A mind-bending condition long known for its associations with migraines may have another cause: acid use. Sufferers of Alice in Wonderland syndrome, a neurological disorder named in 1955, experience distortions of proportions: The world does not appear as it should be. Instead, it is too small, too close, too big or too far, just as was the case for the main character of the classic novel after eating a very small cake that read "EAT ME:"
"Good-bye feet!" said Alice, for when she looked down at her feet, they seemed to be almost out of sight, they were getting so far off. "Oh my poor little feet, I wonder who will put on your shoes and stockings for you now, dears? I'm sure I shan't be able."
For decades, this rare syndrome has been linked to migraines, but a new case report in the Israel Journal of Psychiatry shows that for one patient, it was brought on by LSD use — with his symptoms continuing for a year after the drug use has stopped.
Although researchers aren't sure what caused the patient to experience the ongoing symptoms, the syndrome is generally caused by a hypersensitivity of the brain. Stanford neurologist Sheena Aurora, MD, explains in a LiveScience article:
This hypersensitivity typically starts in the occipital lobe, the visual region at the back of the brain. However, it can spread to the parietal lobes... which discern sizes and shapes, Aurora said.
Scholars have speculated that Lewis Carroll experienced migraines, which might have inspired Alice's atypical adventures.
Previously: Director of Stanford Headache Clinic answers your questions on migraines and headache disorders, Advice on managing migraines and More attention, funding needed for headache care
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