Research project Rare diseases

Jumping Frenchmen of Maine

TUIU Daniela Ileana

Key to Understanding Mental Illness

Everyone has Subliminal Distraction exposure every day, most of it is harmless. When you create the "special circumstances" massive exposure is possible. Seng-Hui Cho did that in the suite common room at Virginia Tech. His paranoid psychotic rant demonstrates the power of low-level long-term exposure When many people are crowded into too-small single-room arrangements, those "special circumstances" will be created [3]. bunkhouse

The Virginia Tech massacre was a school shooting that took place on April 16, 2007, on the campus of Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University in Blacksburg, Virginia, United States. In two separate attacks, approximately two hours apart, the perpetrator, SeungHui Cho, killed 32 people and wounded 25 others before committing suicide.

Abstract
Jumping Frenchmen of Maine is a rare psychological or, possibly, a neurological disorder first observed by George Miller Beard in 1878. It entails an exaggerated "startle" reflex [1] which may be described as an uncontrollable "jump" but can also exhibit sudden movements in all parts of the body. Though distinct and unique, this condition also shares similar symptoms with numerous disorders pertaining to startle. Patients with this disorder were first found in the northern regions of Maine; hence, the unusual name for this medical condition [1]. Why is Jumping Frenchmen important? The features of the disorder are so strange that it cannot be mistaken for anything else. You might argue that depression, paranoia, or psychotic beliefs have many causes because the examples in individuals are different. Not true with the jumping diseases. They are unique behaviors, the same in each individual, and independent of the usual psychobabble, psychosocial, suspect causes.

General discussion
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Most sites that mention Jumping Frenchmen of Maine simply tell that it was discovered by a New York neurologist in the 1880's. French Canadian lumberjacks in Moose Lake Maine were known to exhibit strange startle-matching behaviors. Upon being startled they would copy any action demonstrated to them. They would perform any action commanded of them. They exhibited hyper-startle and hyper-suggestibility. It was first thought to be a neurological disorder similar to Tourette disease. That association was soon discounted because of the involvement of startle in the jumping disease but not in Tourette. Subliminal Distraction would not be discovered until the 1960's. No one had the imagination to look to the vision startle reflex as the cause of this behavior. This problem has not been solved by any of the "experts" in psychology or psychiatry. It is still considered an unsolved mystery [3].

Similar disorders
Tourette Syndrome is a genetic neuropsychiatric disorder. It is characterized by multiple physical (motor) tics, or sudden movements, and at least one vocal (phonic) tic. There are many overlaps when compared clinically. One difference, however, is that unlike Tourette Syndrome, the abnormal "jumping" response is always provoked.[6] Latah from Malaysia is a disorder where one's startle response is similar to a state of trance with repetitive speech or movements. Miryachit is a disorder found in Siberia that also displays an action similar to "jumping." Neurasthenia is a disorder with a startle response during periods of great fatigue. Hyperekplexia is an extremely rare autosomal dominant neurological disease. It results in the mutation of the glycine receptor that inhibit signals to the spinal cord and brain stem. The symptoms start in infancy with hypertonia, an abnormal muscle tension that decreases flexibility, and an exaggerated startle in all ages of life [1].

Cause
These studies have suggested a different cause. In particular the work of the SaintHilaires which involved videotape evidence of a number of sufferers seems to suggest the response is psychological, not neurological, and may have been brought on by positive reenforcement of this unusual behaviour in the small community [6]. Jumping Frenchmen of Maine is thought to be genetic, but the specific gene has not been identified [4]. A set of cases were found in a single family where the father, his two sons, as well as his two grandchildren exhibited "jumping" behavior, strongly supporting the idea that it is a hereditary disorder [1]. 2

