The phenomenon of musical hallucinations: An updated review

Feras A Al-Awad

doi:10.29333/ejgm/13522

Full Text (PDF)

Feras A Al-Awad ¹ ^*

More Detail

¹ Department of Psychiatry, College of Medicine, Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University, Dammam, SAUDI ARABIA^* Corresponding Author

Abstract

Introduction: Musical hallucinations (MHs) is a heterogeneous phenomenon. Multiple case reports and series have improved our understanding of this complex phenomenon. This systematic review aims to assess the available evidence regarding MHs.
Methods: PubMed and ProQuest databases were searched for articles published between 2005 and 2022. The keywords used for the search were “music,” “musical,” “hallucinations,” and “hallucinosis.”
Results: The search identified 421 articles; however, only 67 were selected. A total of 77 patients were selected from case reports and series. We identified 50 articles with single cases, four articles with two cases, four articles with three cases, and one article with six cases. Eight additional articles that provided information regarding the prevalence of MHs were included in the review.
Conclusions: MHs are common among older individuals, women, and hearing-impaired individuals. The etiologies include psychiatric, neurological, hearing impairments, and substances. Content of MHs is typically familiar songs/music. No randomized controlled studies are available for determining the treatment for MHs.

Keywords

hallucinations
music
review
auditory
musical hallucinations

License

This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Article Type: Review Article

