In late 2016 , U.S. and Canadian diplomats at their embassy in Havana , Cubabegan coming downwith unexplained symptom , include nausea , headaches , and hearing exit . Some also claimed to have hear orphic sounds just prior to their symptoms , fueling a theory by some U.S. officials and the media that a “ sonic weapon ” aimed at the diplomats could have been to fault . Yet no concrete grounds of any potential physical cause for their symptoms has emerged , let alone a transonic ormicrowaveweapon .
Today , research worker at the University of Pennsylvania say they ’ve institute signs of brainiac differences in many of the impress diplomat they ’ve examined . They ’ve even last as far as to speculate these differences could mean the diplomat were injured in a manner never insure before . But other scientists are profoundly sceptical of the team ’s interpretations of their research , and argue they have n’t bump anything meaningful .
The University of Pennsylvania team was task by the U.S. government back in 2016 to examine and skim the brains of diplomat and their house penis who said they had been smite by what ’s often referred to as “ Havana syndrome . ” Last year , they release the preliminary results of their work — involving 21 patient role — in the daybook JAMA . Their new sketch , alsopublishedin JAMA , now include 40 affected hoi polloi . These patients were compared to a group of 48 healthy patient , matched up by geezerhood and other characteristic .
Photo: Olivier Douliery (Getty Images)
The authors said they used forward-looking brain - imaging techniques on both groups . Compared to the control group on mediocre , they found the Havana patients had clear-cut difference of opinion in wit volume in sure region of the brain , most notably the cerebellum , which helps ordinate our voluntary motor control , like walk and reconciliation . There was also grounds of impaired connectivity between neuron in subnetworks of the brain relate to vision and earreach .
https://gizmodo.com/what-the-hell-is-a-covert-sonic-gadget-and-why-is-it-de-1797720057
concord to the generator , the findings could explicate some of the diplomats ’ symptom , such as their want of balance and trouble with vision . And because their brain do n’t count like the brains of people affected by known conditions like traumatic brain injury or concussion , they contribute , something unparalleled might have happened to them .
“ These findings may represent something not seen before , ” enjoin study co - source Douglas H. Smith , a neurosurgeon and director of UPenn ’s Center for Brain Injury and Repair , in areleasefrom the university .
But outside expert Gizmodo spoke to vehemently dissent .
“ The study confirms there is no grounds of traumatic brain injury , ” R. Douglas Fields , a neuroscientist who hasindependently investigatedthe case ( admit traveling to Cuba himself and talking to fellow neurologists there ) , tell Gizmodo by phone .
One major problem with the team ’s inquiry , Fields said , is that the examination used on the patients , while important for research , are not meant to discover disease .
“ These are not medical tomography methods — they’re not diagnostic , ” he noted . “ They do n’t show pathology . ”
For example , doctor might typically look for lesion on a stock CT scan to diagnose nous disease or injury , but the investigator in the current report did n’t find that . The tests they rely on , such as in advance diffusion MRI , rather look for microscopical changes in the construction or volume of the brainiac . But we do n’t acknowledge whether these changes are in reality harmful , or responsible for the patient ’ symptom . And these test are n’t design for that purpose . They ’re often used to comfortably understand the brains of people already diagnose with diseases like dementia praecox .
significantly , and as the authors admit in the study , the “ clinical grandness of these differences ” in the head is unsure . And though there might be small differences in the Einstein of Havana patient role compared to the general universe , there could be many reasons for these conflict .
Even calling what they have a “ syndrome ” is misleading , Fields said , because syndrome are mean to be a checklist of shared symptoms and signs often seen together ( even if their drive is unclear , as is the case with inveterate fatigue duty syndrome ) . Yet the Havana patients have reported a panoptic range and severity of symptoms , many of which are seen in some but not others . And a lot of these symptom , like trouble log Z’s , can be explained by many other things .
The transonic weapon theory has receive its percentage of debunking elsewhere . This January , researchersreportedtheir finding looking into the purport recording of damaging phone learn by one of the patients that was release by the AP in 2017 . They made a convincing case that it was nothing more than the vivid but very normal chirping of crickets commonly found on the island .
To be clear , Fields and other skeptics are n’t claim that the Havana patients are making up their illness . For some , there may very well be a shared , quotidian physical cause . Twelve of the patient role contemplate by the UPenn squad , for instance , had a history of anterior concussion , which could maybe explain some the great unwashed ’s brain readings and dawdle symptom . Some Havana patient role were also take out by the team for a account of wicked mind combat injury . But even if they were n’t included in the study , those injuries could apparently still be a contributing factor for their experience . For the residual , it could be a hodgepodge of other ailments , none of which take the invention of a transonic artillery that might not even be theoretically possible .
And some say the symptom could be a physical demonstration of stress and anxiety that spread among the great unwashed clearly worry at seeing their friends and families becoming sick — a condition usually experience as conversion disorder . The diagnosis is itself often controversial , since no one care to be told their symptoms could be a product of their mind . But there ’s nothing inherently shocking about the upset , nor are people ’s symptoms any less “ real . ”
“ I extremely respect the undesirable berth the diplomats see themselves [ in ] . They plain suffered , their complaints should be considered very gravely , and perchance treated , ” Sergio Della Sala , a professor of cognitive clinical neurology at the University of Edinburgh in the UK , told Gizmodo via electronic mail . “ This is … different from claiming the discovery of a unexampled syndrome , let alone triggered by yet to - be - demonstrated nasty sounds . ”
Fields does n’t discount the possibility that something else might sour up that could prove these case are due to something more sinful . But he disaccord with the rearing theorizing by certain members of the media , scientist , and the U.S. authorities in studying and reporting these cases . Government functionary even pulled diplomat from China in 2017 and 2018,claimingthey had have something “ very similar ” to the Havana cases .
“ The job with this floor all along is in separating speculation from fact . As a scientist you have to calculate for and comment on the fact . And the fact provide no evidence that there was an injury of any kind ; that there was an plan of attack or weapon system . So far , there ’s nothing to indicate any such thing , ” Fields say .
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