A study of the way people process inner and outer speech is the first tangible evidence of a key theory about schizophrenia’s drivers.

A new study led by psychologists from UNSW Sydney has provided the strongest evidence yet that auditory verbal hallucinations – or hearing voices – in schizophrenia may stem from a disruption in the brain’s ability to recognise its own inner voice.

In a paper published today in the journal Schizophrenia Bulletin, the researchers say the finding could also be an important step towards finding biological indicators that point to the presence of schizophrenia. This is significant as there are currently no blood tests, brain scans, or lab-based biomarkers – signs in the body that can tell us something about our health – that are uniquely characteristic of schizophrenia.