The Case of the Confused Grandfather

<!DOCTYPE html> <html lang="en" dir="ltr" prefix="og: https://ogp.me/ns#"> <head> <title>The Case of the Confused Grandfather | UCSF Magazine</title> <meta charset="utf-8" /> <meta name="description" content="For months, the 78-year-old had been behaving strangely. Fearing the worst, his family consulted UCSF neurologist Georges Naasan, MD." /> <meta name="abstract" content="For months, the 78-year-old had been behaving strangely. Fearing the worst, his family consulted UCSF neurologist Georges Naasan, MD." /> <link rel="canonical" href="https://magazine.ucsf.edu/case-confused-grandfather" /> <link rel="image_src" href="https://magazine.ucsf.edu/sites/default/files/2020-12/med-mystery-confused-grandfather-card.jpg" /> <meta property="og:site_name" content="The Case of the Confused Grandfather | UCSF Magazine" /> <meta property="og:type" content="news" /> <meta property="og:url" content="https://magazine.ucsf.edu/case-confused-grandfather" /> <meta property="og:title" content="The Case of the Confused Grandfather" /> <meta property="og:description" content="For months, the 78-year-old had been behaving strangely. Fearing the worst, his family consulted UCSF neurologist Georges Naasan, MD." /> <meta property="og:image" content="https://magazine.ucsf.edu/sites/default/files/2020-12/med-mystery-confused-grandfather-card.jpg" /> <meta property="og:image:secure_url" content="https://magazine.ucsf.edu/sites/default/files/2020-12/med-mystery-confused-grandfather-card.jpg" /> <meta property="og:image:type" content="image/jpeg" /> <meta name="twitter:card" content="summary_large_image" /> <meta name="twitter:description" content="For months, the 78-year-old had been behaving strangely. Fearing the worst, his family consulted UCSF neurologist Georges Naasan, MD." /> <meta name="twitter:site" content="@ucsf" /> <meta name="twitter:title" content="The Case of the Confused Grandfather" /> <meta name="twitter:creator" content="@ucsf" /> <meta name="twitter:image" content="https://magazine.ucsf.edu/sites/default/files/2020-12/med-mystery-confused-grandfather-card.jpg" /> <meta name="twitter:image:alt" content="||||" /> <meta name="google-site-verification" content="rSaM6CprJQndLnVGSxg0oZ-oB85lajeVcjE1fQzK1-I" /> <meta name="Generator" content="Drupal 10 (https://www.drupal.org)" /> <meta name="MobileOptimized" content="width" /> <meta name="HandheldFriendly" content="true" /> <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0" /> <script type="application/ld+json">{ "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "NewsArticle", "headline": "The Case of the Confused Grandfather", "name": "The Case of the Confused Grandfather | UCSF Magazine", "description": "For months, the 78-year-old had been behaving strangely. Fearing the worst, his family consulted UCSF neurologist Georges Naasan, MD.", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "representativeOfPage": "True", "url": "https://magazine.ucsf.edu/sites/default/files/2020-12/med-mystery-confused-grandfather-card.jpg", "width": "940", "height": "481" }, "datePublished": "2020-11-23T10:51:44-0800", "dateModified": "2020-11-23T10:51:44-0800", "author": { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://magazine.ucsf.edu/", "name": "University of California San Francisco", "url": "https://magazine.ucsf.edu/", "sameAs": "https://twitter.com/ucsf, https://www.facebook.com/ucsf, https://instagram.com/ucsf, https://www.youtube.com/ucsf, https://www.linkedin.com/school/ucsf", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "representativeOfPage": "True", "url": "https://www.ucsf.edu/themes/custom/ucsf/assets/images/ucsf_logo_navy_for_google_structured_data.png", "width": "360", "height": "174" } }, "publisher": { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://magazine.ucsf.edu/", "name": "University of California San Francisco", "url": "https://magazine.ucsf.edu/", "sameAs": "https://twitter.com/ucsf, https://www.facebook.com/ucsf, https://instagram.com/ucsf, https://www.youtube.com/ucsf, https://www.linkedin.com/school/ucsf", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "representativeOfPage": "True", "url": "https://www.ucsf.edu/themes/custom/ucsf/assets/images/ucsf_logo_navy_for_google_structured_data.png", "width": "360", "height": "174" } }, "mainEntityOfPage": "https://magazine.ucsf.edu/case-confused-grandfather" } ] }</script> <meta itemprop="acquia_lift:content_title" content="The Case of the Confused Grandfather" /> <meta itemprop="acquia_lift:content_type" content="magazine_article" /> <meta itemprop="acquia_lift:page_type" content="node page" /> <meta itemprop="acquia_lift:language" content="en" /> <meta itemprop="acquia_lift:content_section" content="" /> <meta itemprop="acquia_lift:content_keywords" content="" /> <meta itemprop="acquia_lift:post_id" content="419111" /> <meta itemprop="acquia_lift:content_uuid" content="302a71fe-a4c3-4cac-bb29-fc514ce84055" /> <meta itemprop="acquia_lift:published_date" content="1606157504" /> <meta itemprop="acquia_lift:persona" content="" /> <meta itemprop="acquia_lift:engagement_score" content="1" /> <meta