ELECTRON J GEN MED, 2023, Volume 20, Issue 6, Article No: em533

https://doi.org/10.29333/ejgm/13522

Publication date: 01 Nov 2023

Online publication date: 01 Aug 2023

Article Views: 1623

Article Downloads: 955

Open Access References How to cite this article

References

Bentall RP. The illusion of reality: A review and integration of psychological research on hallucinations. Psychol Bull. 1990;107(1):82-95. https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-2909.107.1.82 PMid:2404293
Sanchez TG, Rocha SC, Knobel KA, Kii MA, Santos RM, Pereira CB. Musical hallucination associated with hearing loss. Arq Neuropsiquiatr. 2011;69(2B):395-400. https://doi.org/10.1590/S0004-282X2011000300024 PMid:21625772
Keshavan M, David A, Steingard S, Lishman W. Musical hallucinations: A review and synthesis. Cognitive and Behavioral Neurology. 1992;5(3):211-23.
Evers S, Ellger T. The clinical spectrum of musical hallucinations. J Neurol Sci. 2004;227(1):55-65. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jns.2004.08.004 PMid:15546592
Cope TE, Baguley DM. Is musical hallucination an otological phenomenon? A review of the literature. Clin Otolaryngol. 2009;34(5):423-30. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1749-4486.2009.02013.x PMid:19793274
Moseley P, Alderson-Day B, Kumar S, Fernyhough C. Musical hallucinations, musical imagery, and earworms: A new phenomenological survey. Conscious Cogn. 2018; 65:83-94. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.concog.2018.07.009 PMid:30077016 PMCid:PMC6204882
Linszen MMJ, van Zanten GA, Teunisse RJ, Brouwer RM, Scheltens P, Sommer IE. Auditory hallucinations in adults with hearing impairment: A large prevalence study. Psychol Med. 2019;49(1):132-9. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0033291718000594 PMid:29554989
Teunisse RJ, Olde Rikkert MG. Prevalence of musical hallucinations in patients referred for audiometric testing. Am J Geriatr Psychiatry. 2012;20(12):1075-7. https://doi.org/10.1097/JGP.0b013e31823e31c4 PMid:22327620
Schakenraad SM, Teunisse RJ, Olde Rikkert MG. Musical hallucinations in psychiatric patients. Int J Geriatr Psychiatry. 2006;21(4):394-7. https://doi.org/10.1002/gps.1463 PMid:16570326
Degueure A, Fontenot A, Khan MW, Husan A. Music to the Ears: An unusual case of frontal lobe stroke with complex auditory hallucinations. Cureus. 2022;14(11):e31127. https://doi.org/10.7759/cureus.31127
Baweja R, Hasoglu T, Joshi A. Musical hallucinations associated with adverse childhood events. Prim Care Companion CNS Disord. 2022;24(3):21cr03058. https://doi.org/10.4088/PCC.21cr03058
Zein M, Sher Y. Musical memories-musical hallucinations in a lung transplant recipient: Case report and literature review. J Acad Consult Liaison Psychiatry. 2021;62(1):140-9. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psym.2020.06.009 PMid:32977990
Stoyanov A, McDougall A, Urriola N. Musical hallucinations: A rare and atypical presentation of anti-IgLON5 disease responsive to immunosuppressive therapy. BMJ Case Rep. 2021;14(2):e236963. https://doi.org/10.1136/bcr-2020-236963 PMid:33602757 PMCid:PMC7896582
Schmitgen A, Saal J, Sankaran N, et al. Musical hallucinations in chronic pain: The anterior cingulate cortex regulates internally generated percepts. Front Neurol. 2021;12:669172. https://doi.org/10.3389/fneur.2021.669172 PMid:34017308 PMCid:PMC8129573
Nordberg J, Taiminen T, Virtanen L, Jaaskelainen SK, Scheinin NM. Successful suppression of musical hallucinations with low-frequency rTMS of the left temporo-parietal junction: A case report. Brain Stimul. 2021;14(6):1467-9. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.brs.2021.09.011 PMid:34597855
Montalvo A, Azevedo E, de Mendonca A. Shift of musical hallucinations to visual hallucinations after correction of the hearing deficit in a patient with Lewy body dementia: A case report. J Med Case Rep. 2021;15(1):449. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13256-021-03039-2 PMid:34496966 PMCid:PMC8428060
