Brain on Fire

Hey bloggers!

I watched this movie the other day called Brain on Fire. It is based on the book, and true story of Susannah Cahalan. 

 Susannah Cahalan was leading a normal, healthy life. She worked at her dream job at the young age of 21. Almost suddenly, she began feeling unusual headaches (h/a) that were interrupting her daily routines, social life, and even her job. It wasn’t until after she had her first seizure that she went to the doctor to see what could possibly be going on. 

 She experienced h/a, irritability, delusions, hallucinations, inappropriate outbursts, lethargy, etc. She felt trapped in her own body, mind, and time itself. Susannah continued to try and get through her everyday routines and activities, but her symptoms continued to get worse. During her first check up, everything was found to be normal. They used an MRI to rule out CVA and blood clots, and the results came back clear/normal. During the second check up, an EEG was done, and these results came back normal as well.

After many tests, and no answers the doctors were beginning to think the problem was mental. They believed she was psychotic, and that she may be suffering from schizophrenia, or even bipolar disorder. Susannah was very close to being sent to a mental facility, but one doctor finally chose to test Susannah in an interesting way. Dr. Najjar asked Susannah to draw a clock. She drew the clock with all numbers 1-12 on the right side; completely neglecting the left side. This lead him to believe that the damage to Susannah’s brain was to the right hemisphere, and that it might be impaired or inflamed. The doctors then performed a brain biopsy to confirm the diagnosis. Results came back conclusive for the NMDA receptor antibodies. 

Dr. Najjar diagnosed Susannah with Anti-NMDA Receptor Encephalitis. Her body was literally attacking her brain. This affected her job as a journalist. She had to learn everything again from scratch. How to walk again; how to talk again; how to write; even how to exist.  

After watching and reading about Susannah’s story, I learned about a rare disease called Anti-NMDA Receptor Encephalitis, which I believe to be a form of acquired brain injury [encephalitis (infection) --> nTBI --> ABI]. This disease occurs when antibodies produced by the body’s own immune system attack NMDA (glutamate) receptors in the brain; so there is an increased amount of the neurotransmitter, glutamate, in the brain. NMDA receptors are proteins that control electrical impulses in the brain. Their functions are critical for judgement, perception of reality, human interaction, the formation and retrieval of memory, and the control of unconscious activities (such as breathing, swallowing, etc.), also known as autonomic functions. 

I found her story interesting because the diagnosis is rare, and almost always goes misdiagnosed. It just shows how complex the brain really is. 
I definitely reccommend watching this movie and/or reading this book. Not only is it beneficial information that can aid in your learning, but it is also interesting. 

Thank you, and always stay natural,
natural OT
Other info
Name: Susannah Cahalan
Book/movie: Brain on Fire

Reference List

 Cahalan, S. (2018). Brain on fire: My month of madness. New York: 
Simon & Schuster.

 What is Anti-NMDA Receptor Encephalitis? (In English, French, 
Spanish & Italian). 
(n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.antinmdafoundation.org/the-illness/what-is-anti-nmda-receptor-encephalitis/

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