A new government investigation involved more than 80 victims of Havana Syndrome. Scientists note that their results revealed no signs of traumatic brain injury, but found “real symptoms” of the mysterious disease, which the team called “very profound” and “disabling,” reports the daily email.
The results of the study show that constant dizziness and balance problems were among the real symptoms of the disease – these were observed in 28% of embassy employees and other patients surveyed. However, not the entire scientific community agrees with the results of the new study.
According to a Georgetown neuroscientist who conducted early research into the syndrome for the Pentagon’s Special Operations Command, the new findings “risk creating the false conclusion that there is nothing going on in people’s brains.”
Dr. James Giordano, who teaches neurology at Georgetown University Medical Center in Washington, said the new study’s findings are consistent with his own work he conducted for the U.S. Special Operations Command in 2017-2018. The team then discovered persistent problems in the functions of the human brain, but not in its structure. In fact, the consequences of the “Havana syndrome” were comparable to the consequences of a “mini-stroke”.
Dr. Giordano believes that Havana syndrome is a neurological dysfunction that has multiple consequences, including physiological effects that manifest cognitively, motor, and behaviorally.
The results refute the theory that the symptoms of Havana syndrome victims are explained by ‘mass hysteria’. The neurologist compares the findings to a variety of other long-term brain diseases in which physical signs of damage disappear quickly.
Dr. Giordano notes that some changes may be observed initially during a transient ischemic attack, but these will disappear over time. Cases of “decompression sickness,” he noted, also manifest as mini-strokes or Havana syndrome, causing long-term impairments to brain function that are not accompanied by visible forms of long-term damage.
In the new study, the team performed MRI scans on 81 of 86 State Department employees and their adult family members who reported “abnormal health incidents.” The scientists then compared the MRI results of the study participants with the MRI results of 48 recipients from the control group. The results showed no differences between the MRIs of the study participants and the control group, although the scientists noted that they found the temporary injury described by Dr. could not rule out Giordano.
At the same time, 24 patients with ‘Havana syndrome’ showed verifiable signs of a condition known as ‘persistent postural-perceptual dizziness’. This condition can be caused by inner ear problems or stress, and occurs when the brain networks cannot communicate properly. This is a functional problem that occurs without lasting signs of brain damage.
Co-author of the new study, neuropsychologist Dr. Louis French, describes the condition as a form of ‘maladaptive response’. In simple terms, the scientist compares this condition to what happens in patients who slump to relieve back pain. But even after the pain is eliminated, these people continue to have problems with their posture.
Despite the lack of scarring on MRIs, scientists concluded that victims of Havana syndrome actually have real symptoms and are “going through a difficult time.” The team also emphasizes that the symptoms can be profound, disabling and difficult to treat.
