Cited by 579Hallucinations in medical conditionsSchizophrenia research and treatmentVisual perception and processing mechanisms

The DOI matches its Crossref record; 103 of the 104 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.

The hallucinating brain: A review of structural and functional neuroimaging studies of hallucinations

Allen, Paul, Larøi, Frank, McGuire, Philip K., Aleman, Andrè·2008·Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews

DOI 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2007.07.012

Open this paper in CoChat — free account

Abstract

Hallucinations remains one of the most intriguing phenomena in psychopathology. In the past two decades the advent of neuroimaging techniques have allowed researchers to investigate what is happening in the brain of those who experience hallucinations. In this article we review both structural and functional neuroimaging studies of patients with auditory and visual hallucinations as well as a small number of studies that have assessed cognitive processes associated with hallucinations in healthy volunteers. The current literature suggests that in addition to secondary (and occasionally primary) sensory cortices, dysfunction in prefrontal premotor, cingulate, subcortical and cerebellar regions also seem to contribute to hallucinatory experiences. Based on the findings of these studies we tentatively propose a neurocognitive model in which both bottom-up and top-down processes interact to produce these erroneous percepts. Finally, directions for future work are discussed.

Integrity signals

Registry

Crossref · 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2007.07.012

Cites

103 of 103 references verified0 citation errors · 0 not checkable

Statistics

Recomputing p-values needs the paper’s full text.

Claims the paper makes

This paper’s full text isn’t openly available, so its claims and self-check weren’t run. The registry and citation checks still apply.

Claims other papers make about this one

Each is checked against this paper’s own text: does it say what the citing paper says it does?

A review of MRI findings in schizophrenia
Shenton, M. E., Dickey, C. C., Frumin, M., & McCarley, R. W. (2001) · Schizophrenia Research · doi:10.1016/s0920-9964(01)00163-3 · Cited by 2,346
Functional Connectivity: The Principal-Component Analysis of Large (PET) Data Sets
Friston, K. J., Frith, C., Liddle, P. F., & Frackowiak, R. S. J. (1993) · Journal of Cerebral Blood Flow & Metabolism · doi:10.1038/jcbfm.1993.4 · Cited by 1,997
The Origin of Consciousness in the Breakdown of the Bicameral Mind
Jaynes, J. (1976) · Medical Entomology and Zoology · Cited by 1,287
The functional organization of human extrastriate cortex: a PET-rCBF study of selective attention to faces and locations
Haxby, J., Horwitz, B., Ungerleider, L. G., Maisog, J. M., Pietrini, P., & Grady, C. (1994) · Journal of Neuroscience · doi:10.1523/jneurosci.14-11-06336.1994 · Cited by 1,065
From the perception of action to the understanding of intention
Blakemore, S., & Decety, J. (2001) · Nature reviews. Neuroscience · doi:10.1038/35086023 · Cited by 1,036
A functional neuroanatomy of hallucinations in schizophrenia
Silbersweig, D. A., Stern, E., Frith, C., Cahill, C., Holmes, A., Grootoonk, S., Seaward, J., McKenna, P., Chua, S. E., Schnorr, L., et al. (1995) · Nature · doi:10.1038/378176a0 · Cited by 906 · cited 3×
“…1 Patient with schizophrenia and AVH (scans were compared when patients were symptomatic and remitted) fMRI m Superior and middle temporal gyrus Silbersweig et al. (1995) 5 Patients with schizophrenia with current AVH (scans were compared for periods when AVH were present and absent) Patients…”
BackgroundInfluential
Patterns of Cerebral Blood Flow in Schizophrenia
Liddle, P. F., Friston, K. J., Frith, C., Hirsch, S. R., Jones, T., & Frackowiak, R. S. J. (1992) · The British Journal of Psychiatry · doi:10.1192/bjp.160.2.179 · Cited by 899
Activation of Heschl’s Gyrus during Auditory Hallucinations
Dierks, T., Linden, D. E. J., Jandl, M., Formisano, E., Goebel, R., Lanfermann, H., & Singer, W. (1999) · Neuron · doi:10.1016/s0896-6273(00)80715-1 · Cited by 752
Auditory hallucinations and smaller superior temporal gyral volume in schizophrenia
Barta, P. E., Pearlson, G. D., Powers, R. E., Richards, S. S., & Tune, L. E. (1990) · American Journal of Psychiatry · doi:10.1176/ajp.147.11.1457 · Cited by 744
Mapping auditory hallucinations in schizophrenia using functional magnetic resonance imaging
Shergill, S. S., Brammer, M. J., Williams, S. C. R., Murray, R. M., & McGuire, P. K. (2000) · Archives of General Psychiatry · doi:10.1001/archpsyc.57.11.1033 · Cited by 666 · cited 4×
“Shergill et al. (2000a) used a novel fMRI method that involved a random sampling approach to overcome these limitations).”
BackgroundMethodInfluential

Flagged first, then by citations

Show all 104 references

1 of the 104 references couldn’t be matched to a known paper.

Research works printed but not linked: 1

Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. 4th edition (DSM-IV 1994). American Psychiatric Association. Washington DC.

