A ‘year of unraveling’ when a man’s immune system hijacked his brain
Sometimes the immune system goes wild and attacks the organ that makes us “us”: the brain. It’s called autoimmune encephalitis, but one Californian called it “his year of unraveling.”
Christy Morrill went for a bike ride with friends, stopping for lunch — and no one noticed anything unusual until Morrill’s wife asked her how the outing went. He had forgotten. And his condition would get worse before it got better.
Of all the ways autoimmune diseases can damage the body instead of protecting it, brain hijacking is one of the strangest. Apparently healthy people can suddenly experience confusion, memory loss, seizures, and even psychosis. Doctors are getting better and better at diagnosing it, thanks to the discovery of a growing list of unwanted antibodies responsible.
With early diagnosis and treatment, some people can make a full recovery. But it’s always tricky. And five years after that first symptom, Morrill has returned to normal daily functioning, but he’s grappling with lost decades of “autobiographical” memories.
This 72-year-old literature student can still state facts and figures learned long ago. He creates new memories every day. But even family photos can’t help him remember crucial moments in his own life.
“I remember that Ulysses was published in Paris in 1922 by Sylvia Beach. Why do I remember this, which is no longer of any use to me, and yet I no longer remember my son’s wedding?” Morrill asks.
Autoimmune encephalitis is an umbrella term that covers a group of inflammatory brain diseases with complex names based on the unwanted antibodies that fuel them.
Morrill’s neurologist sent him for specialized tests, trying to get to the bottom of a truly unusual type of memory problem. Meanwhile, Morrill’s wife, Karen, thought she detected subtle seizures — and one of them ultimately occurred in front of another doctor, helping to trigger a lumbar puncture and diagnosis.
Morrill suffered from what’s called LGI1 antibody encephalitis, a type more common in men over 50. He began treatments including high-dose steroids to ease brain inflammation and an anti-seizure medication.
He used haiku to make sense of the incomprehensible, writing that he was “disturbed” and “struggling to see the light” as illusions took hold and holes in his memory widened. After months of treatment, he finally felt improvement, wondering if the “drugs going through me” were really “putting out the fire.” Rays of hope? »
Ultimately, this haiku ended on a positive note: “I can maintain hope. »
Today, Morrill still mourns the lost memories of family celebrations and travels, but he is focused on creating new memories with his family and starting to enjoy the outdoors again.
“I’m coming back to a real time of fun and joy,” Morrill said. “I wasn’t aiming for that. I just wanted to be alive.”
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The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Department of Science Education and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content.
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This is a documentary photo essay curated by AP Photo Editors.
