%0 Journal Article
%T Mechanisms Underlying Auditory Hallucinations¡ªUnderstanding Perception without Stimulus
%A Derek K. Tracy
%A Sukhwinder S. Shergill
%J Brain Sciences
%D 2013
%I MDPI AG
%R 10.3390/brainsci3020642
%X Auditory verbal hallucinations (AVH) are a common phenomenon, occurring in the ¡°healthy¡± population as well as in several mental illnesses, most notably schizophrenia. Current thinking supports a spectrum conceptualisation of AVH: several neurocognitive hypotheses of AVH have been proposed, including the ¡°feed-forward¡± model of failure to provide appropriate information to somatosensory cortices so that stimuli appear unbidden, and an ¡°aberrant memory model¡± implicating deficient memory processes. Neuroimaging and connectivity studies are in broad agreement with these with a general dysconnectivity between frontotemporal regions involved in language, memory and salience properties. Disappointingly many AVH remain resistant to standard treatments and persist for many years. There is a need to develop novel therapies to augment existing pharmacological and psychological therapies: transcranial magnetic stimulation has emerged as a potential treatment, though more recent clinical data has been less encouraging. Our understanding of AVH remains incomplete though much progress has been made in recent years. We herein provide a broad overview and review of this.
%K auditory hallucinations
%K neurocognitive
%K connectivity
%K fMRI
%U http://www.mdpi.com/2076-3425/3/2/642