itemprop="acquia_lift:account_id" content="UCSF" /> <meta itemprop="acquia_lift:site_id" content="ucsfedu" /> <meta itemprop="acquia_lift:liftAssetsURL" content="https://builder.lift.acquia.com" /> <meta itemprop="acquia_lift:liftDecisionAPIURL" content="https://us.perz-api.cloudservices.acquia.io" /> <meta itemprop="acquia_lift:bootstrapMode" content="auto" /> <meta itemprop="acquia_lift:contentReplacementMode" content="trusted" /> <meta itemprop="acquia_lift:apiVersion" content="v3" /> <script src="https://builder.lift.acquia.com/lift.js" async></script> <link rel="icon" href="/themes/custom/ucsf_mag/favicon.ico" type="image/vnd.microsoft.icon" /> <link rel="preload" href="/themes/custom/ucsf/fonts/GranjonLTW01-Roman.woff2" as="font" crossorigin /> <link rel="preload" href="/themes/custom/ucsf/fonts/HelveticaNeueLTW04-45Light.woff2" as="font" crossorigin /> <link rel="preload" href="/themes/custom/ucsf/fonts/HelveticaNeueLTW04-55Roman.woff2" as="font" crossorigin /> <link rel="preload" href="/themes/custom/ucsf/fonts/HelveticaNeueLTW04-56Italic.woff2" as="font" crossorigin /> <link rel="preload" href="/themes/custom/ucsf/fonts/HelveticaNeueLTW04-65Medium.woff2" as="font" crossorigin /> <link rel="preload" href="/themes/custom/ucsf/fonts/HelveticaNeueLTW06-75Bold.woff2" as="font" crossorigin /> <script src="/sites/default/files/google_tag/primary/google_tag.script.js?snbnwj" defer></script> <link rel="stylesheet" media="all" href="/sites/default/files/css/css_6qs8ImL86MZ-HjOTEZrOFd_jO1iOnc0b9bgBBD_oqy8.css?delta=0&language=en&theme=ucsf_mag&include=eJxlkFtuxCAMRTdEw0cXhBzwELcGI2xmSlffaJI2GvXHso59_bjxExOZ9DDfjULjkamqf-AapTSpWE1dAgOGid2vuMGdpKtTiQQcyq6GwFQ_1f9Hi21Y0OlUw-JXUHQj6s1nlhXYRQbVefAzL6gKGdVF6eir9AJM34csFMi_0inDxoohAzP2eeI3tbkvzk4NjNQoqk99NODlIu5O-FD_jEuRNBhfEHzA13Em8n59tXCDhK9EHyK6uQYdcoe2_a25yDJqGyuTbpjcjdh2-yI0I6mvs-SOnaGFhIbxKj8_Pi2lKFVPXGnvV2BF6HE7jIEkuxdQgefz5wv-AIwovIc" /> <link rel="stylesheet" media="all" href="/sites/default/files/css/css__yl9FuhaESOFYmHVFLpS0mViy6ibgSpn8k5sZDCCLyw.css?delta=1&language=en&theme=ucsf_mag&include=eJxlkFtuxCAMRTdEw0cXhBzwELcGI2xmSlffaJI2GvXHso59_bjxExOZ9DDfjULjkamqf-AapTSpWE1dAgOGid2vuMGdpKtTiQQcyq6GwFQ_1f9Hi21Y0OlUw-JXUHQj6s1nlhXYRQbVefAzL6gKGdVF6eir9AJM34csFMi_0inDxoohAzP2eeI3tbkvzk4NjNQoqk99NODlIu5O-FD_jEuRNBhfEHzA13Em8n59tXCDhK9EHyK6uQYdcoe2_a25yDJqGyuTbpjcjdh2-yI0I6mvs-SOnaGFhIbxKj8_Pi2lKFVPXGnvV2BF6HE7jIEkuxdQgefz5wv-AIwovIc" /> <script>if (!window.customElements) { document.write(' <script type="text/javascript" src="/modules/custom/ckeditor_y3ti_plugins/bower_components/webcomponentsjs/custom-elements-es5-adapter.js"></script>  <script src="/modules/custom/ckeditor_y3ti_plugins/bower_components/webcomponentsjs/webcomponents-loader.js?snbnwj"></script> <script src="/modules/custom/ucsf_adobe_analytics/js/ucsf-data-layer.js?snbnwj" defer></script> <script src="/modules/custom/ucsf_adobe_analytics/js/ucsf-mag-marketing-data-layer.js?snbnwj" defer></script> <script src="https://assets.adobedtm.com/db5f13cb240b/b1130ce1ceae/launch-db8f55f3e131.min.js" defer></script> </head> <body class="alias-case-confused-grandfather path-node page-node-type-magazine-article loading"> <a href="#main-content" class="visually-hidden focusable skip-link"> Skip to main content </a> <noscript><iframe src="https://www.googletagmanager.com/ns.html?id=GTM-TSHCJ6" height="0" width="0" style="display:none;visibility:hidden"></iframe></noscript> <div class="dialog-off-canvas-main-canvas" data-off-canvas-main-canvas> <div class="page"> <header class="combined-header-region "> <section class="universal-header-region"> <div class="universal-header universal-header-mag"> <p id="site-name" class="universal-header__title">University of California San Francisco</p> <div class="mag-nav__ucsf"> <a href="https://www.ucsf.edu/news" class="mag-nav__ucsf-news">Visit UCSF News Center</a> <a href="https://giving.ucsf.edu" class="universal-header__give mag-nav__ucsf-give">Give to UCSF</a> </div> </div> </section> <section class="header-region mag-nav"> <div class="header mag-nav__navbar"> <button class="nav-toggle slicknav_btn" aria-expanded=false> <span class="nav-toggle__icon">Toggle Main Menu</span> </button> <figure class="header--logo logo"> <a class="logo__link" href="/" title="Home" rel="home"> <picture class="logo__image"> <img fetchpriority="high" class="logo__img" src="/themes/custom/ucsf_mag/images/ucsf-magazine-logo-default.svg" alt="Home" height="75" width="438"> </picture> </a> </figure> <div class="header--search menu-item"><a href="/search" role="button" class="nolink mobile-search-reveal mag-mobile-search-reveal"><span>Search</span></a> <div class="home-search__form mag-home-search__form"> <form action="/search" accept-charset="utf-8" method="get" class="search__form"> <label for="header-search" class="visually-hidden">Small screen search</label> <input type="text" name="search" id="header-search" size="32" class="home-search__form-input mag-home-search__form-input" value="" placeholder="Search UCSF News Center & Magazine" /> <input type="submit" id="edit-submit-header" name="op" value="Search" class="home-search__form-submit