A woman admitted to the emergency room in Italy had a mysterious symptom: She suddenly started speaking with a Canadian accent despite her native Italian language. Doctors from the Carlo Best Neurological Institute in Milan detailed the case in a journal. neurocase
The woman was diagnosed with an extremely rare disease known as foreign accent syndrome, a condition in which a person’s speech suddenly changes. Since the condition was first described in 1907, only about 150 cases have been reported. Most often, this condition is associated with brain damage after a stroke or traumatic brain injury. But this woman’s condition was unusual because no such injuries were found.
According to a medical report, a 50-year-old woman was admitted to the emergency room when she suddenly began to have difficulty speaking and writing. Later, the woman’s speech returned to normal, but she began speaking with a Canadian accent in both Italian and English.
The woman underwent additional brain imaging and was also asked to undergo several cognitive and psychiatric tests. Because no abnormalities were detected, doctors were unable to determine the exact cause of foreign accent syndrome. Doctors suggest the cause may be transferred COVID-19, which often causes headaches, “head fog” and other similar symptoms.