Understanding Alice in Wonderland Syndrome By: Maya Chahbi

 Alice in Wonderland Syndrome

Introduction:

Alice in Wonderland Syndrome (AIWS) is a rare disorder that interrupts your brain's ability to

process sensory input.This interruption impacts how you see the size of thing around you

and/or the way you feel or view your body.It can also contort your view of reality.AIWS is

important because it is an early vital indicator of underlying medical issue.AIWS mainly affects

children and adolescents,but it can affect adults who have gone through specific neurological

conditions.



Causes:

Researchers don't know the exact cause of AIWS,but they do know that there are many

disorders and circumstances that causes it.The possible causes include:

● Migraines

● Infections

● Seizures


Symptoms:

There are 2 categories of symptoms that can happen with AIWS:self-perception or visual

perception symptoms.People can also have both of these symptoms,but visual perceptions are

more common.


-Self perception symptoms

Your brain tracks and controls your bodies tasks.This is very important,because it keeps you

safe and healthy.However,it is possible for something to go wrong with that ability,which is

what occurs with self-perspective symptoms of AIWS.This includes:

● Changes on how you view your body

● Derealization

● Feeling of being split in two

-Visual perception symptoms

The most shared symptoms of AIWS impacts visual perception.That means the symptoms

impacts the way you see things around you.This includes:


● Changes in distance

● People looking smaller than they actually are

● Changes in size

Statistics:

There are only about 170 to 180 formal clinical cases yearly and there are about 16.5% to 19%

of migraine sufferers who experience AIWS symptoms at some point in their life.

Awareness:

People should learn about AIWS because awareness prevents dangerous medical misdiagnoses

and prevents severe psychological panic.Patients with AIWS goes through intense

psychological troubles and functional limitations.Advocacy for AIWS is critical because

increasing awareness prevents harmful misdiagnoses and make sure scared patient get the

treatment they need.

Conclusion:

In conclusion,Alice in Wonderland Syndrome (AIWS) is a rare disorder that interrupts your

brain's ability to process sensory input.Research is vital because it reveals the exact brain

mechanisms behind AIWS.


Sources:

● “Alice in Wonderland Syndrome (AIWS): Symptoms & Treatment.” Cleveland

Clinic, 5 Dec. 2022,

my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/24491-alice-in-wonderland-syndrome-a

iws.

● Blom, Jan Dirk. “Alice in Wonderland Syndrome: A Systematic Review.” Neurology:

Clinical Practice, vol. 6, no. 3, June 2016, pp. 259–70. PubMed Central,

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4909520/.

● Moawad, Heidi. “Alice in Wonderland Syndrome.” NeurologyLive, 10 Aug. 2016,

www.neurologylive.com/view/alice-wonderland-syndrome.

● Fitzek, Michael P., et al. “Alice in Wonderland Syndrome (AIWS): Prevalence and

Characteristics in Adults with Migraine.” Journal of Neurology, vol. 271, no. 8, Aug.

2024, pp. 5420–31. PubMed, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/38822148

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