FROM NEUROSCIENCE LABORATORY TO NEUROLOGY CLINIC

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THE NEUROBIOLOGY OFCOMPLEX VISUAL HALLUCINATIONS THROUGH FUNCTIONAL NETWORKS

Taha Hanoğlu

Başakşehir Çam ve Sakura City Hospital, Department of Neurosurgery, İstanbul, Türkiye

Hanoğlu T. The Neurobiology of Complex Visual Hallucinations through Functional Networks. In: Hanoğlu L, editor. From Neuroscience Laboratory to Neurology Clinic. 1st ed. Ankara: Türkiye Klinikleri; 2025. p.107117.

ABSTRACT

This chapter explores the neurobiological mechanisms underlying Complex Visual Hallucinations (CVH) through functional brain networks, questioning whether they are best understood through diseasespecific mechanisms or a universal theory. CVH, distinguished from simple visual hallucinations by their structured content, offer insight into the mind’s construction of internal representations.

Using Charles Bonnet Syndrome (CBS) and Parkinson’s disease (PD) as key examples, the chapter investigates deafferentation in CBS and topdown dysregulation in PD as central mechanisms. CBS highlights hyperexcitability in visual association areas due to reduced input, while PD emphasizes impaired attention networks and altered visual processing pathways.

The chapter synthesizes recent research, including volumetric and functional imaging studies, highlighting the role of Default Mode and Dorsal Attention Networks in CVH. It concludes that integrating perceptual, attentional, and cognitive disruptions within a unified predictive coding framework better explains CVH than isolated pathologybased models.

Keywords: Complex visual hallucinations; Parkinson’s disease; Charles Bonnet Syndrome; Default mode network; Universal Hallucination Theory

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