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Abnormal Auditory Brain-stem Responses in Hallucinating Schizophrenic Patients

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  03 January 2018

L Lindstrom
Affiliation:
University of Uppsala
I. Klockhoff
Affiliation:
Department, University of Uppsala
A. Svedberg
Affiliation:
Department of Audiology, University of Uppsala
K. Bergstrom
Affiliation:
Department of Diagnostic Radiology, University of Uppsala

Extract

Abnormal auditory brain-stem responses (ABRs) were recorded in 10 out of 20 schizophrenic in-patients. The response abnormalities did not show any correlation to the degree of psychopathology, sub-group of schizophrenia, age, sex, or cerebral ventricular enlargement. Nor was there any correlation to previous neuroleptic treatment: a pathological ABR was recorded in 5 of the 8 patients who had never received such medication. A statistically significant relationship was found between ABR pathology and auditory hallucinations: 9 of the 11 patients who admitted having hallucinations exhibited brain-stem response abnormality, whereas ABR abnormality was recorded in only 1 of the 9 patients who denied having hallucinations. The data imply that brain-stem dysfunction is involved in the psychopathology of schizophrenia, and that interference with the auditory pathways in the brain-stem may induce auditory hallucinations in schizophrenic patients.

Type
Papers
Copyright
Copyright © The Royal College of Psychiatrists 

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