Auditory hallucinations: phenomenology, neuropsychology and neuroimaging update

Auditory verbal hallucinations (AVHs) are a cardinal feature of psychosis. Recent research is reviewed which has attempted to advance our knowledge of the mechanisms underlying this symptom. Phenomenological surveys have conf irmed the importance of the content of such hallucinations and their meanin g to the voice-hearer. Psychological and neuroimaging studies of inner spee ch and source monitoring have provided a neuropsychological framework for A VHs as well as some novel therapeutic strategies. There have also been succ essful attempts to 'capture' neural activity coincident with the experience of hallucinations using PET, SPECT and functional magnetic resonance imagi ng (MRI). This body of knowledge in combination with work on in-vivo recept or binding (dopamine and GABA) provides the beginnings of a cognitive and n europhysiological understanding of this complex and intriguing phenomenon.