Jul 25, 2019 02:34 AM
https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fu...erm=072319
Bottom Line: Imaging shows differences in the brains of U.S. government personnel who were potentially exposed to unusual audible and sensory phenomena (sound, pressure or vibration) while serving in Cuba when compared with brain images from a group of healthy individuals without such exposure, although the clinical importance of these brain differences is uncertain.
A preliminary report published by JAMA in 2018 described neurological signs and symptoms experienced by some of these government workers. In this study, advanced magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the brain was done for 40 workers and 48 healthy individuals who were demographically similar for comparison to analyze three components (brain volume, microstructural tissue measures, and functional connectivity). Study authors report differences in whole brain white matter volume, regional gray and white matter volumes, cerebellar tissue microstructural integrity, and functional connectivity in the auditory and visuospatial subnetworks of the brain but not in the executive control subnetwork.
There also were no significant differences in total whole brain gray matter volume. The findings suggest there may be differences in brain structure in several brain regions and in some functional brain networks. The current study has several limitations including that it cannot determine if the differences among patients are because of individual differences or differences in the level and degree of exposure to the reported sound, pressure or vibrations.
Diplomats’ brain scans show differences, add to Cuba mystery
https://www.apnews.com/943e3c5e2a544486aa7e8555647635ad
EXCERPT: Havana syndrome. Between late 2016 and May 2018, several U.S. and Canadian diplomats in Havana complained of health problems from an unknown cause. One U.S. government count put the number of American personnel affected at 26. Some reported hearing high-pitched sounds similar to crickets while at home or staying in hotels, leading to an early theory of a sonic attack. The Associated Press has reported that an interim FBI report found no evidence that sound waves could have caused the damage.
[...] Advanced brain scans found perplexing differences in U.S. diplomats who say they developed concussion-like symptoms after working in Cuba, a finding that only heightens the mystery of what may have happened to them, a new study says. Extensive imaging tests showed the workers had less white matter than a comparison group of healthy people and other structural differences, researchers said.
While they had expected the cerebellum, near the brain stem, to be affected given the workers’ reported symptoms — balance problems, sleep and thinking difficulties, headaches and other complaints — they found unique patterns in tissue connecting brain regions. Ragini Verma, a University of Pennsylvania brain imaging specialist and the lead author, said the patterns were unlike anything she’s seen from brain diseases or injuries.
“It is pretty strange. It’s a true medical mystery,” Verma said. Co-author Dr. Randel Swanson, a Penn specialist in brain injury rehabilitation, said “there’s no question that something happened,” but imaging tests can’t determine what it was. An outside expert, University of Edinburgh neurologist Jon Stone, said the study doesn’t confirm that any brain injury occurred nor that the brain differences resulted from the strange experiences the diplomats said happened in Cuba.
Cuba has denied any kind of attack, which has strained relations with the United States. “The article published today doesn’t change the situation,” said Johana Tablada, Cuba’s deputy head of U.S. affairs. “The article recognizes that the changes detected are minimal, that their conclusions are uncertain and that they can’t identify the cause.”
The results were published Tuesday in the Journal of the American Medical Association. A journal editorial says the study may improve understanding of the reported symptoms, but that the relevance of the brain differences is uncertain.
In a statement, the U.S. State Department said it “is aware of the study and welcomes the medical community’s discussion on this incredibly complex issue. The Department’s top priority remains the safety, security, and well-being of its staff.” (MORE)
Bottom Line: Imaging shows differences in the brains of U.S. government personnel who were potentially exposed to unusual audible and sensory phenomena (sound, pressure or vibration) while serving in Cuba when compared with brain images from a group of healthy individuals without such exposure, although the clinical importance of these brain differences is uncertain.
A preliminary report published by JAMA in 2018 described neurological signs and symptoms experienced by some of these government workers. In this study, advanced magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the brain was done for 40 workers and 48 healthy individuals who were demographically similar for comparison to analyze three components (brain volume, microstructural tissue measures, and functional connectivity). Study authors report differences in whole brain white matter volume, regional gray and white matter volumes, cerebellar tissue microstructural integrity, and functional connectivity in the auditory and visuospatial subnetworks of the brain but not in the executive control subnetwork.
There also were no significant differences in total whole brain gray matter volume. The findings suggest there may be differences in brain structure in several brain regions and in some functional brain networks. The current study has several limitations including that it cannot determine if the differences among patients are because of individual differences or differences in the level and degree of exposure to the reported sound, pressure or vibrations.
Diplomats’ brain scans show differences, add to Cuba mystery
https://www.apnews.com/943e3c5e2a544486aa7e8555647635ad
EXCERPT: Havana syndrome. Between late 2016 and May 2018, several U.S. and Canadian diplomats in Havana complained of health problems from an unknown cause. One U.S. government count put the number of American personnel affected at 26. Some reported hearing high-pitched sounds similar to crickets while at home or staying in hotels, leading to an early theory of a sonic attack. The Associated Press has reported that an interim FBI report found no evidence that sound waves could have caused the damage.
[...] Advanced brain scans found perplexing differences in U.S. diplomats who say they developed concussion-like symptoms after working in Cuba, a finding that only heightens the mystery of what may have happened to them, a new study says. Extensive imaging tests showed the workers had less white matter than a comparison group of healthy people and other structural differences, researchers said.
While they had expected the cerebellum, near the brain stem, to be affected given the workers’ reported symptoms — balance problems, sleep and thinking difficulties, headaches and other complaints — they found unique patterns in tissue connecting brain regions. Ragini Verma, a University of Pennsylvania brain imaging specialist and the lead author, said the patterns were unlike anything she’s seen from brain diseases or injuries.
“It is pretty strange. It’s a true medical mystery,” Verma said. Co-author Dr. Randel Swanson, a Penn specialist in brain injury rehabilitation, said “there’s no question that something happened,” but imaging tests can’t determine what it was. An outside expert, University of Edinburgh neurologist Jon Stone, said the study doesn’t confirm that any brain injury occurred nor that the brain differences resulted from the strange experiences the diplomats said happened in Cuba.
Cuba has denied any kind of attack, which has strained relations with the United States. “The article published today doesn’t change the situation,” said Johana Tablada, Cuba’s deputy head of U.S. affairs. “The article recognizes that the changes detected are minimal, that their conclusions are uncertain and that they can’t identify the cause.”
The results were published Tuesday in the Journal of the American Medical Association. A journal editorial says the study may improve understanding of the reported symptoms, but that the relevance of the brain differences is uncertain.
In a statement, the U.S. State Department said it “is aware of the study and welcomes the medical community’s discussion on this incredibly complex issue. The Department’s top priority remains the safety, security, and well-being of its staff.” (MORE)