Ferreira TF, Dehanov S, Figueiredo I, Santos NB. Musical hallucinations in a mixed episode-interaction between musicality and mood. Psychiatry Res. 2021;295:113633. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychres.2020.113633 PMid:33316729
Elikowski W, Malek-Elikowska M, Fertala N, Zawodna-Marszalek M. Amiodarone-induced musical hallucinations. Pol Merkur Lekarski. 2021;49(293):361-3.
Canas-Simiao H, Nascimento ST, Reis J, Freitas C. Complex auditory musical hallucinations with ambivalent feelings. BMJ Case Rep. 2021;14(11):e245397. https://doi.org/10.1136/bcr-2021-245397 PMid:34764093
Muraosa H, Suzuki A, Noto K, Otani K. Musical hallucinations induced by conventional doses of paroxetine. Am J Case Rep. 2020;21:e926735. https://doi.org/10.12659/AJCR.926735 PMid:33361737 PMCid:PMC7768591
Buchwald N, Kelly A, Heilman KM, Simpkins AN. Musical hallucinations with a right frontotemporal stroke. Neurocase. 2020;26(5):313-6. https://doi.org/10.1080/13554794.2020.1820529 PMid:32930641
Song CI, Jung YE. Musical hallucination caused by ceftazidime in a woman with a hearing impairment. Clin Psychopharmacol Neurosci. 2019;17(2):326-8. https://doi.org/10.9758/cpn.2019.17.2.326 PMid:30905135 PMCid:PMC6478083
Blackman G, Lim MF, Mannan F, David A. Transient musical hallucinations in a young adult male associated with alcohol withdrawal. Case Rep Psychiatry. 2019;2019:6546451. https://doi.org/10.1155/2019/6546451 PMid:31781460 PMCid:PMC6875172
Oladiran O, Nwosu I, Obanor S, Ogbonna-Nwosu C, LB. Anaplastic pleomorphic xanthoastrocytoma presenting with musical hallucination. Case Rep Neurol Med. 2018;2018:6428492. https://doi.org/10.1155/2018/6428492 PMid:30534452 PMCid:PMC6252228
Kobayashi Y. A case of traumatic brain injury presenting with musical hallucinations. Case Rep Neurol. 2018;10(1):7-11. https://doi.org/10.1159/000481451 PMid:29515418 PMCid:PMC5836244
Doluweera Y, Suraweera C. Those who hear music: Three cases on musical hallucinations. Case Rep Psychiatry. 2018;2018:9361382. https://doi.org/10.1155/2018/9361382 PMid:30050719 PMCid:PMC6040295
Lee GH, Stewart JT. A case of musical hallucinations related to mirtazapine. Clin Neuropharmacol. 2018;41(6):222-3. https://doi.org/10.1097/WNF.0000000000000302 PMid:30204598
Cavaliere C, Longarzo M, Orsini M, Aiello M, Grossi D. Fronto-temporal circuits in musical hallucinations: A PET-MR case study. Front Hum Neurosci. 2018;12:385. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnhum.2018.00385 PMid:30319380 PMCid:PMC6170624
Niranjan V, Rastogi P, Razdan RG. “Musical ear syndrome”–Musical hallucinations in a patient with severe hearing loss–A report. Asian J Psychiatr. 2017;29:101-2. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ajp.2017.05.006 PMid:29061401
Kitamura H, Saito M, Someya T. Two cases of musical hallucination successfully treated with quetiapine. Psychiatry Clin Neurosci. 2017;71(11):789. https://doi.org/10.1111/pcn.12564 PMid:28853197
Alvarez Perez P, Garcia-Antelo MJ, Rubio-Nazabal E. “Doctor, I hear music”: A brief review about musical hallucinations. Open Neurol J. 2017;11:11-4. https://doi.org/10.2174/1874205X01711010011 PMid:28567134 PMCid:PMC5420178
Peritogiannis V, Menti N, Mavreas V. Atypical antipsychotics for the treatment of musical hallucinations in an elderly patient without a psychiatric disorder. J Neurosci Rural Pract. 2016;7(4):606-8. https://doi.org/10.4103/0976-3147.188639 PMid:27695252 PMCid:PMC5006484
Martinelli JE, Cecato JF, Aprahamian I. Brazilian national anthem presenting as musical hallucination: A case report with 9-year follow-up. Dement Neuropsychol. 2016;10(3):247-50. https://doi.org/10.1590/S1980-5764-2016DN1003013 PMid:29213463 PMCid:PMC5642423
Gandhi R, Narang P, Lippmann S. Are musical and auditory hallucinations related? Psychosomatics. 2016;57(4):442-3. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psym.2016.03.004 PMid:27283253