Sorted by citations

Items 301–400 of 577

Behavioural subphenotypes and their anatomic correlates in neurodegenerative disease
Roy, A. R. K., Datta, S., Hardy, E. G., Sturm, V. E., Kramer, J. H., Seeley, W. W., Rankin, K. P., Rosen, H. J., Miller, B. L., & Perry, D. C. (2023) · Brain Communications · doi:10.1093/braincomms/fcad038 · Cited by 11
Identifying first-episode drug naïve patients with schizophrenia with or without auditory verbal hallucinations using whole-brain functional connectivity: A pattern analysis study
Huang, P., Cui, L., Li, X., Lu, Z., Zhu, X., Xi, Y., Wang, H., Baojuan Li, A., Hou, F., Miao, D., et al. (2018) · NeuroImage Clinical · doi:10.1016/j.nicl.2018.04.026 · Cited by 13
“…role in both cognitive and motor functions (Andreasen et al., 1996), especially for patients with schizophrenia with auditory verbal hallucinations (Allen et al., 2008; Andreasen et al., 1996); (d) the visual cortical network (the lingual gyrus, fusiform gyrus, inferior occipital gyrus), which are…”
Background
Auditory hallucinations across the psychosis spectrum: Evidence of dysconnectivity involving cerebellar and temporal lobe regions
Hwang, M., Roh, Y. S., Talero, J., Cohen, B. M., Baker, J. T., Brady, R. O., Öngür, D., & Shinn, A. K. (2021) · NeuroImage Clinical · doi:10.1016/j.nicl.2021.102893 · Cited by 15
Hallucinations in the psychotic state: Psychoanalysis and the neurosciences compared
Masi, F. D., Davalli, C., Giustino, G., & Pergami, A. (2014) · The International Journal of Psychoanalysis · doi:10.1111/1745-8315.12239 · Cited by 12
“The principal neuroscientific findings on hallucination are set out in a contribution by Paul Allen et al. (2008) entitled The hallucinating brain: A review of structural and functional neuroimaging studies of hallucinations, which gathers together the most significant studies from 1990 to 2008 and forms the basis of…”
BackgroundInfluential
Cues to body-related distortions and hallucinations? Spontaneous sensations correlate with EEG oscillatory activity recorded at rest in the somatosensory cortices
Michael, G. A., Salgues, S., Plancher, G., & Duran, G. (2022) · Psychiatry Research Neuroimaging · doi:10.1016/j.pscychresns.2022.111506 · Cited by 11
Action simulation in hallucination-prone adolescents
Dahoun, T., Eliez, S., Chen, F., Badoud, D., Schneider, M., Larøi, F., & Debbané, M. (2013) · Frontiers in Human Neuroscience · doi:10.3389/fnhum.2013.00329 · Cited by 11
“2DS, Bearden et al. (2009) interestingly detected an decreased cortical thickness in the right parietooccipital cortex, while to our knowledge, no clear structural alterations have been identified in this region in hallucination-prone subjects (Allen et al., 2008).”
Background
The nature of consciousness
Zeman, A. Z., & Coebergh, J. A. (2013) · Handbook of clinical neurology · doi:10.1016/b978-0-444-53501-6.00031-7 · Cited by 12
Functional Decoupling of Language and Self-Reference Networks in Patients with Persistent Auditory Verbal Hallucinations
Kubera, K. M., Wolf, N. D., Rashidi, M., Hirjak, D., Northoff, G., Schmitgen, M. M., Romanov, D. V., Sambataro, F., Frasch, K., & Wolf, R. C. (2020) · Neuropsychobiology · doi:10.1159/000507630 · Cited by 11
The neural correlates of the visual consciousness in schizophrenia: an fMRI study
Lefebvre, S., Véry, E., Jardri, R., Horn, M., Yrondi, A., Delmaire, C., Rascle, C., Dujardin, K., Thomas, P., & Pins, D. (2020) · European Archives of Psychiatry and Clinical Neuroscience · doi:10.1007/s00406-020-01167-2 · Cited by 12
Relationship Between White Matter Microstructure and Hallucination Severity in the Early Stages of Psychosis: A Diffusion Tensor Imaging Study
Sato, Y., Sakuma, A., Ohmuro, N., Katsura, M., Abe, K., Tomimoto, K., Iizuka, K., Ito, F., Tomita, H., & Matsumoto, K. (2021) · Schizophrenia Bulletin Open · doi:10.1093/schizbullopen/sgab015 · Cited by 9
Impact of Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (rTMS) on Brain Functional Marker of Auditory Hallucinations in Schizophrenia Patients
Maiza, O., Hervé, P., Etard, O., Razafimandimby, A., Montagne-Larmurier, A., & Dollfus, S. (2013) · Brain Science · doi:10.3390/brainsci3020728 · Cited by 13
“Finally, since several previous studies reported structural correlates of AVH in left temporal areas [18–23], we investigated whether grey matter (GM) volume could underlie the functional marker of the propensity to hallucinate.”
BackgroundResult
Animal Models of Hallucinations Observed Through the Modern Lens
Robbins, T. W. (2016) · Schizophrenia Bulletin · doi:10.1093/schbul/sbw134 · Cited by 10
Executive control of language in schizophrenia patients with history of auditory verbal hallucinations: A neuropsychological and resting-state fMRI study
Panikratova, Y. R., Лебедева, И. С., Akhutina, T. V., Tikhonov, D. V., Каледа, В. Г., & Vlasova, R. (2023) · Schizophrenia Research · doi:10.1016/j.schres.2023.10.026 · Cited by 10
Is It Possible to Combine Non-Invasive Brain Stimulation and Evidence-Based Psychosocial Interventions in Schizophrenia? A Critical Review
Lisoni, J., Nibbio, G., Baglioni, A., Dini, S., Manera, B., Maccari, A., Altieri, L., Calzavara‐Pinton, I., Zucchetti, A., Deste, G., et al. (2024) · Brain Sciences · doi:10.3390/brainsci14111067 · Cited by 11
Neural mechanisms underlying visual and auditory processing impairments in schizophrenia: insight into the etiology and implications for tailoring preventive and therapeutic interventions.
Zhuo, C., Tian, H., Fang, T., Li, R., Li, Y., Kong, L., Cai, Z., Zheng, L., Lin, X., & Chen, C. (2020) · Europe PMC (PubMed Central) · Cited by 9
