Neurological Symptoms Among US Diplomats in Cuba

Alleged “sonic attack” supported by poor neuropsychology

“…In the accompanying editorial, Muth and Lewis (2018) justify the publication of a paper reporting observational data difficult to account for by arguing also that when Wernicke and Korsakoff described their cases, little was known about the causes leading to what became the eponymic syndrome. We agree; indeed, we have recently launched in Cortex the possibility of publishing Exploratory Reports (McIntosh, 2017).…”

Challenging the diagnosis of ‘Havana Syndrome’ as a novel clinical entity

“…25 However, MRI scans found ‘nonspecific white matter tract changes in some individuals, but were otherwise unrevealing’. 26 Of 21 patients tested, three had white matter tract changes (two mild, one moderate). Such findings are common in an array of conditions from migraine and depression to normal aging.…”

“…Many of the symptoms overlap with a host of medical and psychiatric conditions, and there were no structural brain changes. 26 Furthermore, the standards for neurological impairment in the study were arbitrarily high – any test score under the 40th percentile of normal responses, which almost certainly gave rise to false positives. 27…”

Chasing ghosts in Cuba: Is mass psychogenic illness masquerading as an acoustical attack?

“…In an accompanying editorial, Muth and Lewis (2018) also urge caution, observing that brain imaging revealed ‘nonspecific white matter changes in some individuals, but was otherwise unrevealing’. As for their main finding of concussion-like symptoms, they are equally skeptical as many of the complaints ‘occur in other medical, neurological, or psychiatric conditions’.…”