Alice in Wonderland syndrome

Alice in Wonderland syndrome
Other namesTodd's syndrome,[1] Lilliputian hallucinations, dysmetropsia
Illustration from Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. Alice is positioned awkwardly with her weight supported partially by her left forearm, which rests on the floor and spans nearly half of the room's length. Her head is ducked beneath the low ceiling and her right arm reaches outside, resting on an open window's sill. The folds of Alice's dress occupy much of the remaining free space in the room.
The perception a person can have due to micropsia, a potential symptom of dysmetropsia. From Lewis Carroll's 1865 novel Alice's Adventures in Wonderland
SpecialtyPsychiatry, neurology
Symptoms
  • Macropsia - Objects are perceived larger than their actual size[2]
  • Micropsia - Objects are perceived smaller than their actual size[2]
  • Pelopsia - Objects are perceived nearer than they actually are[2]
  • Teleopsia - Objects are perceived much further away than they are[2]
  • Metamorphopsia - Altered perception of shape[2]
  • Tachysensia - Altered perception of time[2]
ComplicationsImpaired vision
Usual onsetBefore, during, or after a migraine

Alice in Wonderland syndrome (AIWS), also known as Todd's syndrome or dysmetropsia, is a neurological disorder that distorts perception. People with this syndrome may experience distortions in their visual perception of objects, such as appearing smaller (micropsia) or larger (macropsia), or appearing to be closer (pelopsia) or farther (teleopsia) than they are. Distortion may also occur for senses other than vision.[3]

The cause of Alice in Wonderland syndrome is currently not known, but it has often been associated with migraines, head trauma, or viral encephalitis caused by Epstein–Barr virus infection.[4] It is also theorized that AIWS can be caused by abnormal amounts of electrical activity, resulting in abnormal blood flow in the parts of the brain that process visual perception and texture.[5]

Although there are cases of Alice in Wonderland syndrome in both adolescents and adults, it is most commonly seen in children.[2]

  1. ^ Longmore M, Wilkinson I, Turmezei T, Cheung CK (2007). Oxford Handbook of Clinical Medicine. Oxford. p. 686. ISBN 978-0-19-856837-7.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g Cite error: The named reference Lanska_2018 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ Weissenstein A, Luchter E, Bittmann MA (2014). "Alice in Wonderland syndrome: A rare neurological manifestation with microscopy in a 6-year-old child". Journal of Pediatric Neurosciences. 9 (3): 303–304. doi:10.4103/1817-1745.147612. PMC 4302569. PMID 25624952.
  4. ^ Cinbis M, Aysun S (May 1992). "Alice in Wonderland syndrome as an initial manifestation of Epstein-Barr virus infection". The British Journal of Ophthalmology. 76 (5): 316. doi:10.1136/bjo.76.5.316. PMC 504267. PMID 1390519.
  5. ^ Feldman C (2008). "A Not So Pleasant Fairy Tale: Investigating Alice in Wonderland Syndrome". Serendip. Serendip Studio, Bryn Mawr College. Archived from the original on November 9, 2008. Retrieved 25 November 2011.