Impact of low-frequency rTMS on functional connectivity of the dentate nucleus subdomains in schizophrenia patients with auditory verbal hallucination.
Xie, Y.-J., He, Y., Guan, M.-Z., Zhou, G.-P., Wang, Z.-H., Ma, Z.-J., Wang, H.-N., & Yin, H. (2022) · Journal of Psychiatric Research · doi:10.1016/j.jpsychires.2022.02.030 · Cited by 10
Neural Substrates of Psychosis Revealed by Altered Dependencies between Brain Activity and White-Matter Architecture in Individuals with 22q11 Deletion Syndrome
Bortolin, K., Delavari, F., Preti, M. G., Sandini, C., Mancini, V., Mullier, E., Ville, D. V. D., & Eliez, S. (2022) · NeuroImage Clinical · doi:10.1016/j.nicl.2022.103075 · Cited by 13
“…and severity of psychotic symptoms in both functional and structural neuroimaging studies conducted in patients with 22q11DS (Rihs et al., 2013; Scariati et al., 2016; Sandini et al., 2018; Tomescu et al., 2014; Padula et al.,), as well as idiopathic schizophrenia (Allen et al., 2008; Menon, 2011).”
Hyperperfusion in primary somatosensory region related to somatic hallucination in the elderly
Nemoto, K., Mizukami, K., Hori, T., Tachikawa, H., Ota, M., Takeda, T., Ohnishi, T., Matsuda, H., & Asada, T. (2010) · Psychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences · doi:10.1111/j.1440-1819.2010.02101.x · Cited by 10
“At present there are only a few case reports on the functional abnormality in patients who have experienced somatic hallucinations in the absence of brain lesions.(7) Shergill et al.”
Background
AUDITORY HALLUCINATIONS ELICIT SIMILAR BRAIN ACTIVATION IN PSYCHOTIC AND NON-PSYCHOTIC INDIVIDUALS
Sommer, I. E. (2012) · Schizophrenia Research · doi:10.1016/s0920-9964(12)70250-5 · Cited by 10
Baseline connectome modular abnormalities in the childhood phase of a longitudinal study on individuals with chromosome 22q11.2 deletion syndrome
Zhan, L., Jenkins, L. M., Zhang, A., Conte, G., Forbes, A. G., Harvey, D. J., Angkustsiri, K., Goodrich‐Hunsaker, N. J., Durdle, C. A., Lee, A., et al. (2017) · Human Brain Mapping · doi:10.1002/hbm.23838 · Cited by 11
“Consistent with our findings of frontotemporal interlobar dysconnectivity, some theoretical models argue that an overactive auditory cortex and a failure of top–down inhibitory control contributes to the genesis of auditory and visual hallucinations [Allen et al., 2008; Dierks et al., 1992; Hugdahl, 2009].”
BackgroundResult
Distinguishable brain networks relate disease susceptibility to symptom expression in schizophrenia
Liu, Z., Zhang, J., Zhang, K., Zhang, J., Li, X., Cheng, W., Li, M., Zhao, L., Deng, W., Guo, W., et al. (2018) · Human Brain Mapping · doi:10.1002/hbm.24190 · Cited by 9
Fantasy, dream, vision, and hallucination: Approaches from a parallactic neuro-psychoanalytic perspective
Goetzmann, L., Ruettner, B., & Siegel, A. M. (2018) · Neuropsychoanalysis · doi:10.1080/15294145.2018.1486730 · Cited by 10
A data-driven linguistic characterization of hallucinated voices in clinical and non-clinical voice-hearers
Hernández, H. C., Brederoo, S., de Boer, J. N., & Sommer, I. E. (2022) · Schizophrenia Research · doi:10.1016/j.schres.2022.01.055 · Cited by 10
“Inner speech/self-monitoring AVH models (Frith and Done, 1988; Jones and Fernyhough, 2007; McGuire et al., 1995) suggest that AVHs arise from inner speech, which is substantiated by neuroimaging studies (Allen et al., 2008, 2007).”
Aphantasia
Zeman, A. Z. (2020) · Cambridge University Press eBooks · doi:10.1017/9781108580298.042 · Cited by 10
Effect of religious context on the content of visual hallucinations in individuals high in religiosity
Reed, P., & Clarke, N. (2014) · Psychiatry Research · doi:10.1016/j.psychres.2014.01.006 · Cited by 10
“Hallucinations are defined as a perceptual experience in the absence of an external stimulus (APA, 2000), and affect a range of senses, including gustatory, tactile, visual, and auditory (Allen et al., 2008).”
Towards a cognitive model of hallucinations in the course of alcohol dependence? A source monitoring-based pilot study
Gawęda, Ł., Mikuła, J., Szelenbaum, W., & Kokoszka, A. (2014) · Psychological Medicine · doi:10.1017/s0033291714000476 · Cited by 10
Cortical-amygdala volumetric ratios predict onset of symptoms of psychosis in 22q11.2 deletion syndrome
Berhanu, D., Mattiaccio, L. M., Antshel, K. M., Fremont, W. P., Middleton, F. A., & Kates, W. R. (2016) · Psychiatry Research Neuroimaging · doi:10.1016/j.pscychresns.2016.11.006 · Cited by 10
Perceptual Categories Derived from Reid’s “Common Sense” Philosophy
Reeves, A., & Dresp, B. (2017) · Frontiers in Psychology · doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2017.00893 · Cited by 10
“Hallucinations do not have to, but may involve proximal stimuli (score 0), since such stimulation may also arise within the brain (Grossberg, 2000; Allen et al., 2008).”
Background
Candidate Genes Involved in the Expression of Psychotic Symptoms: A Focus on Hallucinations
Sanjuán, J., Moltó, M. D., & Tolosa, A. (2012) · Springer eBooks · doi:10.1007/978-1-4614-4121-2_13 · Cited by 10
Auditory Verbal Hallucinations in Psychosis
Mitropoulos, G. B. (2019) · The Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease · doi:10.1097/nmd.0000000000001089 · Cited by 9
“Nevertheless, studies are generally inconclusive on this matter, because many of them fail to associate reductions of cortical volumewith AVHs, whereas others have reported even “larger” gray matter STG volumes (Mørch-Johnsen et al., 2016).”
BackgroundInfluential
