Schizophrenia and The Dreaming Brain

[DrmDoc]

In past discussions, for those who recall or have interest, I described a diminished functional similarity specific to both the schizophrenic brain and the dreaming brain.  Generally, both brains experience a decreased state of prefrontal blood flow (hypofrontality), which suggests decreased prefrontal brain activity.  This prominent physiological effect that both brains appear to share suggests some shared root cause, which is not my focus in this discussions.  My focus is the hallucinatory nature of schizophrenia relative to the nature of dreaming.  My speculation is that schizophrenic hallucinations are similar to dreams in that they are interpretive responses to stimuli rather than just symptoms of some delusional state of mind.  

I recall the case of John du Pont who was convicted of murdering a prominent Olympic wrestler, Dave Schultz.  As there was much exposed about John's mental illness, I recall discussion of a particular schizophrenic episode wherein he complained of ants consuming his legs.  From a perspective of understanding the interpretive nature of dream content, I understood this hallucination of ants consuming one's legs as revealing how John's brain was unconsciously interpreting the deteriorating nature (consuming imagery) of his mental stability (leg imagery).  I perceived John hallucination as an unconscious perception that had leached into his conscious experience as something physically real.

If the similarities between the schizophrenic and dreaming brain confer commonality, then we all suffer mental illness when we dreaming...but that is not my opinion.  The interpretive processes of the brain doesn't confer mental illness; however, in John du Pont's case, the wall between his conscious and unconscious interpretive processes had deteriorated to such an extent that his unconscious interpretations were leaching into and distorting his conscious perceptions and purview--in my opinion. 

 

[DrmDoc]

On 8/9/2020 at 10:11 PM, DrmDoc said:

 My speculation is that schizophrenic hallucinations are similar to dreams in that they are interpretive responses to stimuli rather than just symptoms of some delusional state of mind.  

Hallucination/dreaming vs. imagination/fantasy; superficially, there appears to be no descriptive differences between these efferent brain activities.  Each of these activities can involve various faux sensory experiences that appear perceptually immersive and real.  However, hallucination isn't imagination and the dreams that occur amid the sleep process aren't fantasy.  The distinction is that hallucinations and dreams immerge from our brain's unconscious interpretive processes while imagination and fantasy are products of our conscious brain function with no interpretive quality. 

Imagination and fantasy are the immersive experience of our conscious thoughts and desires.  These experiences are consciously mediated and have no interpretive value beyond their immersive distraction and nature.  Conversely, schizophrenic hallucination and normal dreaming are unconsciously mediated and they interpret what we may unconsciously perceive or experience.  For John du Pont, as previously referenced, the hallucination of ants consuming his legs figuratively interpreted or expressed something that was happening to him that he knew but perhaps did not consciously comprehend--thus the figurative nature of his hallucination.