Exploring the relationship between hallucination proneness and brain morphology

• Published in: NeuroImage (Orlando, Fla.) Fla.), 2024-12, Vol.304, p.120942, Article 120942
• Main Authors: Alotaibi, Abdullah M., Alosaimi, Manal H., Alshammari, Nawal S., Orfali, Razan S., Alwatban, Adnan Z., Alsharif, Roaa A., Meyer, Georg F., Bentall, Richard P.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adult; Anniversaries; Brain - diagnostic imaging; Brain - pathology; Brain research; Brain structure; Brain volume; Broca Area - diagnostic imaging; Broca Area - pathology; Broca's area; Female; Frontal lobe; Hallucinations; Hallucinations - diagnostic imaging; Hallucinations - pathology; Hallucinations - physiopathology; Hearing; Humans; Language; Language-related areas; Magnetic Resonance Imaging; Male; Medical imaging; Neuroimaging; Parkinson's disease; Questionnaires; Schizophrenia; Sensory integration; Sensory perception; Superior temporal gyrus; Temporal gyrus; Temporal Lobe - diagnostic imaging; Temporal Lobe - pathology; The continuum hypothesis; Young Adult
• ISSN: 1053-8119; 1095-9572; 1095-9572
• DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2024.120942

•Hallucinations, including both auditory and visual types, are often associated with alterations in brain structure, particularly in language-related areas.•Significant positive correlations were found between hallucination scores and brain volume in regions previously linked to volume reductions in patients with hallucinations.•Participants with high hallucination proneness for both auditory and visual experiences exhibited higher brain volumes in language areas compared to those experiencing hallucinations rarely or never.•These findings challenge existing models and suggest a need for further research into the complex relationship between brain structure and auditory and visual hallucination experiences.•The results suggest that higher brain volumes in language areas may contribute to hallucination susceptibility in healthy individuals, contrasting the volume reductions seen in patients. Hallucinations, including both auditory and visual forms, are often associated with alterations in brain structure, particularly in specific language-related cortical areas. Existing models propose different frameworks for understanding the relationship between brain volume and hallucination proneness, but practical evidence supporting these models is limited. This study investigated the relationship between hallucination proneness and brain volume in language-related cortical regions, specifically the superior temporal gyrus and Broca's area. A total of 68 participants, primarily university students, completed the Launay-Slade Hallucination Scale (LSHS) to assess hallucination proneness for both auditory and visual experiences. Structural MRI scans were used to measure brain volume in the targeted regions. The results indicated significant positive correlations between LSHS scores and brain volume in the superior temporal gyrus and Broca's area regions previously linked to volume reductions in patients with clinically diagnosed hallucinations. Participants reporting high hallucination proneness for both auditory and visual hallucinations exhibited higher brain volumes in these language areas compared to those experiencing hallucinations rarely or never. These findings challenge existing models by suggesting that higher brain volumes in language-related cortical areas may be associated with increased proneness to both auditory and visual hallucinations in non-clinical populations. This contrasts with the volume reductions seen in patients with clinical hallucinations an