Hallucinations Produced by Electrical Stimulation of the Temporal Lobes in Schizophrenic Patients

Abstract

Electrical stimulation of the temporal lobe was performed in chronic schizophrenic patients to treat the auditory hallucinations. During electrical stimulation, there appeared different kinds of hallucinations. The characteristics of the hallucinations produced by the temporal lobe stimulation greatly differ from those of the schizophrenic hallucinations. Visual and auditory hallucinations by the temporal lobe stimulation might depend on different pathopysiological mechanisms. The kinesthetic and vestibular hallucinations could be considered as a basis of the patho-physiological mechanism of the auditory hallucinations. The temporal lobe stimulation for the auditory hallucinations in schizophrenic patients showed some therapeutic effectiveness.