eprintid: 1513405 rev_number: 41 eprint_status: archive userid: 608 dir: disk0/01/51/34/05 datestamp: 2016-09-03 20:13:10 lastmod: 2021-12-11 00:03:26 status_changed: 2016-12-16 12:03:30 type: article metadata_visibility: show creators_name: Wilson, BA creators_name: Vargha-Khadem, F creators_name: Florschutz, G title: Alexander's disease and the story of Louise. ispublished: pub divisions: UCL divisions: B02 divisions: D13 divisions: G26 keywords: Alexander's disease, childhood dementia, leukodystrophy, neuropsychological assessment note: This is an Accepted Manuscript of an article published by Taylor & Francis in Neuropsychological Rehabilitation on 31 Aug 2016, available online: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/09602011.2016.1222945. abstract: We describe the rare condition known as Alexander's disease or Alexander's leukodystrophy, which is essentially a childhood dementia. We then present the case of Louise Davies (we are using Louise's real name with the permission and special request of her mother), a woman who was diagnosed with this disease at the age of 5 years and is still alive at the age of 38, making her the longest known survivor of this condition. Although now severely impaired, both physically and mentally, and able to do very little, she has lived far longer than expected. We present some neuropsychological results from her childhood before measuring her decline over the past four years. We conclude by considering whether or not the diagnosis was correct and why she has lived so long. date: 2018 date_type: published official_url: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/09602011.2016.1222945 oa_status: green full_text_type: other language: eng primo: open primo_central: open_green verified: verified_manual elements_id: 1156365 doi: 10.1080/09602011.2016.1222945 lyricists_name: Vargha-Khadem, Faraneh lyricists_id: FVARG91 full_text_status: public publication: Neuropsychological Rehabilitation volume: 28 number: 2 pagerange: 199-207 event_location: England issn: 1464-0694 citation: Wilson, BA; Vargha-Khadem, F; Florschutz, G; (2018) Alexander's disease and the story of Louise. Neuropsychological Rehabilitation , 28 (2) pp. 199-207. 10.1080/09602011.2016.1222945 <https://doi.org/10.1080/09602011.2016.1222945>. Green open access document_url: https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/1513405/1/Vargha-Khadem_Final%20Alexander%27s%20Disease%20paper%2019.04.161.pdf