Neuro-functional modeling of near-death experiences in contexts of altered states of consciousness
Romand, R., & Ehret, G. (2023) · Frontiers in Psychology · doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2022.846159 · Cited by 10
“Further, lucid dreaming and hallucinations of various genesis can reproduce NDE themes (e.g., Slade and Bentall, 1988; Britton and Bootzin, 2004; Nelson et al., 2007; Allen et al., 2008; Blackmore, 2012; Nelson, 2014; Shermer, 2018).”
Background
Structural Neuroimaging in Psychotic Patients with Auditory Verbal Hallucinations
Allen, P., & Modinos, G. (2011) · Springer eBooks · doi:10.1007/978-1-4614-0959-5_19 · Cited by 9
Anton syndrome, with vivid visual hallucinations, associated with radiation induced leucoencephalopathy
Kartsounis, L. D., James-Galton, M., & Plant, G. T. (2009) · Journal of Neurology Neurosurgery & Psychiatry · doi:10.1136/jnnp.2008.151118 · Cited by 9
White Matter Pathology in Schizophrenia
Biase, M. A. D., Pantelis, C., & Zalesky, A. (2020) · Springer eBooks · doi:10.1007/978-3-030-35206-6_4 · Cited by 10
Unified and disease specific alterations to brain structure in patients across six categories of mental disorders who experience own-thought auditory verbal hallucinations: A pilot study.
Zhuo, C., Lin, X.-D., Wang, C., Song, X.-Q., Xu, X., Li, G.-Y., Xu, Y., Tian, H., Zhang, Y., Wang, W.-Q., et al. (2020) · Brain Research Bulletin · doi:10.1016/j.brainresbull.2020.04.001 · Cited by 7
Hallucination-Specific structure-function associations in schizophrenia
Roes, M., Yin, J., Taylor, L., Metzak, P. D., Lavigne, K. M., Chinchani, A. M., Tipper, C. M., & Woodward, T. S. (2020) · Psychiatry Research Neuroimaging · doi:10.1016/j.pscychresns.2020.111171 · Cited by 9
Functional MRI findings in personality disorders: A review
Zarnowski, O., Ziton, S., Holmberg, R., Musto, S., Riegle, S., Antwerp, E. V., & Santos‐Nunez, G. (2021) · Journal of Neuroimaging · doi:10.1111/jon.12924 · Cited by 9
Load-dependent functional connectivity deficits during visual working memory in first-episode psychosis
Sklar, A. L., Coffman, B. A., Longenecker, J., Curtis, M. T., & Salisbury, D. F. (2022) · Journal of Psychiatric Research · doi:10.1016/j.jpsychires.2022.06.042 · Cited by 11
Sexual dimorphism of the planum temporale in schizophrenia: A MRI study
Delvecchio, G., Pigoni, A., Perlini, C., Barillari, M., Ruggeri, M., Altamura, A. C., Bellani, M., & Brambilla, P. (2017) · Australian & New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry · doi:10.1177/0004867417702748 · Cited by 9
“Therefore, our results seem to be in line with previous literature showing that GM reductions in left STG sub-regions were associated with severity of symptoms, especially auditory hallucinations (Allen et al., 2008).”
Result
Emotional fMR auditory paradigm demonstrates normalization of limbic hyperactivity after cognitive behavior therapy for auditory hallucinations
Aguilar, E. J., Corripio, I., García‐Martí, G., Grasa, E., Martí‐Bonmatí, L., Gómez‐Ansón, B., Sanjuán, J., Núñez-Marín, F., Lorente-Rovira, E., Escartí, M. J., et al. (2017) · Schizophrenia Research · doi:10.1016/j.schres.2017.07.024 · Cited by 9
“…= 4 Disabled = 13 Student = 5 Active = 6 Unemployed = 4 Disabled = 0 Student = 3 Lost Data = 1 Hallucinatory experiences are associated with dysfunctions of the secondary and primary sensory areas, the prefrontal cortex, the cingulate, subcortical and cerebellar areas (Allen et al., 2008).”
Some Paths Towards Psychotic Alienation
Masi, F. D. (2017) · The American Journal of Psychoanalysis · doi:10.1057/s11231-017-9111-8 · Cited by 9
Fronto-occipital dyscommunication associates with brain hierarchy in schizophrenia
Pei, H., Li, H., Hou, C., Liu, Y., Liu, J., Duan, M., Yao, D., Jiang, S., & Luo, C. (2025) · Communications Biology · doi:10.1038/s42003-025-08053-4 · Cited by 8
“The current ﬁ ndings update the previous conclusions that the altered association between fronto-occipital bottom-up information processing and network segregation properties might be the pathomechanism of hallucinations underlying schizophrenia 45 – 49 .”
Hyper-Activated Brain Resting-State Network and Mismatch Negativity Deficit in Schizophrenia With Auditory Verbal Hallucination Revealed by an Event-Related Potential Evidence
Sun, Q., Fang, Y., Peng, X., Shi, Y., Chen, J., Wang, L., & Tan, L. (2020) · Frontiers in Psychiatry · doi:10.3389/fpsyt.2020.00765 · Cited by 8
“observed that the secondary auditory cortex was particularly active when AVH occurred (13).”
Background
Hypoactivation of the language network during auditory imagery contributes to hallucinations in Schizophrenia
Besso, L., Larivière, S., Roes, M., Sanford, N., Percival, C. M., Damascelli, M., Momeni, A., Lavigne, K. M., Menon, M., Aleman, A., et al. (2024) · Psychiatry Research Neuroimaging · doi:10.1016/j.pscychresns.2024.111824 · Cited by 10
“The hypoactive LN, as was observed in the present study, combined with the previously reported hyperactive STG/auditory perception network (Allen et al., 2008) can be related to cognitive accounts suggesting that AVHs arise from an imbalance between internal and external sources in source…”
BackgroundInfluential
Functional Neuroimaging of Hallucinations
Aleman, A., & Vercammen, A. (2011) · Springer eBooks · doi:10.1007/978-1-4614-0959-5_20 · Cited by 8
Functional brain alterations in auditory hallucination subtypes in individuals with auditory hallucinations without the diagnosis of specific neurological diseases and mental disorders at the current stage
