Neural Glitch Slides
AP Psychology / Intro Psych
NEURAL GLITCHES
Mapping Hallucinations, Delusions, and the Diagnostic Divide
Warm-up: Anatomy Review
10 MINUTES
Temporal Lobe
- Primary Auditory Cortex
- Processing "What" (Object recognition)
- Olfactory (Smell) Processing (Uncus)
Occipital Lobe
- Primary Visual Cortex (V1)
- Edge detection, color, motion
- Mental imagery generation
Demystifying Psychosis
Dr. Tracey Marks: Hallucinations vs. Delusions
Embedded media
"Why does Dr. Marks distinguish between Auditory/Visual and Olfactory/Gustatory/Tactile in terms of diagnosis?"
The Chair Analogy
Recall a time you mistook an object for a person in the dark.
Illusion
Misinterpreting a real physical stimulus.
Hallucination
Perception in the absence of external stimulus.
The Diagnostic Split
Psychiatric Origins
Most Common:
Auditory
Visual
E.g., Schizophrenia, Bipolar Disorder
Medical/Neurological
Red Flags:
Olfactory (Smell)
Tactile (Touch)
Gustatory (Taste)
E.g., Seizures, Migraines, Tumors
Fixed False Beliefs
Persecutory
"They are out to get me." Being followed or watched.
Referential
"The TV is talking to me." Random events have secret personal meaning.
Grandiose
Believing one is famous, a deity, or has superhuman powers.
Somatic
Believing something is physically wrong (e.g., a chip in the head).
Control
"Someone else is moving my limbs." Others control your thoughts/actions.
Delusions persist despite contradictory facts.
Activity: Brain Mapping
01
Map specific hallucinations mentioned in the video to their corresponding brain lobes.
02
Differentiate between clinical causes for specific sensory modalities.
03
Apply the Biopsychosocial Model to explain a complex patient presentation.
The Clinical Choice
If you are a doctor, which patient do you send to a Neurologist first?
Smelling burning rubber
Hearing muffled voices
Hallucination Map Worksheet
The Hallucination Map
Case Study: Neural Glitches & Clinical Diagnosis
Name:
Date:
1
Sensory Cortex Mapping
Using information from the video, label the four lobes of the brain. Then, map the five sensory hallucinations mentioned by Dr. Marks to the specific region responsible for processing that stimulus.
2
Clinical Triage
A patient arrives in the ER. Based on Dr. Marks’ explanation, complete the table to differentiate potential causes.
Case A: Auditory Only
"I hear voices arguing about my choices."
Case B: Olfactory Only
"I smell rotting meat every 3 hours."
Likely Diagnosis Origins:
Likely Diagnosis Origins:
Primary Lobe Involved:
Primary Lobe Involved:
3
Biopsychosocial Analysis
Dr. Marks mentions that causes can be psychiatric (e.g., Schizophrenia) or non-psychiatric (e.g., steroids, marijuana). Use the Biopsychosocial Model to categorize factors that could contribute to a psychotic episode.
Biological
Psychological
Social
Neural Glitch Teacher Guide
Teacher Facilitation Guide
Neural Glitches
AP Psychology / Intro Psych
Unit: Biological Bases of Behavior
Pacing & Flow
10m
Review
Lobes & Sensory Processing
10m
Viewing
Dr. Marks Video + Discussion
20m
Mapping
Brain Diagram Worksheet
5m
Closure
Clinical Application Triage
Video Discussion Guide
1:30
Illusion vs. Hallucination
"Recall the chair analogy."
Teaching Point: Emphasize that illusions require a stimulus (e.g., bottom-up processing error), whereas hallucinations are internally generated (top-down glitch).
2:50
The Diagnostic Red Flag
"Why does smell signal a medical issue?"
Teaching Point: Olfactory hallucinations are closely linked to temporal lobe seizures (auras). Auditory/Visual are "higher level" cortical distortions often tied to dopamine dysregulation (Schizophrenia).
4:30
Control Delusions & Free Will
"The Puppet Metaphor."
Teaching Point: How does it feel to lose agency? This connects to the somatic marker hypothesis and the motor cortex.
Worksheet Answer Key
1. Brain Mapping
- Frontal Lobe: Cognitive Control, Motor function (links to Delusions of Control).
- Parietal Lobe: Somatosensory (links to Tactile hallucinations).
- Temporal Lobe: Auditory Processing, Smell (Olfactory/Gustatory warnings).
- Occipital Lobe: Visual processing (Visual hallucinations).
2. Clinical Triage
Auditory Only:
Likely Psychiatric (Schizophrenia). Higher diagnostic weight for mental illness.
Olfactory Only:
Likely Medical/Neurological (Temporal lobe seizures, tumors, migraines). Require immediate MRI/EEG.
3. Biopsychosocial Factors
| Biological | Psychological | Social/Cultural |
|---|
| Genetic predisposition, Dopamine excess, Seizure activity, Drug toxicity (LSD/Marijuana), Steroids. | Cognitive distortions, high stress, fixed false beliefs (delusions), trauma-related dissociation. | Poverty, high-stress environments, cultural interpretation of "voices" (some cultures view them as ancestors). |
