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The Independent UK
The Independent UK
National
David Goldman and Lauran Neergaard

PHOTO ESSAY: A 'year of unraveling' when a man's immune system hijacked his brain

APTOPIX Autoimmune Diseases Brain Photo Essay - (Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved)

Sometimes, the immune system runs amok and attacks the organ that makes us “us” — the brain. It's called autoimmune encephalitis but one California man dubbed it his “year of unraveling.”

Christy Morrill went for a bike ride with friends, stopping for lunch — and no one noticed anything wrong until Morrill's wife asked how the outing went. He'd forgotten. And he would get worse before he got better.

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