INSIDE THE SCHIZOPHRENIC MIND: HOW WIRES GET CROSSED BETWEEN MOTOR AND SENSORY

Mario Nawfal

@MarioNawfal
INSIDE THE SCHIZOPHRENIC MIND: HOW WIRES GET CROSSED BETWEEN MOTOR AND SENSORY

New research reveals the surprising neural roots of auditory hallucinations in schizophrenia.

The key is how the brain’s motor and sensory systems normally work in harmony – and how this delicate partnership can break down.

Schizophrenia patients experience two critical deficits.

First, they lack the normal motor signals that usually dampen sensory responses during speech preparation – a “broken braking system” that leaves them unable to distinguish their own thoughts from external sounds.

Secondly, their motor system provides “noisy” and imprecise enhancement of sensory areas.

Rather than selectively boosting anticipated speech targets, it erratically activates a broader range of auditory representations.

This appears to fuel their uncontrolled, hallucinatory experiences.

Through creative experiments, scientists pinpointed these motor-sensory integration problems as the neural basis of schizophrenia’s “positive” symptoms.

It’s a remarkable window into the complex links between cognition, perception and action – and how disrupting this delicate balance can lead to the bewildering experiences of mental illness.

Understanding these mechanisms is a crucial step toward better treatments for the debilitating symptoms of schizophrenia.

Source: PLOS Biology Journal