Scientists from the Swiss Polytechnic Federal School of Lausanne found that 40 to 50% of people with Parkinson’s disease experience an unpleasant feeling of being watched. According to an article in the journal Nature Mental Health, the presence of such hallucinations may also be associated with faster progression of the disease.
Experts examined the effects of hallucinations on 75 Parkinson’s patients aged 60 to 70 years. Each patient underwent a series of interviews with experts to assess their level of cognitive impairment, as well as psychiatric interviews, during which important information about their hallucinations was collected.
Nearly half of the subjects reported experiencing an unpleasant sensation of being watched, known as a presence hallucination, at the onset of their illness. After five years, the researchers found that people who reported hallucinations of presence early in their illness experienced faster declines in cognitive functions related to the frontal lobe of the brain: memory, learning, spatial perception and attention.
Thus, in patients with hallucinations of presence, “enhanced frontal theta oscillations were found. This means that they had a higher level of oscillatory electrical activity in the frontal region of the brain, especially in the theta frequency range. Theta range of fluctuations is most closely associated with cognitive processes, a rapid decline in which was observed in patients with hallucinations.
The link between cognitive decline and early hallucinations may be valid for other neurodegenerative diseases, the scientists say. This hypothesis may be tested by future studies.
Source: Rosbalt
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