This book describes Alice In Wonderland Syndrome, Diagnosis and Treatment and Related Diseases
Alice in Wonderland syndrome (AIWS) is featured by perceptual distortions rather than hallucinations or illusions and therefore needs to be differentiated from schizophrenia spectrum and other psychotic disorders
In the book Alice in Wonderland, the way Alice perceives the world changes again and again after she falls down a rabbit hole.
What Alice experienced is real for some people.
For them, there are times when the world does not look like it should:
1. Colors change.
2. Straight lines turn wavy.
3. Objects move.
4. Time may even seem to shift.
Causes
Doctors are not sure why some people have these abnormal alterations in perception.
But it often begins when children are very young.
AIWS affects changes to parts of the brain that deal with sensory data (what the patient see and hear).
These alterations affect the perception of the own body and its relation to the world around the patient.
Doctors believe AIWS might be a form of migraine aura.
Auras are visual and other sensory disorders some people get before or during a headache.
They can produce symptoms like flashing lights, shimmering spots, ringing in the ears, or a tingling in the hands.
AIWS often happens before, during, or after a migraine.
But it also can happen with these other disorders:
1. Epilepsy
2. Infections such as with the Epstein-Barr virus
3. Stroke
4. Depression or schizophrenia
It also can happen following the administration of medicines like cough syrup, allergy medicines, and the anti-seizure drug topiramate
Symptoms:
Strange things happen when the patient has an episode of AIWS:
1. The body parts or things around the patient may look bigger, smaller, closer, or farther away than they really are.
2. Straight lines may look wavy.
3. Things that are still may seem to move.
4. Three-dimensional objects may look flat.
5. Things may change colors or tilt to the side.
6. Faces may look distorted.
7. Colors may look extra bright.
8. People and objects may look stretched out.
Diagnosis
If the patient thinks the patient may have AIWS, the patient may be referred to a neurologist.
He or she will ask about the symptoms and the history of migraines.
He or she also may suggest some of these tests:
Blood tests
A sample of the blood is taken from a vein, normally in the arm, to find out if the patient has the Epstein-Barr virus or another virus that causes AIWS.
Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)
This scan uses powerful magnets and radio waves to make detailed images of the brain.
Electroencephalogram (EEG)
An EEG can measure the electrical activity of the brain
The doctor may be able to make a diagnosis by excluding other possible causes or explanations for the symptoms.
The doctor can exclude or diagnose viruses or infections that could be causing AIWS symptoms, such as EBV.
Treatment
There is no specific treatment for AIWS.
If the patient or the child has symptoms, the best way to treat them is for the patient to rest and wait for them to pass.
It is also important to reassure the patient or the family that the symptoms are not harmful.
If the patient has migraines, treating them may prevent future episodes.
Similarly, treating an infection could help stop the symptoms.
If the patient and the doctor believe that stress has a role, the patient may find that relaxation can help reduce symptoms.
The patient can also try medicines like:
1....