mag-home-search__form-submit"> <fieldset class="fieldset-reset"> <legend class="visually-hidden">Choose what type of search to perform</legend> <div class="search-filter"> <label for="allucsf"> <input id="allucsf" type="radio" name="filter" class="visually-hidden search-filter__radio" value="All" checked> <div class="search-filter__label"> <span class="search-filter__option"></span> <span>All UCSF</span> </div> </label> <label for="newscenter"> <input id="newscenter" type="radio" name="filter" class="visually-hidden search-filter__radio" value="News"> <div class="search-filter__label"> <span class="search-filter__option"></span> <span>UCSF News Center & Magazine</span> </div> </label> </div> </fieldset> </form> </div> </div> <div class="slicknav-placeholder"></div> <nav aria-label="Main" id="block-ucsf-mag-magazinemainmenu" class="mag-menu header-mag-menu menu--main block block-menu navigation menu--magazine-main-menu"> <ul block="block-ucsf-mag-magazinemainmenu" class="mag-menu__menu"> <li class="menu-item mag-menu__item mag-menu__item--home"> <a href="/" class="mag-menu__link mag-menu__link--alt"> Home <span aria-hidden="true" class="icon-home"></span> </a> </li> <li class="menu-item menu-item--expanded mag-menu__submenu-wrapper mag-menu__item mag-menu__item--features"> <a href="/features" class="mag-menu__link mag-menu__link--alt" data-drupal-link-system-path="taxonomy/term/414426">Features</a> <div id="aria-features" class="mag-submenu mag-submenu--0"> <ul class="mag-submenu__menu"> <li class="menu-item mag-submenu__item"> <a href="/features/science" class="mag-menu__link mag-submenu__link" data-drupal-link-system-path="taxonomy/term/414856">Science</a> </li> <li class="menu-item mag-submenu__item"> <a href="/features/health" class="mag-menu__link mag-submenu__link" data-drupal-link-system-path="taxonomy/term/414861">Health</a> </li> <li class="menu-item mag-submenu__item"> <a href="/features/human-interest" class="mag-menu__link mag-submenu__link" data-drupal-link-system-path="taxonomy/term/414866">Human Interest</a> </li> </ul> </div> </li> <li class="menu-item menu-item--expanded mag-menu__submenu-wrapper mag-menu__item mag-menu__item--insights"> <a href="/insights" class="mag-menu__link mag-menu__link--alt" data-drupal-link-system-path="taxonomy/term/414436">Insights</a> <div id="aria-insights" class="mag-submenu mag-submenu--0"> <ul class="mag-submenu__menu"> <li class="menu-item mag-submenu__item"> <a href="/insights/mythbuster" class="mag-menu__link mag-submenu__link" data-drupal-link-system-path="taxonomy/term/414446">Mythbuster</a> </li> <li class="menu-item mag-submenu__item"> <a href="/insights/medical-mystery" class="mag-menu__link mag-submenu__link" data-drupal-link-system-path="taxonomy/term/414456">Medical Mystery</a> </li> <li class="menu-item mag-submenu__item"> <a href="/insights/recommended" class="mag-menu__link mag-submenu__link" data-drupal-link-system-path="insights/recommended">Recommended: Books, Videos, Podcasts</a> </li> </ul> </div> </li> <li class="menu-item menu-item--expanded mag-menu__submenu-wrapper mag-menu__item mag-menu__item--voices"> <a href="/voices" class="mag-menu__link mag-menu__link--alt" data-drupal-link-system-path="taxonomy/term/414461">Voices</a> <div id="aria-voices" class="mag-submenu mag-submenu--0"> <ul class="mag-submenu__menu"> <li class="menu-item mag-submenu__item"> <a href="/voices/perspectives" class="mag-menu__link mag-submenu__link" data-drupal-link-system-path="taxonomy/term/414466">Perspectives</a> </li> <li class="menu-item mag-submenu__item"> <a href="/voices/ask-the-expert" class="mag-menu__link mag-submenu__link" data-drupal-link-system-path="taxonomy/term/414441">Ask the Expert</a> </li> <li class="menu-item mag-submenu__item"> <a href="https://alumni.ucsf.edu/stories" class="mag-menu__link mag-submenu__link">Alumni Stories</a> </li> </ul> </div> </li> <li class="menu-item menu-item--expanded mag-menu__submenu-wrapper mag-menu__item mag-menu__item--allissues"> <a href="/archive" class="mag-menu__link mag-menu__link--alt" data-drupal-link-system-path="archive">All Issues</a> <div id="aria-allissues" class="mag-submenu mag-submenu--0"> <ul class="mag-submenu__menu"> <li class="menu-item mag-submenu__item"> <div class="mag-menu__link mag-submenu__link latest-issue"> <div class="views-element-container"><div class="view view-latest-magazine-issue view-id-latest_magazine_issue view-display-id-default js-view-dom-id-fb3bbc932fb9b92a795bd5dbbcb92a720623aebee84569ad9d2b1376214eb0d2"> <div class="view-content"> <div class="views-row"><div><span><a href="/issues/summer-2024" hreflang="en"> <img loading="lazy" src="/sites/default/files/styles/medium/public/2024-06/ucsf-magazine-summer-2024-cover.jpg" width="189" height="220" alt="Cover of UCSF Magazine: top reads “UCSF Magazine, Summer 2024”. Text below reads “Brain Detectives: How neuroscientists are solving the biggest mystery of all” Illustration shows Illustration of a dark maze; the inner circle is the shape of a profile of a human head. People walk around the maze in white coats investigating. One figure wears a fedora and see