Rubin R. More Questions Raised by Concussion-like Symptoms Found in US Diplomats Who Served in Havana. JAMA. 2018;319(11):1079–1081. doi:10.1001/jama.2018.1751
Members of the US diplomatic community in Havana began visiting the embassy’s medical unit in late December 2016 with symptoms, such as headache and ear pain, that they said began after they encountered strange sounds or sensations.
For months, speculation swirled around the etiology and extent of their ailments, but a new report in JAMA provides the most detailed picture yet of their condition.
Clinical evaluation of 21 of the 24 US government personnel suspected as having been targeted by the mysterious “health attacks”—as the State Department calls them—found that most experienced persistent cognitive, balance, hearing, oculomotor dysfunction, or all 4, as well as sleep impairment and headaches, according to the report. https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/article-abstract/2673167
Advanced Neuroimaging Shows Brain Matter Alterations in U.S. Government Personnel Who Developed Neurological Symptoms in Cuba
Images reveal key brain differences, particularly in the cerebellum, between impacted patients and healthy individuals, which may underlie clinical findings previously reported by the Penn team. https://www.pennmedicine.org/news/news-releases/2019/july/advanced-neuroimaging-brain-matter-alterations-gov-personnel-developed-neurological-symptoms-cuba
Below are the studies refered to:
•Swanson RL, Hampton S, Green-McKenzie J, et al. Neurological Manifestations Among US Government Personnel Reporting Directional Audible and Sensory Phenomena in Havana, Cuba. JAMA. 2018;319(11):1125–1133. doi:10.1001/jama.2018.1742
Conclusions and Relevance: In this preliminary report of a retrospective case series, persistent cognitive, vestibular, and oculomotor dysfunction, as well as sleep impairment and headaches, were observed among US government personnel in Havana, Cuba, associated with reports of directional audible and/or sensory phenomena of unclear origin. These individuals appeared to have sustained injury to widespread brain networks without an associated history of head trauma. https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2673168
•Verma R, Swanson RL, Parker D, et al. Neuroimaging Findings in US Government Personnel With Possible Exposure to Directional Phenomena in Havana, Cuba. JAMA. 2019;322(4):336-347. doi:10.1001/jama.2019.9269
Conclusions and Relevance: Among US government personnel in Havana, Cuba, with potential exposure to directional phenomena, compared with healthy controls, advanced brain magnetic resonance imaging revealed significant differences in whole brain white matter volume, regional gray and white matter volumes, cerebellar tissue microstructural integrity, and functional connectivity in the auditory and visuospatial subnetworks but not in the executive control subnetwork. The clinical importance of these differences is uncertain and may require further study. https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2738552
In addition, a study by BA Golomb from the UC San Diego School of Medicine:
Golomb BA. Diplomats’ Mystery Illness and Pulsed Radiofrequency/Microwave Radiation. Neural Comput. 2018 Nov;30(11):2882-2985. doi: 10.1162/neco_a_01133. Epub 2018 Sep 5. PMID: 30183509.
Conclusions and relevance: Reported facts appear consistent with pulsed RF/MW as the source of injury in affected diplomats. Nondiplomats citing symptoms from RF/MW, often with an inciting pulsed-RF/MW exposure, report compatible health conditions. Under the RF/MW hypothesis, lessons learned for diplomats and for RF/MW-affected civilians may each aid the other. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30183509/