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Tuesday, 25 October 2005 13:09

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Schizophrenics see illusions better

People suffering from schizophrenia may be better able to spot visual illusions than those without the illness, a study has found.

People with schizophrenia can experience hallucinations as a result of their conditions but volunteers taking part in a study appeared more able to spot “real” visual illusions than others.

The University College London researchers said it might be down to a difficulty in dealing with context, as people with schizophrenia take less account of the prevailing circumstances in a given situation, used by most people to interpret events.

Dr Steven Dakin, of UCL's Institute of Ophthalmology, said: "We often think of people with schizophrenia as not seeing the world the way it really is. But we have shown that sometimes their vision can be more accurate than non-sufferers."

Participants were asked to identify one of eight peripheral patterned disks that best matched the pattern of a central disk located in the middle of a larger “distracting” patterned circle.

Twelve of 15 volunteers with schizophrenia made more accurate judgements than the most accurate volunteer in a control group of 33 non-schizophrenic participants.

Dr Dakin said: "Our findings may shed some light on the brain mechanisms involved in schizophrenia.

"Normally, contextual processes in the brain help us to focus on what's relevant and stop our brains being overwhelmed with information.

"This process seems to be less effective in the schizophrenic brain, possibly due to insufficient inhibition - that is, the process by which cells in the brain switch each other off."

Paul Corry, of the charity Rethink, said: "We welcome any new research or progress into understanding the causes of schizophrenia, but it would need to be checked before it would make a difference to the thousands of people living with severe mental illness in the UK.

"In the meantime, reaching people early with the right care and treatment is the best way of recovering a meaningful and fulfilling life."

The researchers said the findings could go some way to explaining the brain mechanisms involved in schizophrenia.

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