Hearing voices while listening: The behavioural and neural correlates of external speech processing deficits associated with auditory verbal hallucinations

Auditory verbal hallucination (i.e., voice-hearing) describes the perception of voices in the absence of external auditory input. Although deviant neurocognitive functions related to external speech processing are purported to underlie voice-hearing, a precise understanding of this relationship and associated clinical implications has yet been achieved. Examining such behavioural and neural impairments in individuals with schizophrenia, thesis findings suggest that those with a voice-hearing history show exacerbated challenges while listening to complex speech, alongside deviant cortical function within key attentional and language processing regions. Novel evidence of the neurophysiological relationship between voice-hearing and external speech processing is provided, alongside pathways for improved clinical management of these challenges.