Lin, X., Zhuo, C., Li, G., Li, J., Gao, X., Chen, C., & Jiang, D. (2019) · Brain and Behavior · doi:10.1002/brb3.1487 · Cited by 8
“…hence, common and different pathological features of different AH subtypes should be explored to provide insight into the mechanisms underlying AHs (Allen et al., 2008; Ćurčić-Blake et al., 2017; Diederen, Daalman, et al., 2012; Diederen, van Lutterveld, et al., 2012; Hugdahl, 2015; Upthegrove et…”
Background
Change in the Neural Response to Auditory Deviance Following Cognitive Therapy for Hallucinations in Patients With Schizophrenia
Knott, V., Wright, N. P., Shah, D. K., Baddeley, A., Bowers, H., de la Salle, S., & Labelle, A. (2020) · Frontiers in Psychiatry · doi:10.3389/fpsyt.2020.00555 · Cited by 9
Rich-club reorganization of white matter structural network in schizophrenia patients with auditory verbal hallucinations following 1 Hz rTMS treatment
Guan, M., Xie, Y., Li, C., Zhang, T., Ma, C., Wang, Z., Ma, Z., Wang, H., & Fang, P. (2023) · NeuroImage Clinical · doi:10.1016/j.nicl.2023.103546 · Cited by 6
“Various theories have been proposed to explain the neural basis of AVH, including abnormalities in cortical and subcortical networks, neurotransmitter systems, and neurocognitive processes (Allen et al., 2008; Waters et al., 2012).”
Background
Gender effect in affective processing: Alpha EEG source analysis on emotional slides and film‐clips
Romeo, Z., Angrilli, A., & Spironelli, C. (2024) · Psychophysiology · doi:10.1111/psyp.14568 · Cited by 7
A working memory related mechanism of auditory hallucinations.
Gaudiot, C., Du, X. M., Summerfelt, A. T., Hare, S., Bustillo, J., Rowland, L. M., & Hong, L. E. (2019) · Journal of Abnormal Psychology · doi:10.1037/abn0000432 · Cited by 7
Alterations of Resting EEG in Hallucinating and Nonhallucinating Schizophrenia Patients
Arora, M., Knott, V., Labelle, A., & Fisher, D. J. (2020) · Clinical EEG and Neuroscience · doi:10.1177/1550059420965385 · Cited by 8
Local Alterations of Left Arcuate Fasciculus and Transcallosal White Matter Microstructure in Schizophrenia Patients with Medication-resistant Auditory Verbal Hallucinations: A Pilot Study
Thomas, F., Galléa, C., Moulier, V., Bouaziz, N., Valero‐Cabré, A., & Januel, D. (2022) · Neuroscience · doi:10.1016/j.neuroscience.2022.10.027 · Cited by 7
“…that in AVH, a hypoconnectivity between Broca’s area and its contralateral right homotopic region would impact interhemispheric transfer and prevent adequate speech monitoring (Allen et al., 2008), hence leading to erroneous interpretations of emotional speech (Curcic-Blake et al., 2013).”
Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation for the Treatment of Pharmacoresistant Nondelusional Auditory Verbal Hallucinations in Dementia
Marras, A., & Pallanti, S. (2013) · Case Reports in Psychiatry · doi:10.1155/2013/930304 · Cited by 10
Do Thoughts Have Sound? Differences between Thoughts and Auditory Hallucinations in Schizophrenia
Cuevas‐Yust, C. (2014) · The Spanish Journal of Psychology · doi:10.1017/sjp.2014.29 · Cited by 7
Neural Signature for Auditory Hallucinations in Schizophrenia: A High-Resolution Positron Emission Tomography Study with Fludeoxyglucose (18F)
Kim, J.-H., Son, Y., Kim, J.-H., Lee, H.-J., Kang, N.-I., Chung, G., Park, J.-I., Cui, Y., Kim, W.-S., & Chung, Y.-C. (2018) · Clinical Psychopharmacology and Neuroscience · doi:10.9758/cpn.2018.16.3.324 · Cited by 6
Basic Cognitive Architecture, Systemic Inflammation, and Immune Dysfunction in Schizophrenia
Ushakov, V., Малашенкова, И. К., Krynskiy, S., Kartashov, S., Orlov, V. A., Malakhov, D. G., Hailov, N. A., Ogurtsov, D., Zakharova, N. V., Didkovsky, N. A., et al. (2019) · Современные технологии в медицине · doi:10.17691/stm2019.11.3.04 · Cited by 7
Multimodal Mental Imagery
Nánay, B. (2023) · Oxford University Press eBooks · doi:10.1093/oso/9780198809500.003.0013 · Cited by 7
Imaging in visual hallucinations
Meppelink, A. M. (2014) · doi:10.1002/9781118892794.ch7 · Cited by 7
High levels of childhood trauma associated with changes in hippocampal functional activity and connectivity in young adults during novelty salience
Derome, M., Machon, S., Barker, H., Kozhuharova, P., Orlov, N. D., Morgenroth, E., Hugdahl, K., & Allen, P. (2023) · European Archives of Psychiatry and Clinical Neuroscience · doi:10.1007/s00406-023-01564-3 · Cited by 6
Grey matter volume reduction in the frontotemporal cortex associated with persistent verbal auditory hallucinations in Chinese patients with chronic schizophrenia: Insights from a 3 T magnetic resonance imaging study
Ren, H., Li, J., Zhou, J., Chen, X., Tang, J., Li, Z., & Wang, Q. (2024) · Schizophrenia Research · doi:10.1016/j.schres.2024.05.009 · Cited by 6
Deathbed Phenomena, Other End-of-Life Experiences and Their Effects in Palliative Care Teams: A Systematic Review
Bertão, M., Dalcolmo, Ú., & Rêgo, F. M. P. D. S. (2025) · OMEGA - Journal of Death and Dying · doi:10.1177/00302228251321203 · Cited by 6
A unified model of shared brain structural alterations in patients with different mental disorders who experience own‐thought auditory verbal hallucinations—A pilot study
Zhuo, C., Wang, C., Song, X.-Q., Xu, X., Li, G.-Y., Lin, X.-D., Xu, Y., Tian, H., Jiang, D.-G., Wang, W.-Q., et al. (2020) · Brain and Behavior · doi:10.1002/brb3.1614 · Cited by 4
Examining the Continuum Model of Auditory Hallucinations: A Review of Cognitive Mechanisms
Badcock, J. C., & Hugdahl, K. (2011) · Springer eBooks · doi:10.1007/978-1-4614-0959-5_23 · Cited by 6
Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) in schizophrenia with treatment-refractory auditory hallucinations and major self-mutilation
Schulz, T., Berger, C., Krecklow, B., Kurth, J., Schwarzenboeck, S. M., Foley, P. B., Thome, J., Krause, B. J., & Hoeppner, J. (2014) · Journal of Neural Transmission · doi:10.1007/s00702-013-1151-5 · Cited by 6
“…studies have observed prominent activation in the right as well as in the left hemisphere during AVH (Lennox et al. 1999; Shergill et al. 2000; Woodruff 2004), with considerable intersubject variation with respect to region (Copolov et al. 2003; Lennox et al. 2000; see also Allen et al. 2008).”
Approche neurocognitive des troubles du vécu dans la schizophrénie
Nicolas Franck, B. (2010) · L Évolution Psychiatrique · doi:10.1016/j.evopsy.2010.04.011 · Cited by 6
Monetary Incentives Increase Metacognitive Confidence in Source Memory Performance in Patients With Schizophrenia
Szczepanowski, R., Cichoń, E., Pasieczna, A. H., Gawęda, Ł., & Rosińćzuk, J. (2020) · Frontiers in Psychiatry · doi:10.3389/fpsyt.2020.00725 · Cited by 6
“This outcome may be explained by the hypothesis concerning overperceptualization (47) that was proposed within the neuroanatomical model by Allen and colleagues [(47), see also (27)], which describes a network of brain areas and their respective contributions to the hallucinatory experience.”
Background
The relationship of morphometric changes of the brain with IL-6 levels, systemic inflammation and immune disturbances in the patients with schizophrenia
Малашенкова, И. К., Ushakov, V., Krynskiy, S., Ogurtsov, D., Khailov, N. A., Zakharova, N. V., Chekulaeva, E. I., Orlov, V. A., Kartashov, S., Andreyuk, D., et al. (2021) · Procedia Computer Science · doi:10.1016/j.procs.2021.06.064 · Cited by 6
Classification of schizophrenia patients on lattice computing resting-state fMRI features
Chyzhyk, D., & Graña, M. (2014) · Neurocomputing · doi:10.1016/j.neucom.2014.09.075 · Cited by 6
Dynamic Causal Modeling and machine learning for effective connectivity in Auditory Hallucination
Graña, M., Ozaeta, L., & Chyzhyk, D. (2017) · Neurocomputing · doi:10.1016/j.neucom.2016.08.157 · Cited by 6
Intolerance of Uncertainty and Psychosis: A Systematic ReviewPreprint
Morriss, J., & Ellett, L. (2023) · doi:10.31234/osf.io/5m2e9 · Cited by 6
Modality-specific and modality-general representations of subjective value in frontal cortex
Dang, S., Antono, J. E., Kagan, I., & Pooresmaeili, A. (2024) · Communications Biology · doi:10.1038/s42003-024-07253-8 · Cited by 7
Neural Activity Alterations and Their Association With Neurotransmitter and Genetic Profiles in Schizophrenia: Evidence From Clinical Patients and Unaffected Relatives
Guo, Z., Xiao, S., Sun, S., Su, T., Tang, X., Chen, G., Chen, P., Chen, R., Chen, C., Gong, J., et al. (2025) · CNS Neuroscience & Therapeutics · doi:10.1111/cns.70218 · Cited by 5
“Additionally, auditory hallucinations, a hallmark symptom of SCZ [65], is associated with the MTG, which play a role in auditory processing [66, 67].”
Integrating Virtual Reality, Neurofeedback, and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Auditory Verbal Hallucinations (Hybrid): Protocol of a Pilot, Unblinded, Single-Arm Interventional Study
Spark, J., Rowe, E., Álvarez‐Jiménez, M., Bell, I., Byrne, L. K., Dzafic, I., Ellinghaus, C., Lavoie, S., Lum, J. A. G., McLean, B., et al. (2025) · JMIR Research Protocols · doi:10.2196/63405 · Cited by 6
Psychosis and analytic therapy: A complex relationship
Masi, F. D. (2020) · The International Journal of Psychoanalysis · doi:10.1080/00207578.2020.1716626 · Cited by 5
Auditory signal detection in schizophrenia: Correlates with auditory verbal hallucinations & effect of single session transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS)
Selvaraj, S., Chhabra, H., Dinakaran, D., Sreeraj, V. S., Shivakumar, V., Narayanaswamy, J. C., Kesavan, M., Varambally, S. S., & Venkatasubramanian, G. (2021) · Psychiatry Research · doi:10.1016/j.psychres.2021.113704 · Cited by 5
Kognitive Kontrolle im Research-Domain-Criteria-System: klinische Implikationen für verbale akustische Halluzinationen
Kubera, K. M., Hirjak, D., Wolf, N. D., & Wolf, R. C. (2021) · Der Nervenarzt · doi:10.1007/s00115-021-01175-0 · Cited by 5
A Network Model of Hallucinations
Goekoop, R., & Looijestijn, J. (2011) · Springer eBooks · doi:10.1007/978-1-4614-0959-5_4 · Cited by 5
Does aging affect source monitoring and cognitive confidence in schizophrenia? Preliminary results
Gawęda, Ł. (2015) · Psychiatry Research · doi:10.1016/j.psychres.2015.06.024 · Cited by 7
Two cases of intractable auditory hallucination successfully treated with sound therapy.
Kaneko, Y., Oda, Y., & Goto, F. (2010) · PubMed · Cited by 5
Cognition and Psychopathology: Overview
Haywood, H. C., & Raffard, S. (2017) · Journal of Cognitive Education and Psychology · doi:10.1891/1945-8959.16.1.3 · Cited by 5
Elucidation of shared and specific white matter findings underlying psychopathology clusters in schizophrenia
Lim, J., Chin, R., Ho, N. F., Lam, M., Sum, M. Y., Collinson, S. L., Phillips, L., Lee, T.-S. W., Gulyás, B. Z., Zhou, J. H., et al. (2017) · Asian Journal of Psychiatry · doi:10.1016/j.ajp.2017.08.016 · Cited by 5
Cortical Brain Changes in Patients With Locked-In Syndrome Experiencing Hallucinations and Delusions
Sarà, M., Cornia, R., Conson, M., Carolei, A., Sacco, S., & Pistoia, F. (2018) · Frontiers in Neurology · doi:10.3389/fneur.2018.00354 · Cited by 5
