Jean-Martin Charcot (1825-1893) and the first description of the "Alice in Wonderland Syndrome"

The "Alice in Wonderland Syndrome" is a neurological disorder characterized by visual or somatic disturbances frequently associated with migraine. The first documented description of this syndrome is that of a patient with macrosomatognosia and migraine with aura evaluated by Jean-Martin Charcot (1825- 1893) during a lecture given on November 22, 1887 at the Salpêtrière. Although at the time this condition was unknown, Charcot attributed the complex of symptoms to migraine with aura and sensory epilepsy. This diagnosis, although questionable, correctly suggested the presence of a cortical excitability disorder of areas responsible for processing and perception of sensory stimuli.