Health. A neurological phenomenon that defies logic: foreign accent syndrome

With barely 100 cases detected worldwide, foreign accent syndrome intrigues the scientific community.

"It's a disorder in which the way you speak suddenly changes," the Cleveland Clinic explains on its website.

“As the name suggests, others feel like you speak with a foreign accent. This indicates that something is disrupting your brain function.”

Very rare therefore – described for the first time in 1907 by the French neurologist Pierre Marie – this syndrome can occur following brain damage, particularly after a stroke, head trauma or even vascular dementia.

An incredible story

Among the cases reported since then is a story from 1941 told by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT): "On September 6, the German-occupied city of Oslo was attacked by the British Royal Air Force. A 30-year-old woman named Astrid was wounded in the left side of the head."

"After several days, she regained consciousness (...) Her speech had changed and those who heard her detected an accent close to German." This led to her being rejected by her compatriots.

Speed of speech, articulation, duration of sounds or inflections... The difficulty in controlling different parts of the mouth can thus considerably modify the quality of the sound and give the impression of an accent.

Thus, documented cases around the world report a transition from a Japanese accent to a Korean accent, from English to French or from an American accent to a British accent.

A source of anxiety

As the Cleveland Clinic explains, foreign accent syndrome can have major consequences on a person's mental health, opening the door to depression and anxiety. This can be due to several factors:

• Skepticism from loved ones who wonder if the illness and symptoms are real;
• Difficulties in obtaining a diagnosis (due to the rarity of the condition); It is difficult to obtain a diagnosis because this disease is very rare, which means that healthcare providers may overlook it or misdiagnose it as another disease.
• The fear of not being understood when trying to communicate...

As for the treatment, which can vary from drug therapy to speech therapy sessions, it will depend on the causes of the syndrome.

Source : Cleveland Clinic - Massachusetts Institute of Technology