“Neurocognitive models of visual hallucinations have highlighted the role of a pathological interaction between defective visual brain areas and altered cortical control from prefrontal areas (22, 23).”
Background
Musical Hallucinations in Chronic Pain: The Anterior Cingulate Cortex Regulates Internally Generated Percepts
Schmitgen, A., Saal, J., Sankaran, N., Desai, M., Joseph, I., Starr, P. A., Chang, E. F., & Shirvalkar, P. R. (2021) · Frontiers in Neurology · doi:10.3389/fneur.2021.669172 · Cited by 5
“However, this activation did not occur when subjects voluntarily imagined hearing it, which is referred to as musical imagery or “pseudohallucinations” (48, 63).”
Background
An Epistemological Approach: History of Concepts and Ideas About Hallucinations in Classical Psychiatry
Peyroux, É., & Nicolas Franck, B. (2012) · Springer eBooks · doi:10.1007/978-1-4614-4121-2_1 · Cited by 5
Connectivity Issues of the ‘Hallucinating’ Brain
Benetti, S., Pettersson‐Yeo, W., & Mechelli, A. (2012) · Springer eBooks · doi:10.1007/978-1-4614-4121-2_22 · Cited by 5
Functional Brain Imaging of Hallucinations: Symptom Capture Studies
Jardri, R., & Sommer, I. E. (2012) · Springer eBooks · doi:10.1007/978-1-4614-4121-2_20 · Cited by 5
Current Approaches to Studying Hallucinations: Overcoming Barriers to Progress
Ford, J. M. (2016) · Schizophrenia Bulletin · doi:10.1093/schbul/sbw149 · Cited by 5
How Do We Imagine a Speech? A Triple Network Model for Situationally Simulated Inner SpeechPreprint
Gao, X., Yang, J., Li, C., Guo, X., Wang, Y., Qu, Z., Li, W., Liu, J., Li, Z., Li, W., et al. (2024) · bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory) · doi:10.1101/2024.07.18.604038 · Cited by 5
Trauma-focused psychological interventions for psychosis: Meta-analytic evidence of differential effects on delusions and hallucinations
Toutountzidis, D., Ricketts, E., & Laws, K. R. (2026) · Psychological Medicine · doi:10.1017/s0033291725103036 · Cited by 4
Auditory Cortex Thickness Is Associated With N100 Amplitude in Schizophrenia Spectrum Disorders
Slapø, N. B., Nerland, S., Jørgensen, K. N., Mørch-Johnsen, L. E., Pettersen, J. H., Roelfs, D., Parker, N., Valstad, M., Pentz, A. B., Timpe, C. M. F., et al. (2023) · Schizophrenia Bulletin Open · doi:10.1093/schizbullopen/sgad015 · Cited by 4
Associations of Cognitive Expectancies With Auditory Hallucinations and Hallucinatory-Like Experiences in Patients With Schizophrenia
Kowalski, J., Dąbkowska, M., Aleksandrowicz, A., Jarkiewicz, M., Larøi, F., & Gawęda, Ł. (2024) · Schizophrenia Bulletin · doi:10.1093/schbul/sbae115 · Cited by 4
Visual hallucinations in neurosurgery: A systematic review and two case insights into Charles Bonnet Syndrome
Grasso, E., Bonomo, G., Certo, F., Cammarata, G., & Barbagallo, G. M. V. (2025) · Brain and Spine · doi:10.1016/j.bas.2025.104257 · Cited by 4
“Allen et al. found a temporal correlation between visual hallucinations and activity in the ventral "object recognition" stream (Allen et al., 2008).”
Imagerie cérébrale en psychiatrie : indications et résultats
Orliac, F., & Delamillieure, P. (2012) · Encyclopédie médico-chirurgicale. Psychiatrie · doi:10.1016/s0246-1072(12)60525-2 · Cited by 6
Distinct pattern of cerebral blood flow alterations specific to schizophrenics experiencing auditory verbal hallucinations with and without insight: a pilot study
Jing, R., Huang, J., Jiang, D., Lin, X., Ma, X., Tian, H., Li, J., & Zhuo, C. (2017) · Oncotarget · doi:10.18632/oncotarget.23631 · Cited by 5
“This point is accepted by many of the AVH-related hypotheses [26, 19, 33].”
Background
A functional magnetic resonance imaging investigation of visual hallucinations in the human striate cortex
Abid, H., Ahmad, F., Lee, S. Y., Park, H. W., Im, D.-M., Ahmad, I., & Chaudhary, S. U. (2016) · Behavioral and Brain Functions · doi:10.1186/s12993-016-0115-y · Cited by 4
“Hallucinations have also been attributed to the specific anatomical structure of the brain as proposed in the neuroanatomical model [13].”
Background
Agency performance modulates resting-state variation in prefrontal brain regions
de Bézenac, C. E., Sluming, V., Alhazmi, F. H., & Corcoran, R. (2017) · Neuropsychologia · doi:10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2017.12.035 · Cited by 4
“Interestingly, anterior cingulate regions are also amongst those that have been consistently implicated in hallucination-related phenomena (reviewed in Allen et al., 2008; Fornito et al., 2009).”
Hallucinatory Symptomatology in Major Psychoses (Schizophrenia and Bipolar Disorders)
Raballo, A., Poletti, M., & Henriksen, M. G. (2018) · Springer eBooks · doi:10.1007/978-3-319-75124-5_6 · Cited by 4
Neuroimaging Findings in Patients with Hallucinations: Evidence from Neurodegenerative and Psychiatric Conditions
Pezzoli, S., & Venneri, A. (2020) · Springer eBooks · doi:10.1007/978-3-030-57231-0_17 · Cited by 4
Modeling the Positive Symptoms of Schizophrenia
Alkam, T., & Nabeshima, T. (2015) · Handbook of behavioral neuroscience · doi:10.1016/b978-0-12-800981-9.00004-3 · Cited by 4
Imagine that: cholinesterase inhibitor treatment of complex visual hallucinations of unknown aetiology
Salih, Y., Angelis, A. D., & Poole, N. A. (2021) · Cognitive Neuropsychiatry · doi:10.1080/13546805.2021.1941832 · Cited by 3
“…for auditory hallucination— as a failure to correctly recognise internally generated speech (Allen et al., 2004)—it has since been applied to hallucinations in all modalities, albeit with increased complexity and incorporation of features from the PAD and disconnection models (Allen et al., 2008).”
Method

