Alice in Wonderland Syndrome (AIWS): When Reality Gets Distorted

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Have you ever looked at an object and felt it suddenly shrink or grow in size? Or sensed that your body was bigger or smaller than it really is? This strange neurological condition is known as Alice in Wonderland Syndrome (AIWS), inspired by Lewis Carrollā€™s famous story.

:small_blue_diamond: What It Is:

AIWS is a rare neuro-visual condition where people experience distortions in perception of size, shape, time, or even sound.

:small_blue_diamond: Common Symptoms:

Micropsia: Objects appear much smaller than they are.

Macropsia: Objects look larger than reality.

Distorted body image ā€” feeling your hands,legs, or head are changing size.

Altered sense of time ā€” minutes feel like hours, or vice versa.

:small_blue_diamond: Possible Causes:

Migraines (most common trigger)

Epilepsy

Infections like Epsteinā€“Barr virus

Brain lesions or trauma

Sometimes occurs in children and fades with age.

:small_blue_diamond: Is It Dangerous?

AIWS itself is not life-threatening, but it can be very unsettling. The episodes usually last for minutes to hours. Doctors often focus on treating the underlying cause, such as migraines or epilepsy.

:small_blue_diamond: Fun Fact:

Some researchers believe Lewis Carroll himself may have experienced these symptoms, which inspired the ā€œAlice in Wonderlandā€ story.

:backhand_index_pointing_right: While rare, AIWS reminds us how fascinating (and fragile) the brainā€™s perception system really is.

Have you ever experienced any unusual perception changes like this?

Alice in wonderland
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New to me and informative and intresting to read such a great topic

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Never heard of something like this

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Thatā€™s a fascinating read! AIWS really highlights how reality isnā€™t as solid as we assume.

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never heard to something like this and its actually informative too.

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Alice in Wonderland Syndrome (AIWS) is a sensory disorder characterized by a distorted somatosensory and/or visual perception. Additionally, distortion of time perception and symptoms of derealization/depersonalization may occur. AIWS is frequently associated with migraine. However, its prevalence, and clinical characteristics remain poorly understood. Here, we investigated the prevalence and features of AIWS in individuals with migraine. We hypothesized AIWS is more frequent in migraine patients with aura than in those without aura.

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Alice in Wonderland Syndrome sounds strange but also fascinating. It shows how our brain can change how we see thingsā€”even our own body. I didnā€™t know migraines could cause this kind of effect. Itā€™s not dangerous, but must feel scary during an episode. The fact that Lewis Carroll might have had it makes the story even more interesting. This reminds me how complex and sensitive our brain really is.

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Interesting post !

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Great topic new to me