Project 15.2: Identifying EEG biomarkers and mechanisms for pathological and non-pathological auditory verbal hallucinations and first rank...

Project 15.2: Identifying EEG biomarkers and mechanisms for pathological and non-pathological auditory verbal hallucinations and first rank symptoms in patients with schizophrenia, healthy voice hearers, and symptom modelling with suggestion in hypnosis

Auditory verbal hallucinations (AVH) are common in patients with schizophrenia. However, 'healthy voice hearers' also experience AVH and other first rank symptoms (FRS) of schizophrenia without distress or disability, and indeed often value these experiences. Also, AVH and FRS can be reliably modelled using suggestion in healthy hypnotically responsive individuals. Symptom modelling and patient studies point to altered supplementary motor area (SMA) activity in AVH and other FRS. However, what distinguishes brain activity during pathological and non-pathological AVH is unknown. This PhD employs EEG and symptom capture methods to characterise shared and unique brain processes involved in AVH and other FRS in (i) patients with schizophrenia, (ii) healthy voice hearers; (iii) healthy individuals in whom AVH and FRS of (i) and (ii) are reproduced using suggestion. Main hypotheses: (a) patients with schizophrenia, then healthy voice hearers, show higher baseline intrinsic variability ('instability') in SMA and other network components for AVH compared to the suggestion group; but (b) all groups share reduced SMA activity during AVH and other FRS.

The student will attend regular group meetings, departmental seminars, and primers for imaging and EEG methodology, and will be able to train MSc and PhD students amongst other training opportunities.