Authors: Allen, P., Larøi, F., McGuire, P. K., & Aleman, A.
Affiliations: King's College London (GB)
University of Liège (BE)
University of London (GB)
Corresponding author: Allen, Paul
ORCID: Allen, Paul
Larøi, Frank
McGuire, Philip K.
Venue: Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Published: 2008-01
Volume: 32
Issue: 1
Pages: 175-191
ISSN: 0149-7634 (ISSN-L)
DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2007.07.012
OpenAlex: W2107394985
Cited by: 579
References: 104
Citations by year: 2026: 20 · 2025: 20 · 2024: 21 · 2023: 54 · 2022: 32 · 2021: 32 · 2020: 40 · 2019: 23 · 2018: 33 · 2017: 37 · 2016: 33 · 2015: 29 · 2014: 40 · 2013: 28 · 2012: 48
FWCI: 1.45
Type: journal article
Language: en
Open access: closed
Licence: www.elsevier.com/tdm/userlicense/1.0/ (tdm)
Locations: Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews (publishedVersion)
PubMed (publishedVersion)
Research Portal (King's College London) (submittedVersion)
Open Repository and Bibliography (University of Liège) (submittedVersion)
University of Groningen research database (University of Groningen / Centre for Information Technology) (submittedVersion)
Topics: Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Hallucinations in medical conditions
Health Sciences › Medicine › Psychiatry and Mental health › Schizophrenia research and treatment
Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Visual perception and processing mechanisms
Keywords: hallucinations, auditory hallucinations, visual hallucinations, prefrontal cortex, cingulate cortex, cerebellum, subcortical dysfunction, top-down and bottom-up processes, healthy volunteers
MeSH terms: Brain, Brain Mapping, Hallucinations, Humans, Functional Laterality, Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Positron-Emission Tomography

About these checks

Registry, retraction, Cites and statistics results are computed, not judged, with one exception: a printed reference that no index lists is read once by a model before it counts as a citation error. Claims are extracted by a model and kept only when their quote appears verbatim in the text; each cited source is then checked, with a model’s help, for whether it says what the claim relies on. Those verdicts can be wrong — read the claim’s quote and the cited source before relying on one.

Statistics and arithmetic are recomputed, not judged.

Confidence bands are shown only for fields calibrated on our annotated test set. None is calibrated yet, so no band is shown.

What counts as a claim ›How we measure confidence ›How we check this ›

Are you an author, or do you see a problem with this page? Request a review

The hallucinating brain: A review of structural and functional neuroimaging studies of hallucinations

Abstract

Overview

Integrity signals

Verification

Claims the paper makes

Claims other papers make about this one

Citations

Cites

Cited by

Related

Metadata

Record

About these checks