Doctors trace source of voices in the head
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Doctors have come a step nearer to finding the source of voices that torment schizophrenics as research in Britain and the United States suggests that defects in two areas of the brain might account for auditory hallucinations.
It had been assumed that the problem was linked to the part of the brain concerned with speech generation. But the new studies at the Institute of Psychiatry in London and the Cornell Medical Centre in New York indicate that the defect lies in areas responsible for imagining and monitoring speech.
One area is concerned with thinking in words and the other is activated when a person listens to someone else speaking. A breakdown of communication between the two areas appeared to be the key.
In a report in the Lancet, Dr Philip McGuire, of the Institute of Psychiatry, said: "A predisposition to hearing voices might reflect aberrant connectivity between areas concerned with the generation and monitoring of inner speech, and hence defective communication between the 'mind's voice' and the 'mind's ear'."
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments