Alice in Wonderland syndrome

Alice in Wonderland syndrome is a neurological condition involving temporary distortions in visual perception, body image, distance, or time. Episodes are associated with several neurological and infectious conditions and can also occur without an identified cause.

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Micropsia: A visual distortion in which objects appear smaller than they are. Objects may seem miniature during an episode.
Visual illusion: A misinterpretation or distortion of a real visual stimulus. Many episodes distort something present rather than create an image from nothing.
John Todd: A British psychiatrist who described Alice in Wonderland syndrome in 1955. Todd gave the syndrome its first systematic clinical account.
Migraine: A neurological disorder characterized by recurrent headache and associated sensory or neurological symptoms. Migraine is among the most frequently reported conditions associated with the syndrome.
Cortical spreading depression: A slowly moving wave of altered electrical and chemical activity across the cerebral cortex. This migraine-related process is one proposed mechanism for transient perceptual disturbances.
Macropsia: A visual distortion in which objects appear larger than they are. Apparent enlargement is one form of altered visual scale.
Hallucination: A perception-like experience occurring without an external stimulus. It contrasts with distortions that alter the apparent qualities of real objects.
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland: Lewis Carroll’s 1865 novel about Alice’s extraordinary adventures in a fantastical world. Its scenes of changing size and altered surroundings inspired the syndrome’s name.
Electroencephalography: A method for recording electrical activity in the brain using electrodes on the scalp. It may help investigate episodes when seizures are a possible cause.
Parietal lobe: A brain region involved in integrating sensory information and representing spatial relationships. Its role in spatial and body representation makes it relevant to proposed explanations.