The subliminal detection of threat-movement stimulates the subconscious at a level below thought, reason and consciousness. It acts like operant conditioning or accidental subliminal hypnosis. Jumping Frenchmen of Maine subjects have the post hypnotic state without the suggestions seen in stage performances of hypnosis. Hyper startle reflexes and hyper suggestibility are the basic outcomes of this exposure. When the subject has preexisting thoughts of persecution the constant subliminal appreciation of threat creates paranoia and fear to raise those thoughts to psychotic levels. Mass shooters such as Seng-Hui Cho or Mark Barton are examples. Barton's suicide note mentioned intense un-attributed fear. The psychiatric symptoms seen in failed Qi Gong and Kundalini Yoga experiences also include paranoia and fear. The performances of Latah's in Malaysia are a learned behavior suggested by cultural beliefs and observances of others with the behavior. When startled they exhibit the same command behaviors that Jumping Frenchmen of Maine did. When hospital intensive care patients have this exposure, in their episode they often believe nurses and doctors are attempting to kill them. Another favorite delusional theme is that the attendants are extraterrestrial aliens. Each ICU patient's cultural beliefs shape the context of the delusional experience. ICU Psychosis exposure is every fifteen minutes around the clock as long as the patient is awake and daydreaming when the nurse enters the cubicle. One in three ICU patients who spend more than five days in the ICU have this episode. The response is to strap the patient down. Most recover when they leave the ICU. A few have life long psychiatric injuries. Not many people take note that the delusions of Schizophrenia are also culture specific. Different levels and intensities of exposure produce the outcomes. The delusions and psychotic beliefs are developed from each persons preexisting mental state, situation, and cultural beliefs. Cold weather and bunkhouse living arrangements placed the men in close proximity so that as they prepared for the next day's work, read to relax, wrote letters, or performed any other activity requiring mental investment they created the "special circumstances" for Subliminal Distraction exposure. The cold kept them inside during the long nights. Their outdoor work had to stop at sunset. In Maine and Canada trees were cut and stacked awaiting the spring thaw and snow runoff. Trees would be floated down stream to the lumber mill. This practice was not used in more populated states in the south. The lumber was often milled on site and used for construction. There was no runoff flooding to transport lumber on rivers. Rivers that were large enough for massive tree trunk rafts were used for steam boat transportation. Today there is still genetic testing and investigation ongoing to establish a connection to a neurological source for the strange symptoms present in victims of this disorder. But the solution to the cause is much simpler. True, there may be a genetic connection but it is not for disease. Rather it will be related to inherited, increased abilities to detect movement in 3

peripheral vision. Behavioral tendencies such as a propensity to daydream also increase opportunities for exposure from visual Subliminal Distraction. Studies at the University of Georgia in 2002 found a genetic problem in the M pathway for vision in schizophrenics and their close but disease free relatives. The inherited defect was hyperactivity. The M pathway in the brain communicates the movement and position portion of vision to higher areas of thought and reasoning from the V center. Our brain has a subliminally functioning system that detects movement in peripheral vision to trigger a vision reflex. Far peripheral vision is black and white vision. The human vision startle reflex, triggered by threat-movement detection, deals only with movement and position. Latah, Ainu, Bah-tschi, all startle-matching behaviors, appear where one of two conditions are met. Either many people live in single-room lodges (like bunkhouses and long houses), or small family groups live in single-room too-small huts, kivas or hogans. These arrangements are usually called traditional or ethnic housing. Those were the similar living arrangements for the lumberjacks in Moose Lake Maine. Jumping diseases, startle matching behaviors, appear around the world as Culture Bound Syndromes. Each ethnic group or culture experiences the same symptoms but the culture names the disorder in terms of their own experience. Each group has a belief system that explains, again in their own terms, the significance of the episode. Sometimes this involves hexing, magic, or the breaking of cultural or religious taboos. We can postulate that the common element in each of these situations is human physiology. Every human or pre-human who ever lived had subliminal sight and peripheral vision reflexes. This system subliminally detects threat movement and will break your concentration with a startle which causes you to look and identify the source of the detected movement. To prevent constant startle and conscious reflex events we have the ability to ignore movement once we identify it as harmless. But the system is "hard wired" into our physiology. Although consciously ignoring movement will stop perceived startle events this does not stop or turn the system off. If hunter gathers and pre-humans could have turned the system off it would not have protected them from being a meal for a predator. As long as the threat movement detection incidents continue to happen your brain subliminally attempts to force the startle and vision reflex [3].

