PANDAS

That is, Pediatric Autoimmune Neuropsychiatric Disorders.  The teaser over at HBD chick's was "Yes, You Can Catch Insanity," so of course I had to follow that up.

It's very strange to start such an article and instantly see your town mentioned.  I looked up the McCune's and I walk past their house on some of my hikes. (Note to locals - over by Karanikas's.) What a harrowing experience to watch your child suffer and his personality disappear, and be helpless to do anything.  The boy is a year or less older than my granddaughter, who lives nearby, so their paths may cross in the future.

The article itself is also quite good.  Inflammation is one of the New Big Things that turns out to cause everything. (Junk DNA and gut bacteria are next.)  But even though the claims are usually overblown, these excitements usually do result in more things being understood and becoming treatable. People escape from misery, and life improves.