Borelli P, Vedovello M, Braga M, Pederzoli M, Beretta S. Persistent interictal musical hallucination in a patient with mesial temporal sclerosis-related epilepsy: First case report and etiopathological hypothesis. Cogn Behav Neurol. 2016;29(4):217-21. https://doi.org/10.1097/WNN.0000000000000111 PMid:27984260
Joe S, Park J, Lim J, Park C. Unilateral musical hallucination after a hybrid cochlear implantation. Gen Hosp Psychiatry. 2015;37(1):97 e1-3. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.genhosppsych.2014.09.014 PMid:25445069
Focseneanu BE, Marian G. Musical hallucinations–a challenge for psychiatric therapeutical management. Case report. J Med Life. 2015;8(4):533-5.
Brunner JP, Amedee RG. Musical hallucinations in a patient with presbycusis: A case report. Ochsner J. 2015;15(1):89-91.
Blom JD, Coebergh JA, Lauw R, Sommer IE. Musical hallucinations treated with acetylcholinesterase inhibitors. Front Psychiatry. 2015;6:46. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2015.00046 PMid:25904872 PMCid:PMC4387860
Woo PY, Leung LN, Cheng ST, Chan KY. Monoaural musical hallucinations caused by a thalamocortical auditory radiation infarct: A case report. J Med Case Rep. 2014;8:400. https://doi.org/10.1186/1752-1947-8-400 PMid:25468292 PMCid:PMC4289290
Mansoor D, Ganzini L. Musical hallucinations successfully treated with antipsychotic medications: Three case reports. Psychosomatics. 2014;55(2):191-3. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psym.2013.02.004 PMid:23756119
Kataoka H, Ueno S. Auditory musical hallucinations associated with extended-release pramipexole in an elderly patient with Parkinson’s disease. Medicine (Baltimore). 2014;93(27):e251. https://doi.org/10.1097/MD.0000000000000251 PMid:25501095 PMCid:PMC4602817
Husain F, Levin J, Scott J, Fjeldstad C. Recurrent refrains in a patient with multiple sclerosis: Earworms or musical hallucinations? Mult Scler Relat Disord. 2014;3(2):276-8. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.msard.2013.08.004 PMid:25878018
Colon-Rivera HA, Oldham MA. The mind with a radio of its own: A case report and review of the literature on the treatment of musical hallucinations. Gen Hosp Psychiatry. 2014;36(2):220-4. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.genhosppsych.2013.10.021 PMid:24359763
Bergman J, Pashinian A, Weizman A, Poyurovsky M. The beneficial effect of escitalopram on obsessive-compulsive-related musical hallucinations in elderly patients with hearing impairment: A case series. Int Clin Psychopharmacol. 2014;29(5):263-5. https://doi.org/10.1097/YIC.0000000000000037 PMid:24810250
Aizawa S, Terao T, Hatano K, Ishii N. Musical hallucinations responding to a further increase of carbamazepine. BMJ Case Rep. 2014;2014. https://doi.org/10.1136/bcr-2014-206418 PMid:25253486 PMCid:PMC4173266
Vitorovic D, Biller J. Musical hallucinations and forgotten tunes–case report and brief literature review. Front Neurol. 2013;4:109. https://doi.org/10.3389/fneur.2013.00109 PMid:23964264 PMCid:PMC3737457
Serby MJ, Hagiwara M, O’Connor L, Lalwani AK. Musical hallucinations associated with pontine lacunar lesions. J Neuropsychiatry Clin Neurosci. 2013;25(2):153-6. https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.neuropsych.12050131 PMid:23686034
Guclu O, Senormanci O, Guclu DG, Konkan R. Musical hallucinations of an unidentified melody. Gen Hosp Psychiatry. 2013;35(5):e7-8. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.genhosppsych.2012.12.007 PMid:23347456
Zilles D, Zerr I, Wedekind D. Successful treatment of musical hallucinations with the acetylcholinesterase inhibitor donepezil. J Clin Psychopharmacol. 2012;32(3): 422-4. https://doi.org/10.1097/JCP.0b013e318253a086 PMid:22561476
Simoes S, Mesquita J, Marcal N, Santos M. Musical hallucinations: Case report and review of the literature. J Neuropsychiatry Clin Neurosci. 2012;24(2):E8. https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.neuropsych.11050107 PMid:22772708
Calabro RS, Baglieri A, Ferlazzo E, Passari S, Marino S, Bramanti P. Neurofunctional assessment in a stroke patient with musical hallucinations. Neurocase. 2012;18(6):514-20. https://doi.org/10.1080/13554794.2011.633530 PMid:22224482
