Jumping Frenchmen of Maine

Jumping Frenchmen of Maine
SpecialtyMedical genetics

The Jumping Frenchmen of Maine were a group of 19th-century lumberjacks who exhibited a rare disorder of unknown origin.[1] The syndrome entails an exaggerated startle reflex[2] which may be described as an uncontrollable "jump." Individuals with this condition could exhibit sudden movements in all parts of the body. Jumping Frenchmen syndrome shares some symptoms with other startle disorders.

Individuals with this condition were first found in the Moosehead Lake region of Maine,[3] and were first described by George Miller Beard in 1878.

  1. ^ "Jumping Frenchmen of Maine | Genetic and Rare Diseases Information Center (GARD) – an NCATS Program". rarediseases.info.nih.gov. Archived from the original on 2018-04-18. Retrieved 2018-04-17.
  2. ^ Howard R, Ford R (August 1992). "From the jumping Frenchmen of Maine to post-traumatic stress disorder: the startle response in neuropsychiatry". Psychol Med. 22 (3): 695–707. doi:10.1017/S0033291700038137. PMID 1410093. S2CID 38762400.
  3. ^ Stevens H (March 1965). ""Jumping Frenchmen of Maine." Myriachit". Arch. Neurol. 12: 311–4. doi:10.1001/archneur.1965.00460270087011. PMID 14247390.