footprints. Another figure shines a flashlight where the brain would appear on the head silhouette" class="element-fade" /> <div>Latest Issue</div></a></span></div></div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </li> </ul> </div> </li> <li class="menu-item menu-item--expanded mag-menu__submenu-wrapper mag-menu__item mag-menu__item--popular mag-menu__item--featured"> <h2 class="mag-menu__no-link"> Popular <button class="subnav-toggle" aria-controls="aria-popular" aria-expanded=false aria-label="Toggle Submenu"> <span class="subnav-toggle__icon accordion-arrow"></span> </button> </h2> <div id="aria-popular" class="mag-submenu mag-submenu--0"> <ul class="mag-submenu__menu"> <li class="menu-item mag-submenu__item"> <a href="https://magazine.ucsf.edu/road-to-rejuvenation" class="mag-menu__link mag-submenu__link" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/426706">The Road to Rejuvenation</a> </li> <li class="menu-item mag-submenu__item"> <a href="https://magazine.ucsf.edu/prescription-loneliness" class="mag-menu__link mag-submenu__link" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/426696">A Prescription for Loneliness</a> </li> <li class="menu-item mag-submenu__item"> <a href="https://magazine.ucsf.edu/which-skin-care-products-do-we-really-need" class="mag-menu__link mag-submenu__link" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/425486">Which Skin Care Products Do We Really Need?</a> </li> </ul> </div> </li> <li class="menu-item menu-item--expanded mag-menu__submenu-wrapper mag-menu__item mag-menu__item--collections mag-menu__item--featured"> <h2 class="mag-menu__no-link"> Collections <button class="subnav-toggle" aria-controls="aria-collections" aria-expanded=false aria-label="Toggle Submenu"> <span class="subnav-toggle__icon accordion-arrow"></span> </button> </h2> <div id="aria-collections" class="mag-submenu mag-submenu--0"> <ul class="mag-submenu__menu"> <li class="menu-item mag-submenu__item"> <a href="https://magazine.ucsf.edu/collections/covid" class="mag-menu__link mag-submenu__link" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/417796">Combating Coronavirus</a> </li> <li class="menu-item mag-submenu__item"> <a href="https://magazine.ucsf.edu/collections/brain-health" class="mag-menu__link mag-submenu__link" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/420396">Brain Health</a> </li> <li class="menu-item mag-submenu__item"> <a href="/collections/health-equity" class="mag-menu__link mag-submenu__link" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/421106">Health Equity</a> </li> </ul> </div> </li> <div class="mag-nav__ucsf"> <a href="https://www.ucsf.edu/news" class="mag-nav__ucsf-news--menu">Visit UCSF News Center</a> <div class="universal-header__give-mobile mag-nav__ucsf-give--menu"> <a class="universal-header__give" href="https://giving.ucsf.edu">Give to UCSF</a> </div> </div> </ul> </nav> </div> </section> </header> <div class="help"> <div class="region-highlighted"> <div data-drupal-messages-fallback class="hidden"></div> </div> </div> <div class="region-content"> <div id="block-ucsf-mag-content" class="block block-system block-system-main-block"> <main class="main "> <a id="main-content" tabindex="-1"></a> <figure data-history-node-id="419111" class="article-medium-banner"> </figure> <div class="main-content narrow-page"> <header class="article-header article-no-banner"> <div class="article-header__byline"> <p class="article-header__primary-area article-header__mag-topic-area" data-primary-area="pa-medical-mystery"> <span class="article-topic-area">Medical Mystery</span> </p> </div> <h1> <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">The Case of the Confused Grandfather</span> </h1> <p class="article-header__author"> By Ariel Bleicher and illustrated by Eleanor Davis <span class="article-affiliation">UCSF Magazine</span> <time class="article-issue article-affiliation" datetime=2019-07-09T21:30:00>Summer 2019</time> </p> </header> <ul class="article-meta-share"> <li> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.facebook.com/share.php?u=https://magazine.ucsf.edu/case-confused-grandfather" target="_blank" title="Facebook"> <span class="fab fa-facebook-square"></span> <span class="indent-text">Facebook</span> </a> </li> <li> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.twitter.com/share?text=The Case of the Confused Grandfather&url=https://magazine.ucsf.edu/case-confused-grandfather" target="_blank" title="Twitter"> <span class="fa-brands fa-square-x-twitter"></span> <span class="indent-text">Twitter</span> </a> </li> <li> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.reddit.com/submit?url=https://magazine.ucsf.edu/case-confused-grandfather&title=The Case of the Confused Grandfather" target="_blank" title="Reddit"> <span class="fab fa-reddit-square"></span> <span class="indent-text">Reddit</span> </a> </li> <li> <a rel="nofollow" href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#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" title="Email Article"> <span class="fas fa-envelope-square"></span> <span class="indent-text">Email</span> </a> </li> <li> <a rel="nofollow" onclick="window.print();return false;" href="https://magazine.ucsf.edu/case-confused-grandfather" title="Print Article"> <span class="fas fa-print"></span> <span class="indent-text">Print</span> </a> </li> </ul> <div class="page_narrow"><style type="text/css">.article-meta-share {display:none;} @media (min-width: 1050px){ .article-meta-share {height:0rem;}} </style> <p class="feature-text">For months, the 78-year-old* had been behaving strangely. Fearing the worst, his family consulted UCSF neurologist Georges Naasan, MD.