al.
The work examines how individuals learn to identify and differentiate the voices of gods, spirits, tulpas, and the dead, focusing on the processes of discernment within various cultural and religious contexts. It explores the techniques, practices, and social frameworks that shape how people interpret and authenticate these experiences, arguing that discernment is a learned skill rather than an innate ability.
Schizophr Bull
December 4, 2009
A. L. Mishara
Klaus Conrad, a German neurologist and psychiatrist who lived from 1905 to 1961, made influential contributions to the understanding of early psychosis. He is best known for describing the "delusional mood" (Wahnstimmung), a prodromal state preceding full-blown psychosis, and for his work on the early stages of schizophrenia. Conrad's phenomenological approach emphasized the subjective experience of patients during the onset of delusional thinking, framing psychosis as a process of altered perception and meaning-making. His concepts remain relevant in contemporary psychiatry for identifying and intervening in the early phases of schizophrenia.