Symptoms
The "Jumping Frenchmen" seemed to react abnormally to sudden stimuli. Beard recorded, for instance, individuals who would obey any command given suddenly, even if it meant striking a loved one. There have been cases with echolalia, the act of repeating back unfamiliar or foreign phrases uncontrollably and also echopraxia, the act of imitating movements from surrounding people. The more common and less intense symptoms consist of jumping, yelling, and hitting. Although these patients may exhibit such outrageous bursts, many describe themselves as normally ticklish and shy [1].

Signs and symptoms of Jumping Frenchmen of Maine may vary on an individual basis for each patient. The list of signs and symptoms mentioned in various sources for Jumping Frenchmen of Maine includes the 9 symptoms listed below [4]:
Abnormal reaction to sudden stimulation Jumping Raising the arms Hitting Yelling Echolalia Obeying sudden orders Violence

Neurological mechanism
Essentially a startle (which by definition has an auditory component) has three major neurological routes in the brain that have a number of effects. First, the auditory nerve fibres stimulate the cochlear root neurons (CRN) that form the first part of the central nervous systems auditory processing. Following this stimulation the CRNs stimulate the nucleus reticularis pontis caudalis cells (PnC) located in the Pons (part of the brainstem). Finally the input into the Pons results in stimulation of motor neurons, particularly to the head and neck and the spinal cord. This results in the jerking response aimed at orientating you to the source of the startle response.
Left shows brain side on with exposed brain stem and pons are highlighted while right shows the dorsal view of the brain stem (dorsal means back, think about the location of the dorsal fin on a dolphin) with the CRN highlighted.

while

also

priming your body for a

One thing that I think is important to point out is how fast this all is. The time taken from the detection of the stimulus to the first muscles to react (in your jaw) is roughly 14 milliseconds! The last muscles to react (unsurprisingly in your feet and legs) receive stimulation after only 400 milliseconds!

Common Misdiagnoses and Jumping Frenchmen of Maine

Vitamin B12 deficiency under-diagnosed: The condition of Vitamin B12 deficiency is a possible misdiagnosis of various conditions, such as multiple sclerosis (see symptoms of multiple sclerosis). See symptoms of Vitamin B12 deficiency or misdiagnosis of multiple sclerosis.

Typical patient
This condition is now known to affect people of almost any nationality and geographic location. Transmitted as an AUTOSOMAL RECESSIVE characteristic, it manifests in childhood and lasts throughout life. The basic cause is unknown and there is no effective therapy.

Treatment
Until now no drug therapy was found for this disease. Psychological support and elimination of external factors that predispose negative physical reactions may improve patient's condition.* (personal conclusion) A similar but unrelated disorder characterized by an exaggerated startle reaction has been termed hyperexplexia or hyperekplexia. It manifests in childhood and lasts throughout life. Mutations in the gene (mapped to 5q) for the alpha-1 subunit of the glycine receptor (a neurotransmitter receptor found in the central nervous system) appear to be responsible for both autosomal dominant and auto-somal recessive forms of hyperexplexia. A mutation in the gene encoding the beta-subunit of the glycine receptor can also cause autosomal recessive hyperexplexia. Treatment with clonazepam has been effective in many patients. Patients with hyperexplexia lack the echolalia, imitative actions and forced obedience response that are characteristic of the Jumping Frenchmen [5].

References
[1]. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jumping_Frenchmen_of_Maine [2]. http://www.webmd.com/a-to-z-guides/jumping-frenchmen-of-maine [3]. http://www.visionandpsychosis.net/Jumping_Frenchmen_Maine.htm [4]. http://www.rightdiagnosis.com/j/jumping_frenchmen_of_maine/symptoms.htm [5]. http://guidewhois.com/2011/04/what-is-jumping-frenchmen-of-maine/ [6]. http://diseaseprone.fieldofscience.com/2011/01/jumping-frenchmen-of-mainesyndrome.html