- UID
- 20
- Online time
- Hours
- Posts
- Reg time
- 24-8-2017
- Last login
- 1-1-1970
|
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

U.S. embassy workers who experienced unusual sensations while serving in Cuba show differences in their brain tissue, compared with healthy people, a new study finds. In the above brain images, the red and yellow colors indicate areas with higher brain volume, and the blue colors indicate areas of lower brain volume, in U.S. embassy workers compared with healthy people.
Credit: Reproduced with permission from JAMA. 2019. doi:10.1001/jama.2019.9269. Copyright© 2019 American Medical Association. All rights reserved.
▼ More than two years after several dozen U.S. embassy workers in Cubareported experiencing bizarre sensory symptoms, including loud noises and unusual vibrations, exactly what happened to them remains a mystery.
Now, a new study adds to the intrigue.
The study, which used advanced brain-imaging technologies, revealed distinct differences in the brains of embassy workers who were potentially exposed to the bizarre phenomena, compared with healthy people who were not exposed.
In particular, the researchers found differences in a brain areaknown as the cerebellum, which is responsible for coordination of movements, such as those involved in walking and balance, according to the study, published today (July 23) in the journal JAMA.
This finding is notable given that a number of the embassy workers show abnormalities in balance and coordination of eye movements, said study co-author Dr. Randel Swanson, an assistant professor of physical medicine and rehabilitation at the University of Pennsylvania's Perelman School of Medicine. However, the researchers acknowledge that they can’t say exactly what their findings mean or what caused the brain differences. In other words, the study doesn't bring us any closer to understanding the cause of the alleged phenomena.
Still, it appears that "something happened to at least a subset of [these] patients," Swanson told Live Science.
It's possible that the brain differences seen on the images may underlie some of the symptoms documented in the embassy workers, he said.
Mysterious "attack"
In late 2016, some U.S. embassy workers serving in Havana reported hearing sudden, loud noises or feeling vibrations or movement in the air around them, Live Science previously reported. These experiences were followed by a variety of neurological symptoms, including dizziness, balance problems and difficulty with concentration and memory.
Officials initially suspected some type of (▪ ▪ ▪)
► Please, continue reading this news here: Source |
|