</p> <figure data-embed-button="media_assets" data-entity-embed-display="entity_reference:media_thumbnail" data-entity-embed-display-settings="{"image_style":"full_bleed__image","image_link":"","link_url":""}" data-entity-type="media" data-entity-uuid="f3139ebf-bb2f-42d7-8fd1-bd1bf151aaa8" class="full-bleed-image embedded-entity" data-langcode="en"><picture> <img loading="lazy" src="/sites/default/files/styles/full_bleed__image/public/2020-11/med-mystery-confused-grandfather_0.png" width="1280" height="1516" alt="5 panel cartoon illustration." class="element-fade"> </picture></figure> <p style="position:absolute; left:-10000px; top:auto; width:1px; height:1px; overflow:hidden;">Four panel cartoon illustration. Top panel, left. Text reads: The Case of the Confused Grandfather. For months For months, the 78-year-old* had been behaving strangely. Fearing the worst, his family consulted UCSF neurologist Georges Naasan, MD. As told to Ariel Bleicher. Illustrated by Eleanor Davis. Below text: large cartoon illustration of Dr. Naasan with four thought bubbles coming out of his head. First thought bubble reads: The patient was severely paranoid: He thought the hospital staff was out to get him. Most doctors would have diagnosed dementia, but I knew this wasn’t your typical case. On right: cartoon of Dr. Hassan holding a clipboard, with an elderly male patient and two women next to him with concerned looks on their faces. Text above elderly patient’s head reads: involuntary spasm and a thought bubble reads: Food tastes bad. My bones hurt. You’re not a real doctor! Thought bubbles above women’s head read: Dad is normally so sweet. He tore up the intake form and ate it! Second panel, left: Cartoon illustration of Dr. Nassan. Text to the left reads: George Naasan, MD, UCSF Memory and Aging Center. Thought bubble to right of him reads: Testing was hard. Everything was a negotiation. To right: cartoon illustration of Dr. Naasan holding up a syringe and elderly patient with his hands up. Thought bubbles read: We need to draw some blood. I’ll only give you three tubes. How about five? Third panel, left: cartoon showing silhouette of a large head, with the brain visible, in color, and three indicators, one pointing to a neuron, one pointing to a killer immune cell, and one pointing to a tumor antibody. Thought bubble from Dr. Naasan reads: The MRI and spinal tap results were unremarkable. At right: cartoon of Dr. Nassan studying brain scans. Four different pathogens are crossed out, indicating that he eliminated them as a cause. Fourth panel, left: cartoon silhouette of brain described above. To right: cartoon of woman looking sad and elderly patient next to her looking confused. Thought bubble reads: If it really is dementia, we’ll take him back to Ohio to care for him – and say goodbye. Fifth panel: Two thought bubbles from Dr. Naasan read: Finally, after two weeks of searching, we found a molecule in his blood – an antibody – that suggested his immune system was attacking his brain. This is very rare, but it can sometimes be triggered by cancer. We scanned the patient and found colon cancer. Cartoon to right: Dr. Naasan holding a clipboard and speaking with the woman, who is crying and holding her hands to her chest. Thought bubble from Dr. Naasan reads: If we treat your father’s cancer, his cognitive problem may go away. Thought bubble from woman reads: Thank you for not giving up. Thought bubble from Dr. Naasan reads: Thank you for trusting me.</p> <p class="small-text">* Identifying information about the patient and his family has been changed to protect their privacy. The rest of the story is true according to Naasan’s memory and case notes.</p> </div> <div class="paragraph-text-block">  <div style="background-color:#f2f4f6; padding-left:5%; padding-right:5%; padding-top:5%; padding-bottom:1%;"> <dom-twocolumn-layout data-column1-color="transparent" data-column1-size="30" data-column2-color="transparent" data-column2-size="70"> <div class="column1" slot="column1" style="--column1-color: var(--bg-transparent); --column1-size: var(--size-30); --column1-font-color: var(--font-black)"> <figure data-embed-button="media_assets" data-entity-embed-display="entity_reference:media_thumbnail" data-entity-embed-display-settings="{"image_style":"w","image_link":"","link_url":"\/issues\/summer-2019"}" data-entity-type="media" data-entity-uuid="fd77f62b-01b8-49bd-b2bd-74fc6a9803ee" data-langcode="en" class="embedded-entity"><a href="/issues/summer-2019"><picture> <img loading="lazy" src="/sites/default/files/styles/w/public/2020-11/ucsf-magazine-summer-2019-cover.jpg" width="600" height="700" alt="Cover