New phenomenon of abnormal auditory perception associated with emotional and head trauma: pathological confirmation by SPECT scan.
We report the case of an immigrant who suffered from death threats and head trauma while a prisoner of war in Kuwait. Two months later, he began to hear conversations that had taken place previously. These perceptions occurred spontaneously or were induced by the patient's effortful concentration. The single photon emission computerized tomography (SPECT) scan performed during this abnormal perceptual experience indicated an increase in regional cerebral blood flow in the left temporal lobe and in the brainstem.
Stephane
Massoud
M
Department of Psychiatry, and the Domenici Research Center for Mental Illness, VA Medical Center/University of Minnesota, One Veterans Drive, Minneapolis, MN 55417, USA. mstephan@umn.edu
Hill
Thomas
T
Matthew
Elizabeth
E
Folstein
Marshal
M
D000328:Adult; D001930:Brain Injuries / Q000150:complications / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000503:physiopathology*; D001933:Brain Stem / Q000098:blood supply; D006212:Hallucinations / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000209:etiology* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012039:Regional Blood Flow; D013702:Temporal Lobe / Q000098:blood supply; D015899:Tomography, Emission-Computed, Single-Photon; D014104:Torture / Q000523:psychology*