Geniculocalcarine hyperintensities on brain magnetic resonance imaging associated with visual hallucinations in the elderly.
Magnetic resonance scans of five geriatric patients presenting with formed visual hallucinations in the absence of other psychopathology were compared with those of 12 healthy elderly subjects for the presence and extent of subcortical and periventricular signal hyperintensity. While the number of discrete brain lesions did not differ between groups, scans from the patient group contained a higher incidence (100% vs. 50%) and greater mean size (11.1 vs. 2.9 mm) of periventricular signal hyperintensity in the posterior region. Peripheral visual acuity was impaired in all of the patients, but cerebrovascular risk factors were not elevated in this group. The authors suggest that structural abnormalities in the area of the primary visual pathway may predispose some older individuals, particularly those with poor peripheral visual acuity, to develop the symptom of visual hallucination.
Duke Scholars
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DOI
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Related Subject Headings
- Visual Perception
- Visual Pathways
- Visual Cortex
- Visual Acuity
- Risk Factors
- Reference Values
- Psychiatry
- Neural Inhibition
- Male
- Magnetic Resonance Imaging
Citation
Published In
DOI
ISSN
Publication Date
Volume
Issue
Start / End Page
Location
Related Subject Headings
- Visual Perception
- Visual Pathways
- Visual Cortex
- Visual Acuity
- Risk Factors
- Reference Values
- Psychiatry
- Neural Inhibition
- Male
- Magnetic Resonance Imaging