Paul Goldsmith

Islands of Inference: A Neurodevelopmental Architecture for Fixed Delusions.

Psychopathology May 4, 2026 Paul Goldsmith

Delusions can be strikingly selective: individuals may hold highly elaborated, unshakeable beliefs in one domain while remaining otherwise cognitively intact. Models emphasising dopaminergic salience or belief-updating failures account for the intensity and persistence of delusions but struggle to explain their circumscribed nature. This paper develops a conceptual framework that complements...