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Rare neurological disorder leaves man with distorted, 'demonic' face | US News

When Victor Xara woke up one day in November 2020, he feared he was in some kind of “devil's world.”

When he looked at people's faces, they looked “demonic” with ears, noses, and mouths stretched back and deep grooves on the forehead, cheeks, and chin.

“You can't imagine how scary that was,” said the 59-year-old from Clarksville, Tennessee.

What he was actually seeing were distortions caused by an incredibly rare neurological disease known as prochromatism (PMO).

What was even more unusual in Shara's case was that when he looked at his cell phone or computer screen, a normal human face appeared.

This gave scientists an interesting opportunity to put Shara at the center of an interesting new study – the results of which were recently published in the respected medical journal The Lancet.

For the first time, researchers have successfully reproduced these unusual PMO distortions in photographic form.

image:
Photo: Antonio Melo/Lancet.

“Patients reported that there was no distortion when viewing images of their faces on a screen or on paper, so we asked patients to compare their real faces with photos of their faces taken in the same room and under the same lighting conditions. “We asked them to do so,” the authors said in their paper. report.

“By alternating between looking at an in-person face that was perceived as distorted and a photo on a computer screen that was perceived as undistorted, he provided real-time feedback on perceived differences.

“We then used image editing software to modify each photo until it matched his real-life perception.”

What is PMO?

There are reportedly fewer than 100 published case reports of PMO, and scientists do not fully understand what triggers it.

However, they suspect that the cause may be a dysfunction in the brain networks that handle face processing.

Distortions vary on a case-by-case basis, with some people reporting seeing droopy or lopsided eyes, while others report seeing “witch-like” features.

Interestingly, unlike those who experience hallucinations due to mental disorders, people with PMO are aware that what they see is distorted or that there is something wrong with their vision. .

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According to Sky News' US partner NBC, researchers have suggested two possible triggers in Shara's case.

The first is that I had carbon monoxide poisoning 4 months before my PMO symptoms started.

Second, he suffered a serious head injury 15 years ago when he hit his head on concrete, and an MRI scan revealed a lesion on the left side of his brain.

According to research, Shara also has a history of bipolar affective disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder.

Victor Sharrah had observed the distortions caused by an incredibly rare neurological disease known as prochromatism (PMO). This is a depiction of what he was seeing. Photo: Antonio Melo/Lancet.
image:
Photo: Antonio Melo/Lancet.

Victor Sharrah had observed the distortions caused by an incredibly rare neurological disease known as prochromatism (PMO). This is a depiction of what he was seeing. Photo: Antonio Melo/Lancet.
image:
Photo: Antonio Melo/Lancet.

PMO symptoms often resolve within days or weeks, but they can last for years, and Shara said she still sees demonic faces.

“I almost had to be put in a facility.”

He has found ways to cope with his symptoms, including living with his roommate and her two children. That's helpful, he says, because he's used to having people around, so seeing new faces in public doesn't scare him as much.

He also notices that green light reduces his symptoms, so he sometimes wears glasses with green lenses when he's in crowds, according to NBC.

Shara wants others to know that this condition can be managed.

“I came close to being institutionalized,” he added.

According to the study's lead author, Antonio Mello, a doctoral student in Dartmouth's Social Cognition Institute, many doctors do not recognize PMO and instead misdiagnose people with mental health disorders. It is said that there is a possibility.

As a result, some PMO patients are prescribed drugs to treat schizophrenia and psychosis, but these drugs are not appropriate for their symptoms, he added.

Summarize this content to 100 words

When Victor Xara woke up one day in November 2020, he feared he was in some kind of “devil's world.”When he looked at people's faces, they looked “demonic” with ears, noses, and mouths stretched back and deep grooves on the forehead, cheeks, and chin.
“You can't imagine how scary that was,” said the 59-year-old from Clarksville, Tennessee.What he was actually seeing were distortions caused by an incredibly rare neurological disease known as prochromatism (PMO).What was even more unusual in Shara's case was that when he looked at his cell phone or computer screen, a normal human face appeared.
This gave scientists an interesting opportunity to put Shara at the center of an interesting new study – the results of which were recently published in the respected medical journal The Lancet.For the first time, researchers have successfully reproduced these unusual PMO distortions in photographic form.

image:
Photo: Antonio Melo/Lancet.

“Patients reported that there was no distortion when viewing images of their faces on a screen or on paper, so we asked patients to compare their real faces with photos of their faces taken in the same room and under the same lighting conditions. “We asked them to do so,” the authors said in their paper. report.”By alternating between looking at an in-person face that was perceived as distorted and a photo on a computer screen that was perceived as undistorted, he provided real-time feedback on perceived differences.
“We then used image editing software to modify each photo until it matched his real-life perception.”What is PMO?There are reportedly fewer than 100 published case reports of PMO, and scientists do not fully understand what triggers it.However, they suspect that the cause may be a dysfunction in the brain networks that handle face processing.Distortions vary on a case-by-case basis, with some people reporting seeing droopy or lopsided eyes, while others report seeing “witch-like” features.Interestingly, unlike those who experience hallucinations due to mental disorders, people with PMO are aware that what they see is distorted or that there is something wrong with their vision. .Read more from Sky News:US calls for 'immediate ceasefire' in GazaUS Department of Justice sues AppleAccording to Sky News' US partner NBC, researchers have suggested two possible triggers in Shara's case.The first is that I had carbon monoxide poisoning 4 months before my PMO symptoms started.Second, he suffered a serious head injury 15 years ago when he hit his head on concrete, and an MRI scan revealed a lesion on the left side of his brain.According to research, Shara also has a history of bipolar affective disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder.

image:
Photo: Antonio Melo/Lancet.

image:
Photo: Antonio Melo/Lancet.

PMO symptoms often resolve within days or weeks, but they can last for years, and Shara said she still sees demonic faces.“I almost had to be put in a facility.”He has found ways to cope with his symptoms, including living with his roommate and her two children. That's helpful, he says, because he's used to having people around, so seeing new faces in public doesn't scare him as much.He also notices that green light reduces his symptoms, so he sometimes wears glasses with green lenses when he's in crowds, according to NBC.Shara wants others to know that this condition can be managed.”I came close to being institutionalized,” he added.

According to the study's lead author, Antonio Mello, a doctoral student in Dartmouth's Social Cognition Institute, many doctors do not recognize PMO and instead misdiagnose people with mental health disorders. It is said that there is a possibility.As a result, some PMO patients are prescribed drugs to treat schizophrenia and psychosis, but these drugs are not appropriate for their symptoms, he added.

https://news.sky.com/story/man-sees-distorted-demon-like-faces-because-of-rare-neurological-disorder-13099681 Rare neurological disorder leaves man with distorted, 'demonic' face | US News

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