Mohamad El Haj1,2,3, Johanna C Badcock4, Renaud Jardri5, Frank Larøi6,7,8, Jean Roche9, Iris E Sommer6,10, Karim Gallouj2. 1. a Laboratoire de psychologie des Pays de la Loire, LPPL, Univ Nantes , Nantes , France. 2. b Centre Hospitalier de Tourcoing, Unité de Gériatrie , Tourcoing , France. 3. c Institut Universitaire de France , Paris , France. 4. d School of Psychological Science, University of Western Australia , Crawley , Australia. 5. e UMR 9193 - SCALab - Sciences Cognitives et Sciences Affectives, Univ. Lille , Lille , France. 6. f Department of Biological and Medical Psychology, University of Bergen (UiB) , Bergen , Norway. 7. g Psychology and Neurosciences of Cognition Research Unit, University of Liège , Liège , Belgium. 8. h NORMENT - Norwegian Center of Excellence for Mental Disorders Research, University of Oslo , Oslo , Norway. 9. i CHU de Lille, Unité de Psychogériatrie, Pôle de Gérontologie , Lille , France. 10. j Department of Neuroscience and Department of psychiatry, Rijks Universiteit Groningen (RUG), University medical Center Groningen (UMCG) , Netherlands.
Abstract
Introduction: We investigated the relationship between visual hallucinations and vividness of visual imagery in patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD). Method: We recruited 28 patients with AD and 30 healthy control participants, matched for age and education. We evaluated proneness towards hallucinations with the Launay-Slade Hallucinations Scale, which includes items assessing visual and auditory hallucinations. We also evaluated vividness of visual imagery with the Vividness of Visual Imagery Questionnaire on which participants had to imagine four images (i.e., imagining the face of a friend, the rising sun, a familiar shop-front, and a country scene) and report the vividness of the images they generated. Results: Analysis demonstrated significant positive correlations between visual hallucinations and vividness of visual imagery in AD patients, however, no significant correlations were observed between auditory hallucinations and vividness of visual imagery in these participants. No significant correlations were observed between hallucinations and vividness of visual imagery in healthy control participants, probably due to the lack of hallucinations in these participants. Discussion: These results demonstrate a selective relationship between the occurrence of visual (but not auditory) hallucinations and the ability to generate vivid visual images in AD.
Introduction: We investigated the relationship between visual hallucinations and vividness of visual imagery in patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD). Method: We recruited 28 patients with AD and 30 healthy control participants, matched for age and education. We evaluated proneness towards hallucinations with the Launay-Slade Hallucinations Scale, which includes items assessing visual and auditory hallucinations. We also evaluated vividness of visual imagery with the Vividness of Visual Imagery Questionnaire on which participants had to imagine four images (i.e., imagining the face of a friend, the rising sun, a familiar shop-front, and a country scene) and report the vividness of the images they generated. Results: Analysis demonstrated significant positive correlations between visual hallucinations and vividness of visual imagery in ADpatients, however, no significant correlations were observed between auditory hallucinations and vividness of visual imagery in these participants. No significant correlations were observed between hallucinations and vividness of visual imagery in healthy control participants, probably due to the lack of hallucinations in these participants. Discussion: These results demonstrate a selective relationship between the occurrence of visual (but not auditory) hallucinations and the ability to generate vivid visual images in AD.
Authors: Johanna C Badcock; Frank Larøi; Karina Kamp; India Kelsall-Foreman; Romola S Bucks; Michael Weinborn; Marieke Begemann; John-Paul Taylor; Daniel Collerton; John T O'Brien; Mohamad El Haj; Dominic Ffytche; Iris E Sommer Journal: Schizophr Bull Date: 2020-12-01 Impact factor: 9.306