[Musical pseudo-hallucination in acquired hearing loss]

Abstract

Auditory hallucinations take various forms including the perception of tinnitus, voices, and, rarely, music. While formed hallucinations are usually ascribed to psychiatric illness, we describe a syndrome of musical hallucinations in mentally sane patients, who are hard of hearing or deaf. 26 cases from the literature are supplemented by 6 own observations, including the first description of two cases in a single family. The different modes of emergence, the spectrum of clinical features and their course are outlined. Differential diagnostic, pathogenetic and therapeutic aspects are discussed.