By Staff
The Canadian Press
Posted January 23, 2026 6:47 am
1 min read
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The New Brunswick government is expected to release its final report today on a mystery brain disease that has baffled experts for years.
Nearly 400 New Brunswick residents – mostly in the Acadian Peninsula and Moncton area – have reported symptoms of what the province has called a “neurological syndrome of unknown cause.”
First reported in 2021, the illness’s symptoms include memory problems, balance issues, behavioural changes, muscle spasms and bursts of intense pain.
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In 2022, the health department said experts found no evidence that a cluster of cases existed following an investigation of 48 patients – 46 of them referred by a single neurologist: Dr. Alier Marrero.
The list of patients reporting symptoms later increased to 400, and Premier Susan Holt’s Liberals campaigned during the 2024 provincial election on a promise to reopen the investigation.
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A study last year in the journal JAMA Neurology also found no evidence to support claims of a mystery illness, and suggested the media may have played a role in feeding the fears of patients.
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Health Matters: Advocate calls for report on mystery New Brunswick brain disease to be retracted
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