Bryan Kohberger, Luigi Mangione may share same rare neurological condition: What to know
Bryan Kohberger, who pleaded guilty to the murder of four University of Idaho students, and Luigi Mangione, accused of stalking and ambushing UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, apparently have the same neurological condition known as visual snow syndrome.
The rare disorder impairs vision, as if the person is looking through snow or static on an old television.
Both Kohberger and Mangione have posted publicly about their condition, according to multiple reports.
Kohberger reportedly posted in a forum on a platform called TapATalk in 2011 about his struggle with visual snow syndrome (VSS), saying his vision made the world feel like a "video game."
In one post, which has resurfaced on Reddit, these words stood out: "As I hug my family, I look into their faces, I see nothing. It is like I am looking at a video game, but less … It is like I have severe brain damage. I am stuck in the depths of my mind, where I have to constantly battle my demons."
Mangione also reportedly posted about the topic on Reddit in 2018, commenting in forums on VSS as well as on other conditions he apparently suffers from, including brain fog and chronic back pain.
Mangione, who faces numerous charges, including terror-related murder, has also allegedly written at length about his disgust with the health insurance industry.
Cleveland Clinic describes visual snow syndrome as "flickering dots throughout your field of vision."
Some people describe it as seeing things inside a snow globe that's been shaken up.
The "snow" can be colorful, black and white — or transparent. And it may flash, according to Cleveland Clinic.
Scientists assume the condition may be related to "excitability" or hyperactivity in the occipital lobes of the brain, where images are processed, but there's no definite cause and no standard treatment.
Visual snow syndrome is a chronic condition for many, who may also experience migraines and anxiety.
The uncommon disorder only impacts about 2% to 3% of people globally, said Cleveland Clinic.
Symptoms of visual snow syndrome can include:
People with visual snow syndrome may also experience the following, according to Cleveland Clinic:
In order to get a diagnosis of visual snow syndrome, experts urge visiting a neurologist and an ophthalmologist, or a neuro-ophthalmologist, who can rule out other diseases or conditions.
Visual symptoms cannot be the same as migraine aura, Cleveland Clinic reported, and cannot be due to the use of drugs that can cause "snow" to appear in vision.
Dr. Ashley Brissette, an ophthalmologist in New York City, told Fox News Digital that she's seen patients with VSS who present with visual complaints — but the eye exam, imaging and function test results are "typically normal."
"Though it is not harmful to vision, visual snow can be highly distressing," the doctor said (she has not treated either Kohberger or Mangione).
"Patients often experience constant visual disturbances that interfere with daily activities like reading, driving or using screens, leading to frustration and sensory overload."
"The lack of understanding of the condition, along with normal test results, can cause anxiety, fear of serious illness and feelings of being dismissed by healthcare providers."
These "unrelenting symptoms" can lead to depression, sleep disturbances, fatigue and social isolation over time, Brissette said.
"Because visual snow is invisible to others, many patients feel misunderstood or alone, making emotional support and mental health care an essential part of managing the condition," she said.
Although Kohberger and Mangione allegedly share this condition, Brissette commented that "many things could have influenced their mental health" and the full clinical context is unknown.
"The combination of uncomfortable neurological symptoms and the stress of navigating unexplained health issues likely exacerbated anxiety, lowered quality of life, and added to mental illness," she said.
For more Health articles, visit www.foxnews.com/health
While there is no treatment for the condition, some providers may suggest medication for mental health symptoms, including antidepressants, according to Cleveland Clinic.
The full clinical context is unknown.
Some migraine medications have also been suggested and tested. Cleveland Clinic additionally recommended the use of blue-light blockers on devices.
Relieving stress and avoiding fatigue can also help with certain symptoms, which activities like enjoyable exercise, yoga, meditation and massage can help with, as well as taking steps to improve sleep.
