Data analysis complete in New Brunswick's mystery brain disease; results in summer
FREDERICTON – The office of New Brunswick's chief medical officer says it has completed the first step of data analysis in its investigation into an undiagnosed neurological illness that has affected more than 400 people.
Chief medical officer Dr. Yves Léger announced today that results from the analysis have been turned over to the Public Health Agency of Canada for scientific review, which will offer formal feedback.
Léger says the findings will help the province determine next steps in caring for these patients, most of whom are in the Acadian Peninsula and Moncton areas.
Their symptoms include memory problems and bursts of intense pain.
Léger says the investigation could determine whether environmental substances have any role to play in patients' health, and results are expected this summer.
In 2022, the Health Department under the province's former Progressive Conservative government said a team of six neurologists and other health experts found no evidence of a neurological illness after their investigation of 48 patients.
And another study released earlier this month also found no evidence to support claims of a mystery brain disease in New Brunswick, suggesting the media may have played a role in feeding patients' fears.
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That study was compiled by researchers with the University of Toronto, New Brunswick's Horizon Health Network and other Canadian institutions
This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 27, 2025.
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