Clinical and Neurocognitive Aspects of Hallucinations in Alzheimer's Disease

Overview

Journal Neurosci Biobehav Rev

Specialties Neurology
Psychology
Social Sciences

Date 2017 Feb 26

PMID 28235545

Citations 20

Authors

Mohamad El Haj

Jean Roche

Renaud Jardri

Dimitrios Kapogiannis

Karim Gallouj

Pascal Antoine

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Due to their prevalence, hallucinations are considered as one of the most frequent psychotic symptoms in Alzheimer's disease (AD). These psychotic manifestations reduce patients' well-being, increase the burden of caregivers, contribute to early institutionalization, and are related with the course of cognitive decline in AD. Considering their consequences, we provide a comprehensive account of the current state of knowledge about the prevalence and characteristics of hallucinations in AD. We propose a comprehensive and testable theoretical model about hallucinations in AD: the ALZHA (ALZheimer and HAllucinations) model. In this model, neurological, genetic, cognitive, affective, and iatrogenic factors associated with hallucinations in AD are highlighted. According to the ALZHA model, hallucinations in AD first involve trait markers (i.e., cognitive deficits, neurological deficits, genetic predisposition and/or sensory deficits) to which state markers that may trigger these experiences are added (e.g., psychological distress and/or iatrogenic factors). Finally, we provide recommendations for assessment and management of these psychotic manifestations in AD, with the aim to benefit patients, caregivers, and health professionals.

Citing Articles

Effectiveness of anti-psychiatric treatment on visual and haptic perceptual disorder for a patient with Alzheimer's disease: A case report.

Xu T, Mei X, Zhao Z, Liu Y, Zheng C World J Psychiatry. 2024; 14(9):1404-1410.

PMID: 39319233 PMC: 11417658. DOI: 10.5498/wjp.v14.i9.1404.

A Novel Rare PSEN2 Val226Ala in PSEN2 in a Korean Patient with Atypical Alzheimer's Disease, and the Importance of PSEN2 5th Transmembrane Domain (TM5) in AD Pathogenesis.

Yang Y, Bagyinszky E, An S Int J Mol Sci. 2024; 25(17).

PMID: 39273625 PMC: 11395454. DOI: 10.3390/ijms25179678.

Retinal Alterations Predict Early Prodromal Signs of Neurodegenerative Disease.

Casciano F, Zauli E, Celeghini C, Caruso L, Gonelli A, Zauli G Int J Mol Sci. 2024; 25(3).

PMID: 38338966 PMC: 10855697. DOI: 10.3390/ijms25031689.

Understanding neuropsychiatric symptoms in Alzheimer's disease: challenges and advances in diagnosis and treatment.

Pless A, Ware D, Saggu S, Rehman H, Morgan J, Wang Q Front Neurosci. 2023; 17:1263771.

PMID: 37732300 PMC: 10508352. DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2023.1263771.

Assessment of Alzheimer's Disease Imaging Biomarkers in World Trade Center Responders with Cognitive Impairment at Midlife.

Kritikos M, Franceschi A, Vaska P, Clouston S, Huang C, Salerno M World J Nucl Med. 2022; 21(4):267-275.

PMID: 36398306 PMC: 9666002. DOI: 10.1055/s-0042-1750013.

References

Birchwood M, Chadwick P . The omnipotence of voices: testing the validity of a cognitive model. Psychol Med. 1997; 27(6):1345-53. DOI: 10.1017/s0033291797005552. View

Lin S, Yu C, Pai M . The occipital white matter lesions in Alzheimer's disease patients with visual hallucinations. Clin Imaging. 2006; 30(6):388-93. DOI: 10.1016/j.clinimag.2006.09.025. View

Fletcher P, Frith C . Perceiving is believing: a Bayesian approach to explaining the positive symptoms of schizophrenia. Nat Rev Neurosci. 2008; 10(1):48-58. DOI: 10.1038/nrn2536. View

El Haj M, Kessels R, Allain P . Source Memory Rehabilitation: A Review Toward Recommendations for Setting Up a Strategy Training Aimed at the "What, Where, and When" of Episodic Retrieval. Appl Neuropsychol Adult. 2015; 23(1):53-60. DOI: 10.1080/23279095.2014.992071. View

