Association of the number of minor hallucinations and well-structured visual hallucinations in Parkinson’s disease

Abstract Minor hallucinations (MH), comprising three subtypes (presence hallucinations, passage hallucinations, and visual illusions), typically emerge during the early stages of Parkinson’s disease (PD) and precede the onset of well-structured visual hallucinations (VH). Whether the number of MH is...

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Main Authors: Haiying Zhang, Yang Zhao, Yi Chen, Yuanyuan Feng, Bo Shen, Shuangshuang Dong, Jun Zhu, Xu Jiang, Dongfeng Li, Yaning Chen, Feng Han, Li Zhang
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Nature Portfolio 2025-08-01
Series:npj Parkinson's Disease
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1038/s41531-025-01106-9
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author Haiying Zhang
Yang Zhao
Yi Chen
Yuanyuan Feng
Bo Shen
Shuangshuang Dong
Jun Zhu
Xu Jiang
Dongfeng Li
Yaning Chen
Feng Han
Li Zhang
author_facet Haiying Zhang
Yang Zhao
Yi Chen
Yuanyuan Feng
Bo Shen
Shuangshuang Dong
Jun Zhu
Xu Jiang
Dongfeng Li
Yaning Chen
Feng Han
Li Zhang
author_sort Haiying Zhang
collection DOAJ
description Abstract Minor hallucinations (MH), comprising three subtypes (presence hallucinations, passage hallucinations, and visual illusions), typically emerge during the early stages of Parkinson’s disease (PD) and precede the onset of well-structured visual hallucinations (VH). Whether the number of MH is associated with VH in PD patients remains unclear. We investigated the association between the number of MH and VH in 372 PD patients. Log-binomial regressions showed that individuals with multiple MH had a significantly higher prevalence of VH (RR = 2.08, 95% CI: 1.11–3.90 for 2 MH; RR = 6.20, 95% CI: 3.40–11.31 for 3 MH), while those with only one MH had a similar VH prevalence compared to those without MH (RR = 1.08, 95% CI: 0.53–2.21). Women exhibited stronger associations than men. These findings emphasize the importance of quantifying MH subtypes when assessing hallucinations, though their potential utility as predictive markers of disease progression and targets for early intervention requires validation through longitudinal studies.
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issn 2373-8057
language English
publishDate 2025-08-01
publisher Nature Portfolio
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series npj Parkinson's Disease
spelling doaj-art-3e6aa8d64b334057a65a79f5ae5836722025-08-20T03:07:26ZengNature Portfolionpj Parkinson's Disease2373-80572025-08-011111710.1038/s41531-025-01106-9Association of the number of minor hallucinations and well-structured visual hallucinations in Parkinson’s diseaseHaiying Zhang0Yang Zhao1Yi Chen2Yuanyuan Feng3Bo Shen4Shuangshuang Dong5Jun Zhu6Xu Jiang7Dongfeng Li8Yaning Chen9Feng Han10Li Zhang11Department of Geriatric Neurology, Nanjing Brain Hospital Affiliated to Nanjing Medical UniversityDepartment of Geriatric Neurology, Nanjing Brain Hospital Affiliated to Nanjing Medical UniversityDepartment of Geriatric Neurology, Nanjing Brain Hospital Affiliated to Nanjing Medical UniversityDepartment of Geriatric Neurology, Nanjing Brain Hospital Affiliated to Nanjing Medical UniversityDepartment of Geriatric Neurology, Nanjing Brain Hospital Affiliated to Nanjing Medical UniversityDepartment of Geriatric Neurology, Nanjing Brain Hospital Affiliated to Nanjing Medical UniversityDepartment of Geriatric Neurology, Nanjing Brain Hospital Affiliated to Nanjing Medical UniversityDepartment of Geriatric Neurology, Nanjing Brain Hospital Affiliated to Nanjing Medical UniversityDepartment of Geriatric Neurology, Nanjing Brain Hospital Affiliated to Nanjing Medical UniversityDepartment of Geriatric Neurology, Nanjing Brain Hospital Affiliated to Nanjing Medical UniversitySchool of Pharmacy, Nanjing Medical UniversityDepartment of Geriatric Neurology, Nanjing Brain Hospital Affiliated to Nanjing Medical UniversityAbstract Minor hallucinations (MH), comprising three subtypes (presence hallucinations, passage hallucinations, and visual illusions), typically emerge during the early stages of Parkinson’s disease (PD) and precede the onset of well-structured visual hallucinations (VH). Whether the number of MH is associated with VH in PD patients remains unclear. We investigated the association between the number of MH and VH in 372 PD patients. Log-binomial regressions showed that individuals with multiple MH had a significantly higher prevalence of VH (RR = 2.08, 95% CI: 1.11–3.90 for 2 MH; RR = 6.20, 95% CI: 3.40–11.31 for 3 MH), while those with only one MH had a similar VH prevalence compared to those without MH (RR = 1.08, 95% CI: 0.53–2.21). Women exhibited stronger associations than men. These findings emphasize the importance of quantifying MH subtypes when assessing hallucinations, though their potential utility as predictive markers of disease progression and targets for early intervention requires validation through longitudinal studies.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41531-025-01106-9
spellingShingle Haiying Zhang
Yang Zhao
Yi Chen
Yuanyuan Feng
Bo Shen
Shuangshuang Dong
Jun Zhu
Xu Jiang
Dongfeng Li
Yaning Chen
Feng Han
Li Zhang
Association of the number of minor hallucinations and well-structured visual hallucinations in Parkinson’s disease
npj Parkinson's Disease
title Association of the number of minor hallucinations and well-structured visual hallucinations in Parkinson’s disease
title_full Association of the number of minor hallucinations and well-structured visual hallucinations in Parkinson’s disease
title_fullStr Association of the number of minor hallucinations and well-structured visual hallucinations in Parkinson’s disease
title_full_unstemmed Association of the number of minor hallucinations and well-structured visual hallucinations in Parkinson’s disease
title_short Association of the number of minor hallucinations and well-structured visual hallucinations in Parkinson’s disease
title_sort association of the number of minor hallucinations and well structured visual hallucinations in parkinson s disease
url https://doi.org/10.1038/s41531-025-01106-9
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