auditory hallucination

n. Hearing something (e.g., voices, noises) that does not exist in the form of an external stimulus in the environment. Auditory hallucinations are the most common form of hallucinations in individuals with psychotic disorders such as schizophrenia. Recent neuroimaging research has indicated that schizophrenia patients who experience auditory hallucinations may be mistaking their own thoughts for external auditory stimuli. Specifically, individuals who are actively experiencing auditory hallucinations, such as voices, show increased activation in the speech production (Broca’s) area of the brain, indicating that they may be hearing something that is being internally produced (i.e., their own thoughts). It has therefore been hypothesized that these individuals may have some difficulty or impairment in the area of the brain that differentiates internal versus external stimuli. - DGa