PHOTO ESSAY: 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 the crucial moments of 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 convulsions – and eventually a…