Researchers in the School of Psychology Uncover the Neural Mechanics Behind “Hearing Things That Aren’t There”
A groundbreaking study sheds new light on how the brain’s internal model for interpreting the world can lead to false auditory experiences—essentially, “hearing things that aren’t there.”
Published in Human Brain Mapping, the research led by Feifan Chen, Anusha Yasoda-Mohan, Colum Ó Sé, and Sven Vanneste demonstrates, for the first time, how different components of the brain’s predictive coding system interact to shape perception—and sometimes misperception.
“Perception isn't just about the senses; it’s a prediction the brain makes,” said Prof. Sven Vanneste, senior author on the study. “When our internal model becomes too confident, it can override what we actually hear and generate false auditory perceptions.”
The team used a unique combination of multisensory illusion (known as “conditioned hallucinations”) and auditory oddball paradigms to study how people integrate sensory input with prior expectations. Participants were exposed to sounds in noisy environments paired with visual cues to measure when they began “hearing” tones that were never played.
Key findings include:
- People prone to “conditioned hallucinations” placed more weight on their internal models and were more confident in their false perceptions.
- These individuals also showed heightened brain responses to prediction errors—particularly those arising from context changes, not just sensory changes.
- The study reveals a strong link between subjective confidence and the likelihood of experiencing false perceptions.
This research could have profound implications for understanding neuropsychiatric conditions like schizophrenia, where hallucinations are common. By breaking down the brain’s predictive coding system into its components—priors, prediction errors, and confidence—the findings may help guide new diagnostic tools and interventions.
“Our results suggest that individual biases toward trusting internal models over actual sensory input may play a critical role in hallucinations,” said Sven Vanneste.
The study offers a powerful framework for exploring why some people are more susceptible to false perceptions and how brain activity reflects that vulnerability. Future work may help identify risk factors and develop early detection methods for psychosis-related disorders.
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#Neuroscience #Perception #PredictiveCoding #AuditoryIllusions #HallucinationResearch #OpenScience