Kj. Shedlack et al., GENICULOCALCARINE HYPERINTENSITIES ON BRAIN MAGNETIC-RESONANCE-IMAGING ASSOCIATED WITH VISUAL HALLUCINATIONS IN THE ELDERLY, Psychiatry research, 54(3), 1994, pp. 283-293
Magnetic resonance scans of five geriatric patients presenting with fo
rmed visual hallucinations in the absence of other psychopathology wer
e compared with those of 12 healthy elderly subjects for the presence
and extent of subcortical and periventricular signal hyperintensity. W
hile the number of discrete brain lesions did not differ between group
s, scans from the patient group contained a higher incidence (100% vs.
50%) and greater mean size(11.1 vs. 2.9 mm) of periventricular signal
hyperintensity in the posterior region. Peripheral visual acuity was
impaired in all of the patients, but cerebrovascular risk factors were
not elevated in this group. The authors suggest that structural abnor
malities in the area of the primary visual pathway may predispose some
older individuals, particularly those with poor peripheral visual acu
ity, to develop the symptom of visual hallucination.