The Neurodynamic Organization of Modality-Dependent Hallucinations
Renaud Jardri, Pierre Thomas, Christine Delmaire, Pierre Delion, Delphine Pins
Cerebral Cortex April 24, 2012 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhs082 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Observational cohort Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 40 |
| Population | Drug-free adolescents with brief psychotic disorder and matched healthy controls |
| Topics | Default mode network |
| Keywords | Visual hallucination Disengagement theory Sensory system Stimulus modality Resting State FMRI Visual cortex Auditory hallucination Modality human–computer interaction Psychosis Pathophysiology Audiology |
| Citations | 180 |
| Key findings | Hallucinations are associated with spontaneous default-mode network disengagement and altered activity in modality-dependent association sensory cortices. |
Abstract
The pathophysiology of hallucinations remains mysterious. This research aims to specifically explore the interaction between hallucinations and spontaneous resting-state activity. We used multimodal magnetic resonance imaging during hallucinations occurrence in 20 drug-free adolescents with a "brief psychotic disorder." They were furthermore compared with 20 matched controls at rest or during exteroceptive stimuli. Anatomical and functional symptom-mapping demonstrated reduced cortical thickness and increased blood oxygen level-dependent signal in modality-dependent association sensory cortices during auditory, visual, and multisensory hallucinations. On the contrary, primary-sensory-cortex recruitment was not systematic and was shown to be associated with increased vividness of the hallucinatory experiences. Spatiotemporal activity patterns in the default-mode network (DMN) during hallucinations and symptom-free periods in patients were compared with patterns measured in healthy individuals. A disengagement of the DMN was concomitant to hallucinations, as for exogenous stimulations in healthy participants. Specifically, spatial and temporal instabilities of the DMN correlated with the severity of hallucinations but persisted during symptom-free periods. These results suggest that hallucinatory experiences emerge from a spontaneous DMN withdrawal, providing a convincing model for hallucinations beyond the auditory modality.
Comparable studies
Other observational and cohort studies on default mode network, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| A default mode of brain function Normal adult human brain | 2001 | Observational study | |
| Resting-State Functional Connectivity Reflects Structural Connectivity in the Default Mode Network Healthy subjects | 2008 | Observational cohort | |
| Meditation experience is associated with increased cortical thickness Participants with extensive Insight meditation experience and matched controls | 2005 | Observational cohort | n = 20 |
| Meditation experience is associated with differences in default mode network activity and connectivity Experienced meditators and matched meditation-naive controls | 2011 | Observational cohort | |
| The precuneus/posterior cingulate cortex plays a pivotal role in the default mode network: Evidence from a partial correlation network analysis Healthy subjects | 2008 | Observational study |
Citations in the library
Cited by 32
- Auditory Hallucinations and the Brain’s Resting-State Networks: Findings and Methodological Observations Schizophrenia Bulletin June 8, 2016
- Pharmacology of Hallucinations: Several Mechanisms for One Single Symptom? BioMed Research International 2014
- Hallucinations Under Psychedelics and in the Schizophrenia Spectrum: An Interdisciplinary and Multiscale Comparison Schizophrenia Bulletin August 5, 2020
- Real-time fMRI neurofeedback reduces auditory hallucinations and modulates resting state connectivity of involved brain regions: Part 2: Default mode network -preliminary evidence Psychiatry Research January 14, 2020
- An integrated network model of psychotic symptoms Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews October 3, 2015
and 27 more in the library
Cites 4
- A default mode of brain function Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences January 16, 2001
- Resting-State Functional Connectivity Reflects Structural Connectivity in the Default Mode Network Cerebral Cortex April 9, 2008
- Neural correlates of the psychedelic state as determined by fMRI studies with psilocybin Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences January 23, 2012
- Neural functional organization of hallucinations in schizophrenia: multisensory dissolution of pathological emergence in consciousness. Consciousness and Cognition February 6, 2009