Kohberger's defense team, bound by a gag order on the case, did not respond to questions about the condition. A spokeswoman for Mangione did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Michael Ruiz and Khloe Quill, both of Fox News Digital, contributed reporting.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CBS News
an hour ago
- CBS News
An Ohio couple welcomes a baby boy from a nearly 31-year-old frozen embryo
A baby boy born last week to an Ohio couple developed from an embryo that had been frozen for more than 30 years in what is believed to be the longest storage time before a birth. In what's known as embryo adoption, Lindsey and Tim Pierce used a handful of donated embryos that have been frozen since 1994 in pursuit of having a child after fighting infertility for years. Their son was born Saturday from an embryo that had been in storage for 11,148 days, which the Pierces' doctor says sets a record. It's a concept that has been around since the 1990s but is gaining traction as some fertility clinics and advocates, often Christian-centered, oppose discarding leftover embryos because of their belief that life begins at or around conception and that all embryos deserve to be treated like children who need a home. "I felt all along that these three little hopes, these little embryos, deserved to live just like my daughter did," said Linda Archerd, 62, who donated her embryos to the Pierces. Just about 2% of births in the U.S. are the result of in vitro fertilization, and an even smaller fraction involve donated embryos. However, medical experts estimate about 1.5 million frozen embryos are currently being stored throughout the country, with many of those in limbo as parents wrestle with what to do with their leftover embryos created in IVF labs. Further complicating the topic is a 2024 Alabama Supreme Court decision that said that frozen embryos have the legal status of children. State leaders have since devised a temporary solution shielding clinics from liability stemming from that ruling, though questions linger about remaining embryos. Archerd says she turned to IVF in 1994. Back then, the ability to freeze, thaw and transfer embryos was making key progress and opening the door for hopeful parents to create more embryos and increase their chances of a successful transfer. She wound up with four embryos and initially hoped to use them all. But after the birth of her daughter, Archerd and her husband divorced, disrupting her timeline for having more children. As the years turned into decades, Archerd said she was wracked with guilt about what to do with the embryos as storage fees continued to rise. Eventually, she found Snowflakes, a division of Nightlight Christian Adoptions, which offers open adoptions to donors from people like Archerd. She was also able to set preferences for what families would adopt her embryos. "I wanted to be a part of this baby's life," she said. "And I wanted to know the adopting parents." The process was tricky, requiring Archerd to contact her initial fertility doctor in Oregon and dig through paper records to get the proper documentation for the donation. The embryos then had to be shipped from Oregon to the Pierces' doctor in Tennessee. The clinic, Rejoice Fertility in Knoxville, refuses to discard frozen embryos and has become known for handling embryos stored in outdated and older containers. Of the three donated embryos the Pierces received from Archerd, one didn't make the thaw. Two were transferred to Lindsey Pierce's womb, but just one successfully implanted. According to Dr. John David Gordon, the transfer of the nearly 31-year-old embryo marks the longest-frozen embryo to result in a live birth. He would know: Gordon says his clinic assisted in the previous record, when Lydia and Timothy Ridgeway were born from embryos frozen for 30 years, or 10,905 days. "I think that these stories catch the imagination," Gordon said. "But I think they also provide a little bit of a cautionary tale to say: Why are these embryos sitting in storage? You know, why do we have this problem?" In a statement, Lindsey and Tim Pierce said the clinic's support was just what they needed. "We didn't go into this thinking about records — we just wanted to have a baby," Lindsey Pierce said. For Archerd, the donation process has been an emotional roller coaster. Relief that her embryos finally found a home, sadness it couldn't be with her and a little anxiety about what the future holds next, with possibly meeting the Pierces and the baby in person. "I'm hoping that they're going to send pictures," she said, noting that the parents have already sent several after the birth. "I'd love to meet them some day. That would be a dream come true to meet — meet them and the baby." ___ This story has corrected the first name of Lindsey Pierce in the second paragraph.