of the Summer 2019 edition of UCSF Magazine: reads “Poison Control...the the rescue!”; comic book-style illustration of three people running through San Francisco; man in the is on the phone; there is a puddles, pills and pill bottle on the ground; Sutro tower shines in the background." class="element-fade"> </picture></a></figure> </div> <div class="column2" slot="column2" style="--column2-color: var(--bg-transparent); --column2-size: var(--size-70); --column2-font-color: var(--font-black)"> <h3 class="eyebrow-title">UCSF Magazine</h3> <p style="font-family:'HelveticaNeueLTW04-45Light','HelveticaNeue','Helvetica','Arial',sans-serif;font-size: 18px;font-style:normal;line-height:32px;cont-weight:500">Want more insights from experts on the forefront of health?</p> <p><a class="link--cta" href="/issues/summer-2019">Read on</a></p> </div> </dom-twocolumn-layout> </div> </div> <div class="tags-menu-region"> <h3 class="tags-menu__title">UCSF News Topics</h3> <div class="views-element-container"><div class="view view-ucsf-topics-for-magazine-articles-terms view-id-ucsf_topics_for_magazine_articles_terms view-display-id-block_1 js-view-dom-id-731003d710801a14e9b4f9ccedd958629781df0c1a3699aa0cf148a8393559d5"> <div class="view-content"> <div> <ul class="tags-menu"> <li class="tags-menu__item"><a href="https://www.ucsf.edu/topics/neurology">Neurology</a></li> </ul> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </main> <section class="recommended-articles has-recommended-article " role="complementary"> <div class="recommended-articles__banner"> <h2 class="recommended-articles__title">Recommended Reading</h2> <a href="https://magazine.ucsf.edu/case-elusive-infection" class="recommended-article__link"> <div class="recommended-article__image"> <figure> <picture class="field field-card-image field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item"> <img loading="lazy" src="/sites/default/files/styles/recommended_article__image/public/2020-01/medical-mystery-wi20-card.png" width="850" height="470" alt="Male doctor in lab coat looking at organisms and dna through a magnifying glass; woman sweating and looking distressed." class="element-fade"/> </picture> </figure> </div> <header class="recommended-article__copy"> <ul class="article-header__byline remove-ext-url"> <li class="article-header__primary-area article-header__mag-topic-area"> <span class="article-topic-area">Medical Mystery</span> </li> <li class="article-header__date magazine-article-card__date"> <time class="article-issue article-affiliation" datetime=2020-01-21T19:25:41>Winter 2020</time> </li> </ul> <h2> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field-short-title field--type-text field--label-hidden field__item">The Case of the Elusive Infection</div> </h2> </header> </a> </div> <div class="views-element-container"><div class="element-swoosh view view-articles-by-term view-id-articles_by_term view-display-id-block_1 js-view-dom-id-35785687ba397c102b74740eb94745e635e0276bc1697d6b364d2702470e151c"> <div class="view-content"> <div class="views-row"> <article data-history-node-id="428896" class="news-card" data-primary-area=""> <a href="https://www.ucsf.edu/news/2024/11/428896/how-optogenetics-can-put-brakes-epilepsy-seizures" class="news-card__link"> <figure> <picture class="field field-card-image field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item"> <source srcset="/sites/default/files/styles/news_card__image/public/2024-11/brain-slice-microscopy_0.jpg 1x, /sites/default/files/styles/news_card__image/public/2024-11/brain-slice-microscopy_0.jpg 2x" media="all and (max-width: 599px)" type="image/jpeg" width="600" height="338"/> <img loading="lazy" src="/sites/default/files/styles/news_card__image/public/2024-11/brain-slice-microscopy_0.jpg" width="600" height="338" alt="A microscopic close-up of brain tissue, dyed purple and blue." class="element-fade"/> </picture> </figure> <header class="news-card__copy"> <ul class="article-header__byline"> <li class="article-header__primary-area article-header__mag-topic-area"><span class="article-topic-area">UCSF News</span></li> <li class="article-header__date"> <div class="field field-date-and-time field--type-datetime field--label-hidden field__item"><time datetime="2024-11-15T17:16:12Z" class="datetime"> Nov. 15, 2024 </time> </div> </li> </ul> <h2><span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">How Optogenetics Can Put the Brakes on Epilepsy Seizures</span> </h2> </header> </a> </article> </div> <div class="views-row"> <article data-history-node-id="428876" class="news-card" data-primary-area=""> <a href="https://www.ucsf.edu/news/2024/11/428876/ai-tool-helps-neurosurgeons-find-sneaky-cancer-cells" class="news-card__link"> <figure> <picture class="field field-card-image field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item"> <source srcset="/sites/default/files/styles/news_card__image/public/2024-11/shawn-hervey-jumper-surgery.jpg 1x, /sites/default/files/styles/news_card__image/public/2024-11/shawn-hervey-jumper-surgery.jpg 2x" media="all and (max-width: 599px)" type="image/jpeg" width="600" height="338"/> <img loading="lazy" src="/sites/default/files/styles/news_card__image/public/2024-11/shawn-hervey-jumper-surgery.jpg" width="600" height="338" alt="Neuroseurgon Shawn Hervey-Jumper wears surgical scrubs and a mask, along with surgical loupes, while he performs neurosurgery." class="element-fade"/> </picture> </figure> <header class="news-card__copy"> <ul class="article-header__byline"> <li class="article-header__primary-area article-header__mag-topic-area"><span class="article-topic-area">UCSF News</span></li> <li class="article-header__date"> <div class="field field-date-and-time field--type-datetime field--label-hidden field__item"><time datetime="2024-11-13T18:57:03Z" class="datetime"> Nov. 13, 2024 </time> </div> </li> </ul> <h2><span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">This AI Tool Helps Neurosurgeons Find Sneaky Cancer Cells</span> </h2> </header> </a> </article> </div> <div class="views-row"> <article data-history-node-id="428831" class="news-card" data-primary-area=""> <a href="https://www.ucsf.edu/news/2024/11/428831/1-genomic-test-can-diagnose-nearly-any-infection" class="news-card__link"> <figure> <picture class="field field-card-image field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item"> <source srcset="/sites/default/files/styles/news_card__image/public/2024-11/charles-chiu-dna-extraction.jpg 1x, /sites/default/files/styles/news_card__image/public/2024-11/charles-chiu-dna-extraction.jpg 2x" media="all and (max-width: 599px)" type="image/jpeg" width="600" height="338"/> <img loading="lazy" src="/sites/default/files/styles/news_card__image/public/2024-11/charles-chiu-dna-extraction.jpg" width="600" height="338" alt="Researcher Charles Chiu is pictured in the reflection of a robotic machine used to extract DNA from a sample." class="element-fade"/> </picture> </figure> <header class="news-card__copy"> <ul class="article-header__byline"> <li class="article-header__primary-area article-header__mag-topic-area"><span class="article-topic-area">UCSF News</span></li> <li class="article-header__date"> <div class="field field-date-and-time field--type-datetime field--label-hidden field__item"><time datetime="2024-11-13T01:28:53Z" class="datetime"> Nov. 12, 2024 </time> </div> </li> </ul> <h2><span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">1 Genomic Test Can Diagnose Nearly Any Infection</span> </h2> </header> </a> </article> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="footer-ctas-wrapper"> <div class="field field-ankle-cta field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><h2>Get <em>UCSF Magazine</em> in your inbox</h2> </div> </div> <div class="field__item"> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p><a class="subscribe__submit" href="/subscribe-magazine">Subscribe</a></p> </div> </div> </div> </div> </section> </div> </div> <footer class="footer-region"> <div class="footer"> <figure class="footer-logo"> <a class="footer-logo__link" href="/"> <div class="footer-logo__image"> <img class="footer-logo__img" src="/themes/custom/ucsf_mag/images/ucsf-magazine-logo-white.svg" alt="UCSF Footer Logo" width="498" height="75"> </div> </a> </figure> <div class="follow"> <h2>Follow UCSF:</h2> <ul> <li class="follow-facebook"> <a href="https://www.facebook.com/ucsf"> <span class="fab fa-facebook-f"></span> <span class="indent-text">Facebook</span> </a> </li> <li class="follow-twitter"> <a href="https://www.twitter.com/ucsf"> <span class="fab fa-x-twitter"></span> <span class="indent-text">Twitter</span> </a> </li> <li class="follow-youtube"> <a href="https://www.youtube.com/ucsf"> <span class="fab fa-youtube"></span> <span class="indent-text">YouTube</span> </a> </li> <li class="follow-instagram"> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/ucsf"> <span class="fab fa-instagram"></span> <span class="indent-text">Instagram</span> </a> </li> </ul> </div> <div class="subscribe-form"> <h2 class="subscribe-form__title">Stay up to date <span>on the latest at <em>UCSF Magazine</em> </span> </h2> <a href="/subscribe-magazine" class="email-subscribe__submit">Subscribe</a> </div> <nav aria-label="Main" id="block-ucsf-mag-magazinefootercol1" class="block block-menu navigation menu--magazine-footer-col1"> <ul block="block-ucsf-mag-magazinefootercol1" class="menu"> <li class="menu-item" > <a href="https://magazine.ucsf.edu/about-ucsf-magazine" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/420771">About</a> </li> <li class="menu-item" > <a href="https://magazine.ucsf.edu/about-ucsf-magazine#contact" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/420771">Contact</a> </li> <li class="menu-item" > <a href="https://magazine.ucsf.edu/about-ucsf-magazine#editorial-team" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/420771">Editorial Team</a> </li> </ul> </nav> <nav aria-label="Main" id="block-ucsf-mag-magazinefootercol2" class="block block-menu navigation menu--magazine-footer-col2"> <ul block="block-ucsf-mag-magazinefootercol2" class="menu"> <li class="menu-item" > <a href="https://www.ucsf.edu/news">UCSF News Center</a> </li> <li class="menu-item" > <a