Charcot-Wilbrand Syndrome

Charcot-Wilbrand Syndrome

Charcot–Wilbrand syndrome (CWS) describes dream loss following focal brain damage specifically characterized by visual agnosia and loss of ability to mentally recall or "revisualize" images. The name of this condition dates back to the case study work of Jean-Martin Charcot and Hermann Wilbrand, and was first described by Otto Potzl as “mind blindness with disturbance of optic imagination”. MacDonald Critchley, former president of the World Federation of Neurology, more recently summarized CWS as “a patient loses the power to conjure up visual images or memories, and furthermore, ceases to dream during his sleeping hours”. This condition is quite rare affecting only a select number of brain damage patients, and further study could help illustrate the neurological pathway for dream formation.

Read more about Charcot-Wilbrand Syndrome:  Physiological Causes, Relation To REM Sleep, Detection Methods, Medical Significance

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