Thalamocortical dysfunction and complex visual hallucinations in brain disease – Are the primary disturbances in the cerebral cortex?
Daniel Collerton a1andElaine Perry a2 a1 Department of Psychology, Bensham Hospital, Gateshead, NE8 4YL, United Kingdom
daniel.collerton@ncl.ac.uk a2 Newcastle General Hospital, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, NE4 6BE, United Kingdom
e.k.perry@ncl.ac.uk
Abstract
Applying Behrendt & Young's (B&Y's) model of thalamocortical synchrony to complex visual hallucinations in neurodegenerative disorders, such as dementia with Lewy bodies and progressive supranuclear palsy, leads us to propose that the primary pathology may be cortical rather than thalamic. Additionally, the extinction of active hallucinations by eye closure challenges their conception of the role of reduced sensory input.
