Obsessive Musical Hallucinations in a Schizophrenia Patient: Psychopathological and fMRI Characteristics

Abstract

Obsessive-compulsive symptoms (OCS) are relatively common and clinically significant phenomena in schizophrenia patients, suggesting the existence of a separate schizo-obsessive subgroup of the disorder. Although a majority of schizo-obsessive patients have typical ego-dystonic OCS, a meaningful proportion exhibits diagnostically challenging psychopathological phenomena, psychotic in content and obsessive in form. We report the clinical and functional magnetic resonance imaging characteristics of a schizophrenia patient who developed auditory hallucinations with musical content and obsessive in form. We suggest that “obsessive musical hallucinations”, that integrate both psychotic and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD)-related features, may be mediated by the brain networks believed to be involved in OCD and in auditory musical hallucinations.