When Autoimmune Encephalitis Steals a Lifetime of Memories

In 2020, Christy Morrell, aged 72, visited a neurologist because he couldn't remember personal facts about his life.

However, the rest of his memory was fine.

He could recall that the book ‘Ulysses' was published in Paris in 1922 at Sylvia Beach’s bookstore, but he couldn't remember his son's wedding.

A neurologist at Sutter Health, Dr. Michael Cohen, ordered a spinal tap, which led to the diagnosis of anti-LGI1 autoimmune encephalitis, a condition most common in men over 50.

Autoantibodies attacked a protein in the brain called LGI1, preventing neurons from communicating.

“I lost total mental capacity and fell apart,” Morrill explains in an interview with the Associated Press.

Five years later, he still grieves decades of lost memories such as family gatherings, a year spent studying in Scotland, and traveling with his wife.

Now he is making new memories with grandkids, is back outdoors, and leads an AE Alliance support group.

Read more here.