Encephalitis Lethargica: The Mind and Brain Virus

By: Foley, Paul Bernard

Encephalitis lethargica ('sleeping sickness') was a mysterious disorder that swept the world in the decade following the First World War, before disappearing without its cause having been identified. About 85% of its victims, predominantly children, adolescents and younger adults, survived the acute disorder, but most developed severe neurological syndromes, particularly severe post-encephalitic parkinsonism and other severe motor abnormalities, or mental problems that incapacitated them for the remainder of their lives.

Despite its brief history, encephalitis lethargica played a major role in a variety medical discussions between the two World Wars, as this epitome of neuropsychiatric disease - attacking both motor and mental functions - appeared just as the separation of neurology and psychiatry had reached a critical point. People with encephalitis lethargica experienced an unprecedented combination of neurologic and psychiatric symptoms that not only underscored the unity of mind and movement in the CNS central nervous system, but also illuminated the critical role played by subcortical structures in consciousness and other higher mental functions. Encephalitis lethargica exerted a greater influence on clinical and theoretic neuroscientific thought between the two World Wars than any other single disorder and had an enduring impact on neurology and psychiatry.

The new edition, more concise and readable, incorporates the latest findings on encephalitis lethargica and discusses the potential relationship between the pathophysiology and prognosis of chronic encephalitis lethargica and post-COVID-19 condition. This book is of interest to clinicians and researchers in the fields of neuroscience, neurology, psychiatry, and psychology, as well as any who are interested in the history of the biomedical sciences.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 303242416X
• ISBN13: 9783032424167
• Release Date: February 2027
• Publisher: Springer