Hallucinations: The Science of Idiosyncratic Perception

Hearing voices when nobody speaks or seeing objects no one else sees hallucinations are intriguing phenomena that have puzzled clinicians, researchers, and lay people alike for centuries. In this book, authors André Aleman and Frank Laroi review the latest research on the cognitive and neural bases of hallucinations and outline their unique neurobiology by drawing on evidence from brain imaging and neurotransmission studies. Detailed attention is paid to hallucination characteristics in different forms of psychosis as well as other clinical groups and conditions, such as brain damage, Charles Bonnet syndrome, dementia, and chemical substance abuse. The authors integrate the wealth of recent findings into a cohesive framework and put forward a comprehensive, multicomponent model of hallucinations. Finally, treatment of hallucinations is discussed, ranging from pharmacotherapy and cognitive therapy to transcranial magnetic stimulation. A comprehensive list of available hallucination questionnaires and scales is also included as a handy clinical assessment resource.