What is Alice in Wonderland Syndrome?
Written by Aanya Deshpande
The Alice in Wonderland Syndrome (AIWS) may have a harmless, imaginative name, but it is much more than that. AIWS is a rare condition that affects the brain’s perception and causes the brain to process sensory input ineffectively. This disruption can affect how a person’s body looks or feels, the size of surroundings, and depth perception. It can also cause people to distort reality. Most AIWS cases affect people under 18 years old, or people with existing brain conditions. Some research also indicates that 30% of teenagers experience an AIWS episode. This condition is rare because from 1955 to 2016, less than 200 cases have lasted long enough to require medical attention.
Scientists and medical professionals do not know exactly why AIWS occurs, but some potential causes include migraines, infections, strokes, schizophrenia, drug abuse, degenerative brain diseases, and medications. The infections usually include type A or H1N1 influenza, Lyme Disease, or scarlet fever. Strokes also disrupt blood flow to the brain that controls perception. AIWS can be a side effect of drug abuse with hallucinogens such as LSD, or inhalants such as topiramate. A brain disorder that potentially causes AIWS is the Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, but this is an extremely rare condition. Medications, such as dextromethorphan and montelukast, also cause AIWS.
Symptoms of AIWS can be broken down into two categories; visual perception and self-perception. Many also have both symptoms, but visual perception is more common. AIWS can affect visual perception by disturbing brain function for processing how one sees surroundings. These symptoms make up about 75% of cases. AIWS can also disruptions in self-perception. People with AIWS might have trouble perceiving the size of their body or body parts, and how their body feels. Self-perception symptoms can affect how a person sees reality, their ability to connect with their emotions, and the passage of time. This makes up about 9% of cases. Visual perception symptoms consist of macropsia, micropsia, pelopsia, teleopsia, and lilliputianism. Self-perception symptoms consist of partial macrosomatognosia, partial microsomatognosia, derealization, depersonalization, somatopsychic duality, and disruption in the sense of time.
AIWS is diagnosed using imaging tests, a spinal tap, and electroencephalograms (EEGs). Imaging tests consist of CT and MRI scans to detect changes in brain structures. A spinal tap is when a thin layer of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) is coated around the brain and the spinal cord, which can help detect signs of infection. EEGs analyze electric activity in the brain, including seizures and epileptic shocks. Management includes treating AIWS from the root, but every case of AIWS is different. Experts state it is best to go to a medical professional to diagnose AIWS and search for treatment plans.
References
https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/24491-alice-in-wonderland-syndrome-aiws
Written by Aanya Deshpande from MEDILOQUY