href="https://www.ucsf.edu/campus-news">Campus News</a> </li> <li class="menu-item" > <a href="https://www.ucsf.edu/news/media-coverage">Media Coverage</a> </li> <li class="menu-item" > <a href="https://www.ucsf.edu/news-media/journalists">Resources for Journalists</a> </li> </ul> </nav> </div> <div class="footer-bottom"> <p>© 2002 - 2024 The Regents of The University of California</p> <ul> <li><a href="/node/420766">Site Map</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.ucsf.edu/accessibility-resources">Accessibility</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.ucsf.edu/website-privacy-policy">Privacy Policy</a></li> <li><a href="https://websites.ucsf.edu/website-terms-use">Terms of Use </a></li> <li><a href="https://websites.ucsf.edu/azlist">A-Z Website List</a></li> </ul> </div> </footer> </div> </div> <script data-cfasync="false" src="/cdn-cgi/scripts/5c5dd728/cloudflare-static/email-decode.min.js"></script><script>window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; window.dataLayer.push({"drupalLanguage":"en","drupalCountry":"US","siteName":"UCSF Magazine","entityCreated":"1606157504","entityLangcode":"en","entityStatus":"1","entityUid":"10476","entityUuid":"302a71fe-a4c3-4cac-bb29-fc514ce84055","entityVid":"738011","entityName":"stephanie.koch","entityType":"node","entityBundle":"magazine_article","entityId":"419111","entityTitle":"The Case of the Confused Grandfather","entityTaxonomy":{"areas":{"725":"Patient Care"},"article_type":{"715":"Web Story"},"custom_authors":{"414366":"Ariel Bleicher and illustrated by Eleanor Davis"},"magazine_issue":{"414616":"Summer 2019"},"magazine_topic_areas":{"414456":"Medical Mystery"},"topics":{"766":"UCSF Magazine","668":"Neurology"}},"userUid":0});</script>  <link name="polymer_platform" href="/modules/custom/ckeditor_y3ti_plugins/elements/build.html" rel="import" /> <script type="application/json" data-drupal-selector="drupal-settings-json">{"path":{"baseUrl":"\/","pathPrefix":"","currentPath":"node\/419111","currentPathIsAdmin":false,"isFront":false,"currentLanguage":"en"},"pluralDelimiter":"\u0003","suppressDeprecationErrors":true,"ajaxPageState":{"libraries":"eJxlkFFuAyEMRC9El48eCHnB2XVjMMImKT19aTZplPbHGr3RjEaOZ0xk0sJ4NwqV-0ZF_RXXKLlKwWLqIoPq8CsoPnRGVdhwetLQF2kZmL7QJTBgGNj8ijtcSJq6E7FNEKEaSXEVGmwN6q4-tV6BlydZeql9ZdIdk1OJBBzyHAiBqZzV_0eL7ZjRqYGRGsXf0idxOtQwH_t71JNHnpli4QTpD5ELNoYaEhrG29wXW68iuh9sY1mBD_1zwn0cRSl6x4VmnwIrQotHLkCSFQMU4HHb-4SHn2F7dF8Ir-pvd4EP-HwBWVJndEO69Vm4ATO2cY--qY35n-0b7qS8hw","theme":"ucsf_mag","theme_token":"yq8Y5-ZddKGaWhOBZZPHQo3J0SOAkweVOKOFd-ycnm4"},"ajaxTrustedUrl":[],"dataLayer":{"defaultLang":"en","languages":{"en":{"id":"en","name":"English","direction":"ltr","weight":0}}},"statistics":{"data":{"nid":"419111"},"url":"\/core\/modules\/statistics\/statistics.php"},"views":{"ajax_path":"\/views\/ajax","ajaxViews":{"views_dom_id:35785687ba397c102b74740eb94745e635e0276bc1697d6b364d2702470e151c":{"view_name":"articles_by_term","view_display_id":"block_1","view_args":"766+668\/419111","view_path":"\/node\/419111","view_base_path":null,"view_dom_id":"35785687ba397c102b74740eb94745e635e0276bc1697d6b364d2702470e151c","pager_element":0}}},"user":{"uid":0,"permissionsHash":"0c730a228c7c7fb09ef69cc49872503ed212ec963125de64d7bd9d3929d14bf0"}}</script> <script src="/sites/default/files/js/js_ChBLFJmLnJSY1j9tLrWbRTmJImKSKrgUmJ7S1dxzYdk.js?scope=footer&delta=0&language=en&theme=ucsf_mag&include=eJxlkFtuxCAMRTdEw0cXhBzwELcGI2xmSlffaJI2GvXHso59_bjxExOZ9DDfjULjkamqf-AapTSpWE1dAgOGid2vuMGdpKtTiQQcyq6GwFQ_1f9Hi21Y0OlUw-JXUHQj6s1nlhXYRQbVefAzL6gKGdVF6eir9AJM34csFMi_0inDxoohAzP2eeI3tbkvzk4NjNQoqk99NODlIu5O-FD_jEuRNBhfEHzA13Em8n59tXCDhK9EHyK6uQYdcoe2_a25yDJqGyuTbpjcjdh2-yI0I6mvs-SOnaGFhIbxKj8_Pi2lKFVPXGnvV2BF6HE7jIEkuxdQgefz5wv-AIwovIc"></script> <script src="https://kit.fontawesome.com/0047baebb3.js" crossorigin="anonymous"></script> <script src="/sites/default/files/js/js_Oq1d2wSYVFflmjq_ieMeen_jLzugyIKy7nz4tzkENm4.js?scope=footer&delta=2&language=en&theme=ucsf_mag&include=eJxlkFtuxCAMRTdEw0cXhBzwELcGI2xmSlffaJI2GvXHso59_bjxExOZ9DDfjULjkamqf-AapTSpWE1dAgOGid2vuMGdpKtTiQQcyq6GwFQ_1f9Hi21Y0OlUw-JXUHQj6s1nlhXYRQbVefAzL6gKGdVF6eir9AJM34csFMi_0inDxoohAzP2eeI3tbkvzk4NjNQoqk99NODlIu5O-FD_jEuRNBhfEHzA13Em8n59tXCDhK9EHyK6uQYdcoe2_a25yDJqGyuTbpjcjdh2-yI0I6mvs-SOnaGFhIbxKj8_Pi2lKFVPXGnvV2BF6HE7jIEkuxdQgefz5wv-AIwovIc"></script> <script data-cfasync="false"> (function(w,i,s,e){window[w]=window[w]||function(){(window[w].q=window[w].q||[]).push(arguments)}; window[w].l=Date.now();s=document.createElement('script'); e=document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; s.defer=1;s.src=i;e.parentNode.insertBefore(s, e)}) ('wisepops', 'https://wisepops.net/loader.js?v=2&h=kNPgnD2Yo2'); </script> <script type="text/javascript"> /*<![CDATA[*/ (function() { var sz = document.createElement('script'); sz.type = 'text/javascript'; sz.async = true; sz.src = '//siteimproveanalytics.com/js/siteanalyze_8343.js'; var s = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(sz, s); })(); /*]]>*/ </script> </body> </html>

CINXE.COM

The Case of the Confused Grandfather | UCSF Magazine