Brain worms... How did one get into RFK Jr's head, and what are the symptoms?
Symptoms of a 'brain worm' can include seizures, headaches, speech impairment and brain fog.
Brain / Pexels: Anna Shvets 4226219
"A worm ... got into my brain and ate a portion of it and then died."
That's the stomach-churning explanation US presidential candidate Robert F Kennedy Jr once gave in a deposition as the possible reason for experiencing memory loss and brain fog.
The nauseating revelation has come to light following a New York Times report focusing on the health of Kennedy who is running as an independent candidate in the 2024 US Presidential Elections.
The New York Times report was based on a 2012 divorce deposition in which Kennedy said a doctor had told him his memory loss could be down to a brain-eating parasite.
His campaign has suggested the politician became host to the parasite while travelling 'extensively in Africa, South America, and Asia in his work as an environmental advocate'.
The statement said the issue had been resolved and that Kennedy was in 'robust' health, adding, 'Questioning Mr Kennedy's health is a hilarious suggestion, given his competition'.
So, how on earth does a worm get into the brain, and what are the symptoms?
Let's burrow deeper.
What is a brain worm?
Well technically, it's not a brain worm. It's a tapeworm and it's the ingestion of the eggs of the tapeworm that can cause problems.
If someone eats contaminated food or drinks tainted water, the tapeworm larvae can enter your organs and brain and form cysts.
The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDCP) explains that the cysts can cause an infection in the brain called neurocysticercosis.
A seizure is almost always the symptom that leads to the discovery of an active neurocysticercosis infection, University of California neurologist Dr Michael Wilson told Yahoo Life.
“It can sit there not causing any clinical symptoms for many years, and we don’t really understand why.” But eventually, “the immune system will say, ‘Hey, wait a minute’ and attack it,” he explains.
In the end, the attack against the parasite causes the brain to swell and this swelling can lead to seizures.
The CDCP estimates that about 1000 people in the US are hospitalised with neurocysticercosis every year.
However, globally the numbers are much higher. The World Health Organization says tapeworms are responsible for about 30% of epilepsy cases in countries with less access to clean running water and with fewer options to keep food at safe temperatures.
Neurocysticercosis can happen following the ingestion of the larvae of parasites or a tapeworm,
What are the symptoms?
Brain fog and memory loss are among the signs one may have a 'brain worm'.
The most common symptom is seizures caused by inflammation in the brain.
Other symptoms include headache, speech impairment and difficulty with balance.
In extreme cases, neurocysticercosis can be fatal.
What is the treatment?
Depending on the state of the worm and symptoms, treatment options range from antiparasitic medication, removal of the worm or, just waiting for the worm to calcify.