CNN
an hour ago
- CNN
‘The climate has always been changing': EPA chief defends push to roll back climate regulations
EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin joins CNN's Kasie Hunt to discuss the Trump administration's push to reverse a landmark scientific finding that planet-warming pollution harms human health.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Menopause increases your risk of STIs due to how aging changes your body
Diagnoses for sexually transmitted infections, or STIs, are increasing in older adults. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports the number of people older than 65 diagnosed with chlamydia, gonorrhea or syphilis in the U.S. increased about three-, five- and sevenfold, respectively, from 2010 to 2023. Data also suggests that women older than 50 are at greater risk for HIV than younger women. Explanations for why these infections are so common in older adults include limited understanding of STIs in this age group, infrequent condom use and increased availability of medications for conditions that typically limit sexual activity in older adults, such as like Viagra and Cialis for erectile dysfunction and estrogen creams and tablets for vaginal dryness. Many older adults are reluctant to discuss their sexual history with their partners and health care providers, which contributes to misconceptions that they are monogamous or sexually inactive. In my work as an infectious disease scientist, I examine the largely unexplored biological reasons for why postmenopausal women have increased susceptibility to STIs. My recently published research shows that menopause is associated with loss of the genital tract's protective barrier, an essential defense against the microbial pathogens that cause STIs. Menopause: A natural part of aging Menopause is the stage in a woman's life marked by no menstrual periods for 12 consecutive months. In the U.S., menopause begins on average between ages 45 and 55. It is estimated that by the year 2030, 1.2 billion women worldwide will be menopausal or postmenopausal. Menopause results from a loss of estrogen production from the ovaries, which can diminish vaginal lubrication and vaginal tissue elasticity. This can cause a condition called genitourinary syndrome of menopause, or GSM, which involves symptoms such as vaginal dryness and irritation, painful sex and frequent urinary tract infections. Roughly half of postmenopausal women experience GSM. In addition to these negative effects on vaginal health, research from my lab has found that menopause also compromises the structural integrity of the tissue lining the vagina. The surface of the vagina is composed of multiple layers of epithelial cells that are held together by numerous adhesion molecules, including the proteins desmoglein-1, or DSG1, and desmocollin-1, or DSC1. These proteins strengthen the vaginal lining and restrict pathogen access to deeper tissue, reducing the risk of infection. To explore how menopause affects the vaginal lining, we compared the DSG1 and DSC1 levels in vaginal tissue from postmenopausal and premenopausal women. We found significantly lower DSG1 and DSC1 levels in postmenopausal women. We then surgically removed the ovaries of mice to model the loss of ovarian estrogen production in postmenopausal women. We also detected significantly less DSG1 and DSC1 proteins in vaginal tissue from mice without ovaries compared with mice with intact ovaries. Mice without ovaries also had greater susceptibility to infection with herpes simplex virus type 2, or HSV-2, and were less able to clear chlamydia infection from their lower genital tract. On the other hand, applying estrogen cream to mice without ovaries restored the integrity of their vaginal lining and fully protected these mice from HSV-2 infection. Too important to ignore Fully understanding the behavioral and biological risk factors that contribute to STI susceptibility can help clinicians and public health officials tackle the startling increases in STIs among older adults. Together, our studies show there is a loss of integrity in the vaginal lining after menopause. While additional research is needed, findings from our lab suggest that estrogen-containing compounds used to relieve vaginal irritation and other symptoms of genitourinary syndrome of menopause can also reduce susceptibility to STIs among older adults. In the meantime, health care providers can help reduce the risk of STIs among older adults by consistently counseling them about safe sex practices and offering routine STI screening. This article is republished from The Conversation, a nonprofit, independent news organization bringing you facts and trustworthy analysis to help you make sense of our complex world. It was written by: Thomas L. Cherpes, The Ohio State University Read more: Millions of women are working during menopause, but US law isn't clear on employees' rights or employers' obligations Iceland's recent volcanic eruptions driven by pooling magma are set to last centuries into the future The sex of your cells matters when it comes to heart disease Thomas L Cherpes receives funding from the National Institute on Aging and the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development
