The Bayesian Brain and Psychoanalytic Dimensions of Hyper-salience in Psychosis

AbstractPurpose of ReviewTo summarize the Bayesian model of the brain as it has been applied to hyper-salient experiences in psychosis such as ideas of reference (in particular, the attribution of personal meaning to the glance of strangers) and to amend this model by adding a Meaning Salience factor to the Bayesian equation that specifies the personal significance of the hyper-salient experience to the individual.Recent FindingsRecent descriptions of the semi-independent processes of biological and psychological recovery from psychosis do not include an account of the figurative, metaphorical meaning of anomalous experiences in psychosis as seen from a psychoanalytic perspective. This review adds a psychodynamic factor to Bayesian brain function in psychosis.SummaryPersonal meaning embedded in a delusion expressive of an individual ’s life history may help explain the persistence of the ideational content of a delusion despite appropriate pharmacological treatment.
Source: Current Behavioral Neuroscience Reports - Category: Neuroscience Source Type: research