Mirror-touch synesthesia in schizophrenia, a pathological condition?

Authors

  • César Augusto Trinta Weber Centro de Estudos José de Barros Falcão, Porto Alegre, RS, Brasil https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3499-3632
  • Mario Francisco Pereira Juruena Professor no Departamento Psicologia Médica, Instituto de Psiquiatria, Psicologia e Neurociências, King's College London e Coordenador Medico do Maudsley Advanced Treatment Service para Doenças Afetivas de Difícil Tratamento (MATS) South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust (SLaM), Reino Unido https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8558-3396

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.25118/2763-9037.2022.v12.399

Keywords:

mirror neurons, mirror-touch synesthesia, psychiatry, psychopathology, schizophrenia, synesthesia

Abstract

Introduction: The mirror-touch synesthesia is a condition where a touch perception in another person's body induces the person who is observed to feel being touched in the same way. Case report: A single 22-year-old man came to the medical appointment in a private psychiatric clinic. Since his adolescence, he refers to auditive hallucinations, pseudo-hallucinations, frequent persecutory delusions, sonorization and insertion of the thought, and synesthesia. Among them it was reported mirror-touch synesthesia, anhedonia, and abulia. The criteria for paranoid schizophrenia were achieved during the examination. Discussion: Some evidence suggests that schizotypy may be associated with mirror-touch synesthesia. Conclusion: Scientific articles that demonstrate mirror-touch synesthesia as a part of pathology were not found.

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Author Biographies

César Augusto Trinta Weber, Centro de Estudos José de Barros Falcão, Porto Alegre, RS, Brasil

Mario Francisco Pereira Juruena , Professor no Departamento Psicologia Médica, Instituto de Psiquiatria, Psicologia e Neurociências, King's College London e Coordenador Medico do Maudsley Advanced Treatment Service para Doenças Afetivas de Difícil Tratamento (MATS) South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust (SLaM), Reino Unido

References

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Banissy MJ, Kadosh RC, Maus GW, Walsh V, Ward J. Prevalence, characteristics and a neurocognitive model of mirror-touch synaesthesia. Exp Brain Res. 2009;198:261–272. http://doi.org/10.1007/s00221-009-1810-9

Banissy M, Ward J. Mechanisms of self-other representations and vicarious experiences of touch in mirror-touch synesthesia. Frontiers in Human Neuroscience. 2013;3(7):1-3. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnhum.2013.00112

Perez CSDH, Ciufolini S, Sood PG, Krivoy A, Young AH, Murray RM, Ismail K, Atakan Z, Greenwood K, Smith S, Gaughran F, Juruena MF. Predictive value of cardiometabolic biomarkers and depressive symptoms for symptom severity and quality of life in patients with psychotic disorders. J Affect Disord. 2022;298:95-103.

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2021.10.038

Bouvet L, Barbier J, Cason N, Bakchine S, Ehrlé N. When synesthesia and savant abilities are mistaken for hallucinations and delusions: contribution of a cognitive approach for their differential diagnosis. The Clinical Neuropsychologist. 2017;31(8):1-15. https://doi.org/10.1080/13854046.2017.1288269

Published

2022-08-19

How to Cite

1.
Weber CAT, Juruena MFP. Mirror-touch synesthesia in schizophrenia, a pathological condition?. Debates em Psiquiatria [Internet]. 2022 Aug. 19 [cited 2024 Dec. 22];12:1-6. Available from: https://revistardp.org.br/revista/article/view/399

Conference Proceedings Volume

Section

Case Report

Plaudit

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