Mega M, Lee L, Dinov I, Mishkin F, Toga A, Cummings J . Cerebral correlates of psychotic symptoms in Alzheimer's disease. J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry. 2000; 69(2):167-71. PMC: 1737034. DOI: 10.1136/jnnp.69.2.167. View

FROMM-REICHMANN F . Loneliness. Psychiatry. 1959; 22(1):1-15. DOI: 10.1080/00332747.1959.11023153. View

Jeste D, Finkel S . Psychosis of Alzheimer's disease and related dementias. Diagnostic criteria for a distinct syndrome. Am J Geriatr Psychiatry. 2000; 8(1):29-34. DOI: 10.1097/00019442-200002000-00004. View

Wilson R, Krueger K, Kamenetsky J, Tang Y, Gilley D, Bennett D . Hallucinations and mortality in Alzheimer disease. Am J Geriatr Psychiatry. 2005; 13(11):984-90. DOI: 10.1176/appi.ajgp.13.11.984. View

Allen P, Laroi F, McGuire P, Aleman A . The hallucinating brain: a review of structural and functional neuroimaging studies of hallucinations. Neurosci Biobehav Rev. 2007; 32(1):175-91. DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2007.07.012. View

10.

Jardri R, Hugdahl K, Hughes M, Brunelin J, Waters F, Alderson-Day B . Are Hallucinations Due to an Imbalance Between Excitatory and Inhibitory Influences on the Brain?. Schizophr Bull. 2016; 42(5):1124-34. PMC: 4988749. DOI: 10.1093/schbul/sbw075. View

11.

Devanand D, Brockington C, Moody B, Brown R, Mayeux R, Endicott J . Behavioral syndromes in Alzheimer's disease. Int Psychogeriatr. 1992; 4 Suppl 2:161-84. View

12.

Chaudhury S . Hallucinations: Clinical aspects and management. Ind Psychiatry J. 2011; 19(1):5-12. PMC: 3105559. DOI: 10.4103/0972-6748.77625. View

13.

Fischer C, Qian W, Schweizer T, Millikin C, Ismail Z, Smith E . Lewy Bodies, Vascular Risk Factors, and Subcortical Arteriosclerotic Leukoencephalopathy, but not Alzheimer Pathology, are Associated with Development of Psychosis in Alzheimer's Disease. J Alzheimers Dis. 2015; 50(1):283-95. PMC: 4844451. DOI: 10.3233/JAD-150606. View

14.

Lefebvre S, Baille G, Jardri R, Plomhause L, Szaffarczyk S, Defebvre L . Hallucinations and conscious access to visual inputs in Parkinson's disease. Sci Rep. 2016; 6:36284. PMC: 5107911. DOI: 10.1038/srep36284. View

15.

Patel S, Attard A, Jacobsen P, Shergill S . Acetylcholinesterase Inhibitors (AChEI's) for the treatment of visual hallucinations in schizophrenia: a review of the literature. BMC Psychiatry. 2010; 10:69. PMC: 2940862. DOI: 10.1186/1471-244X-10-69. View

16.

Ffytche D . The hodology of hallucinations. Cortex. 2008; 44(8):1067-83. DOI: 10.1016/j.cortex.2008.04.005. View

17.

Bassiony M, Lyketsos C . Delusions and hallucinations in Alzheimer's disease: review of the brain decade. Psychosomatics. 2003; 44(5):388-401. DOI: 10.1176/appi.psy.44.5.388. View

18.

Gaudiano B, Herbert J . Acute treatment of inpatients with psychotic symptoms using Acceptance and Commitment Therapy: pilot results. Behav Res Ther. 2005; 44(3):415-37. DOI: 10.1016/j.brat.2005.02.007. View

19.

Bierman E, Comijs H, Jonker C, Scheltens P, Beekman A . The effect of anxiety and depression on decline of memory function in Alzheimer's disease. Int Psychogeriatr. 2009; 21(6):1142-7. DOI: 10.1017/S1041610209990512. View

20.

Diederich N, Fenelon G, Stebbins G, Goetz C . Hallucinations in Parkinson disease. Nat Rev Neurol. 2009; 5(6):331-42. DOI: 10.1038/nrneurol.2009.62. View