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MRI brain examinations of 40 patients – 23 men and 17 women – showed variations in brain structure and functional connectivity, which measure relationships between different regions of the brain compared to 48 other adults. The badyzes were carried out between August 2017 and June 2018.
"There were group differences throughout the brain," said author of the study, Ragini Verma, professor of radiology and neurosurgery at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of California. Pennsylvania. "Especially in a region called the cerebellum, which is also involved in the type of clinical symptoms that most of these patients presented, namely balance, eye movements, vertigo, etc."
According to the study, connectivity differences were also observed in auditory and visuospatial areas of the brain. However, the authors note that the clinical significance of these findings is uncertain and that they did not previously have MRIs of patients to compare their brain before the incidents.
Moreover, these models do not correspond to a clear picture of a specific disorder, say the authors.
"This certainly does not look like the imaging presentation of a traumatic brain injury or a concussion, although they present clinical symptoms that resemble a concussion," Verma said.
"It is said that something has happened, and we have to look further, and that's about it."
Dr. Jamshid Ghajar, director of the Stanford Concussion and Brain Performance Center, said it was "remarkable" that researchers found differences between the brains of healthy witnesses and those involved in the Cuban incident, especially because of "differences within the population itself". their symptoms and what kind of complaints they had ".
"I think the jurors do not know what caused them, but these patients complain of symptoms and have had measured deficiencies," said Ghajar, who was not involved in the new document. "So, something is happening and I think more research is needed."
What did they hear?
"The sounds were often badociated with sensory stimuli under pressure or vibratory," according to the study. "The sensory stimuli were compared to the" confusing "air inside a moving car with the windows partially lowered."
One patient reported hearing two 10-second beats, while others said they could hear the sound for more than 30 minutes, the report said.
Can sound really cause brain damage?
According to the previous study, it is unlikely that the noise itself directly caused the symptoms, which indicates that an audible sound "is not known to cause persistent damage to the central nervous system".
"In reality, we do not think the problem was the audible sound," Douglas Smith, author of both studies and director of the Center for Brain Injury and Brain Injury at the University of Pennsylvania, told CNN earlier. "We think the audible sound was a consequence of the exposure."
"I do not know of any acoustic effects that could produce concussion-like symptoms, and my research suggests that powerful effects on humans require sound levels that would be perceived as a loud noise when exposed," Jürgen Altmann, professor of physics at the Technischen Universität Dortmund in Berlin, has already told CNN.
Similarly, federal and state department investigators stated that they were not able to determine the source or cause of the conditions in Havana, indicating only that they " were most likely related to non-natural trauma ".
What were the symptoms?
"If you took one of these patients and put them in a head injury clinic without knowing their history, you might think that they suffered a head injury as a result of an accident." of car or explosion in the army ", Dr. Randel Swanson, another author of both studies and specialist in brain injury rehabilitation at the University of Pennsylvania, had already written in the medical journal JAMA.
Swanson and his colleagues looked at the patients and found a variety of symptoms, including acute ear pain, headache, buzzing in the ear, dizziness, disorientation, attention problems, and suggestive signs. 39, mild traumatic brain injury or concussion.
In addition, a majority of patients reported problems with memory, concentration, balance, vision, hearing, sleep or headache lasting longer than three months.
"It's like a concussion without a concussion," wrote Swanson.
Many said they felt "mentally scrambled" or "slowed down" for months, the authors said. Some have reported irritability and nervousness, two criteria satisfactory for post-traumatic stress disorder. Poor professional performance was also observed.
Three people eventually needed hearing aids for moderate to severe hearing loss, and others had tinnitus or pressure in their ears. More than half needed medication to sleep or to cope with headaches. Many have been unable to return to work, at least for a while.
Doctors have noted that some of the symptoms of patients are not usually observed during a concussion, such as pain and ringing in one ear. In addition, although concussion patients often recover quickly and completely, they have experienced symptoms for months.
Doctors remain puzzled, as Cuban authorities have vigorously denied the origin of targeted attacks on diplomats in Havana and claimed that their symptoms could have been caused by other factors.
Officials have reviewed similar cases in China. The US State Department has issued a health alert following a series of alleged acoustic incidents that have caused members of the diplomatic staff injuries similar to those of Cuba.
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