Bhatt YM, de Carpentier JP. Musical hallucination following whiplash injury: Case report and literature review. J Laryngol Otol. 2012;126(6):615-8. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0022215112000242 PMid:22643207
Huntley JD, Sandall A, Philpot M. “In the midnight hour”: A case report of musical hallucinations with multiple etiological factors treated with lamotrigine. Int Psychogeriatr. 2011;23(2):322-4. https://doi.org/10.1017/S1041610210001997 PMid:20950508
Wong CL, Bhalerao S. Post-surgery musical hallucinations of a patriotic Canadian song. Can J Neurol Sci. 2010;37(6):901-3. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0317167100051702 PMid:21059563
Shoyama M, Ukai S, Kitabata Y, et al. Evaluation of regional cerebral blood flow in a patient with musical hallucinations. Neurocase. 2010;16(1):1-6. https://doi.org/10.1080/13554790903070265 PMid:20391182
Kanemura S, Tanimukai H, Tsuneto S. Can “steroid switching” improve steroid-induced musical hallucinations in a patient with terminal cancer? J Palliat Med. 2010; 13(12):1495-8. https://doi.org/10.1089/jpm.2010.9751 PMid:21155649
Isolan GR, Bianchin MM, Bragatti JA, Torres C, Schwartsmann G. Musical hallucinations following insular glioma resection. Neurosurg Focus. 2010;28(2):E9. https://doi.org/10.3171/2009.12.FOCUSFOCUS09243 PMid:20121444
Gondim Fde A, Costa HA, Taunay TC, de Oliveira GR, Ferreira JM, Rola FH. Transient amantadine-induced musical hallucinations in a patient with Parkinson’s disease. Mov Disord. 2010;25(10):1505-6. https://doi.org/10.1002/mds.22553 PMid:20629118
Auffarth IS, Kropp S. Musical hallucination in a patient after cochlear implantation. J Neuropsychiatry Clin Neurosci. 2009;21(2):230-1. https://doi.org/10.1176/jnp.2009.21.2.230 PMid:19622701
Williams VG, Tremont G, Blum AS. Musical hallucinations after left temporal lobectomy. Cogn Behav Neurol. 2008;21(1):38-40. https://doi.org/10.1097/WNN.0b013e318165a9e1 PMid:18327022
Ukai S, Yamamoto M, Tanaka M, Shinosaki K, Takeda M. Donepezil in the treatment of musical hallucinations. Psychiatry Clin Neurosci. 2007;61(2):190-2. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1440-1819.2007.01636.x PMid:17362438
Satoh M, Kokubo M, Kuzuhara S. A case of idiopathic musical hallucination with increasing repertoire. J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry. 2007;78(2):203-4. https://doi.org/10.1136/jnnp.2006.100313 PMid:17229754 PMCid:PMC2077644
Mahendran R. The psychopathology of musical hallucinations. Singapore Med J. 2007;48(2):e68-70.
Gentile S, Ferrero M, Giudice RL, Rainero I, Pinessi L. Abdominal pain associated with musical hallucinations: A case report. Eur J Neurol. 2007;14(11):e7-8. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1468-1331.2007.01944.x PMid:17956440
Warren JD, Schott GD. Musical hallucinations in a musician. J Neurol. 2006;253(8):1097-9. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00415-006-0167-2 PMid:16607470
Janakiraman R, Wildgoose K, Seelam K. ECT associated musical hallucinations in an elderly patient: A case report. Ann Gen Psychiatry. 2006;5:10. https://doi.org/10.1186/1744-859X-5-10 PMid:16889667 PMCid:PMC1557851
Linszen MMJ, van Zanten GA, Teunisse RJ, Brouwer RM, Scheltens P, Sommer IE. Auditory hallucinations in adults with hearing impairment: A large prevalence study. Psychol Med. 2019;49(1):132-9. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0033291718000594 PMid:29554989
Rocha SC, Kii MA, Pereira CB, Borelli DT, Forlenza O, Sanchez TG. Multidisciplinary assessment of patients with musical hallucinations, tinnitus and hearing loss. Psychopathology. 2015;48(4):251-5. https://doi.org/10.1159/000435891 PMid:26278558
Golden EC, Josephs KA. Minds on replay: musical hallucinations and their relationship to neurological disease. Brain. 2015;138(Pt 12):3793-802. https://doi.org/10.1093/brain/awv286 PMid:26446167
