Animal Models of Hallucinations Observed Through the Modern Lens

<span class="paragraphSection">The review by Waters and Fernyhough^{<a href="#CIT0001" class="reflinks">1</a>} makes it clear that there is nothing especially distinctive about hallucinations in schizophrenia, not even to the extent of hallucinations in the auditory modality being more prevalent than in the visual one or hallucinations in schizophrenia having a greater preponderance of angry, critical voices. Hallucinations may occur both in people without mental disturbances and also as a consequence of many different pathologies including tinnitus and Parkinson’s disease and other neuropsychiatric disorders such as post-traumatic stress disorder. This conclusion is consistent with a Research Domain Criteria (RDoc) approach to psychiatric nosology, as hallucinations are evidently trans-diagnostic with respect to the categorical diagnosis of schizophrenia or psychosis (see also the associated Commentary by Judith Ford^{<a href="#CIT0002" class="reflinks">2</a>}). What does this mean for animal models of hallucinations and, more indirectly, for understanding neurobiological mechanisms underlying hallucinations? Is the task of modeling hallucinatory behavior in animals any more revealing or useful than it was some 50 years ago when there was a major drive to understand the effects of hallucinogenic drugs acting at serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine [5-HT]) receptors, such as lysergic acid diethylamide?<sup&g...

Source: Schizophrenia Bulletin - December 15, 2016 Category: Psychiatry Source Type: research