Objects may be closer than they appear

Objects may be closer than they appear

New research is uncovering the neuroscience behind a condition known as “Alice in Wonderland Syndrome.” First described in 1955, it involves a visual illusion in which objects or body parts appear unusually large (macropsia) or unusually small (micropsia)—what Alice experienced in Lewis Carroll’s classic children’s book, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland.

Scientists note that the syndrome is most commonly experienced by children, and likely generates in the parietal lobe, which processes environmental and spatial information. It often precedes migraines.

    —Katie Wildfong, 

Family & Teen Programs, June 25

Image: Lars Leetaru

Source: Helene Stapinski, “I Had Alice in Wonderland Syndrome,” The New York Times, June 23, 2014