Aziz VM, Asaad M. Musical hallucination in acquired and pre-lingual deafness. Int Psychogeriatr. 2011;23(6):1015-7. https://doi.org/10.1017/S1041610211000809 PMid:23968300
Warner N, Aziz V. Hymns and arias: musical hallucinations in older people in Wales. Int J Geriatr Psychiatry. 2005;20(7):658-60. https://doi.org/10.1002/gps.1338 PMid:16021667
Stephane M, Hsu LK, Hoffman R. About the mechanisms of musical hallucinations. Med Hypotheses. 1999;53(1):89-90. https://doi.org/10.1054/mehy.1999.0917 PMid:10499835
Griffiths TD. Musical hallucinosis in acquired deafness. Phenomenology and brain substrate. Brain. 2000;123(Pt 10):2065-76. https://doi.org/10.1093/brain/123.10.2065 PMid:11004124
Werhahn KJ, Mortensen J, Kaelin-Lang A, Boroojerdi B, Cohen LG. Cortical excitability changes induced by deafferentation of the contralateral hemisphere. Brain. 2002;125(Pt 6):1402-13. https://doi.org/10.1093/brain/awf140 PMid:12023328
Ziemann U, Hallett M, Cohen LG. Mechanisms of deafferentation-induced plasticity in human motor cortex. J Neurosci. 1998;18(17):7000-7. https://doi.org/10.1523/JNEUROSCI.18-17-07000.1998 PMid:9712668 PMCid:PMC6792971
Vanneste S, Song JJ, De Ridder D. Tinnitus and musical hallucinosis: The same but more. Neuroimage. 2013;82: 373-83. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuroimage.2013.05.107 PMid:23732881
Liikkanen LA, Raaska K. Treatment of anxiety from musical obsessions with a cognitive behaviour therapy tool. BMJ Case Rep. 2013;2013. https://doi.org/10.1136/bcr-2013-201064 PMid:24214156 PMCid:PMC3830214
Cosentino G, Giglia G, Palermo A, Panetta ML, Lo Baido R, Brighina F, et al. A case of post-traumatic complex auditory hallucinosis treated with rTMS. Neurocase. 2010;16(3):267-72. https://doi.org/10.1080/13554790903456191 PMid:20104391
Strauss M, Gertz H. Treatment of musical hallucinosis with acetylcholinesterase inhibitors. J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry. 2009;80(11):1298-9. https://doi.org/10.1136/jnnp.2008.160978 PMid:19864669
Coebergh JA, Lauw RF, Bots R, Sommer IE, Blom JD. Musical hallucinations: Review of treatment effects. Front Psychol. 2015;6:814. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2015.00814 PMid:26136708 PMCid:PMC4468361
Futamura A, Katoh H, Kawamura M. [Successful treatment with anti-epileptic-drug of an 83-year-old man with musical hallucinosis]. Brain Nerve. 2014;66(5):599-603.
Holroyd S, Sabeen S. Successful treatment of hallucinations associated with sensory impairment using gabapentin. J Neuropsychiatry Clin Neurosci. 2008; 20(3):364-6. https://doi.org/10.1176/jnp.2008.20.3.364 PMid:18806241
Tuerlings JH, Wijnen H, Boerman R, Verwey B. [Music as an uninvited guest: The auditive variant of the Charles Bonnet syndrome]. Tijdschr Psychiatr. 2009;51(11):853-8.
Abdel-Aziz K, Pomeroy I. Ear worms and auditory Charles Bonnet syndrome. J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry. 2014; 85(10):e4. https://doi.org/10.1136/jnnp-2014-309236.80

How to cite this article

Vancouver

Al-Awad FA. The phenomenon of musical hallucinations: An updated review. ELECTRON J GEN MED. 2023;20(6):em533. https://doi.org/10.29333/ejgm/13522

APA

Al-Awad, F. A. (2023). The phenomenon of musical hallucinations: An updated review. Electronic Journal of General Medicine, 20(6), em533. https://doi.org/10.29333/ejgm/13522

AMA

Al-Awad FA. The phenomenon of musical hallucinations: An updated review. ELECTRON J GEN MED. 2023;20(6), em533. https://doi.org/10.29333/ejgm/13522

Chicago

Al-Awad, Feras A. "The phenomenon of musical hallucinations: An updated review". Electronic Journal of General Medicine 2023 20 no. 6 (2023): em533. https://doi.org/10.29333/ejgm/13522

Harvard

Al-Awad, F. A. (2023). The phenomenon of musical hallucinations: An updated review. Electronic Journal of General Medicine, 20(6), em533. https://doi.org/10.29333/ejgm/13522

MLA

Al-Awad, Feras A "The phenomenon of musical hallucinations: An updated review". Electronic Journal of General Medicine, vol. 20, no. 6, 2023, em533. https://doi.org/10.29333/ejgm/13522