Bendii Syndrome

From Memory Alpha, the free Star Trek reference.

Bendii Syndrome is a degenerative neurological illness affecting a minority of elderly Vulcans. Initially it is characterized by a gradual but accelerating loss of emotional control, with victims exhibiting sudden bursts of emotion. Diagnosis is made by culturing tissue samples taken from the patient's metathalamus.

A dangerous side effect of Bendii Syndrome is that the loss of emotional control can be telepathically projected to others. Vulcans are able to resist the emotional projections, but if the afflicted person is in the presence of non-Vulcans the emotions can cause outbreaks of violence.

Ambassador Sarek was afflicted with Bendii Syndrome at the age of 202, and his struggle with the condition ended two years later in 2368, when he died. (TNG: "Sarek", "Unification I")

[edit] Background

• While the name of the affliction was generally pronounced "ben-dye", Sarek himself pronounced it "ban-dee" on at least one occasion.
• The illness is similar in nature to Alzheimer's disease.

[edit] Apocrypha

• In the novel Avenger, Sarek's death was attributed to a poison which had symptoms mimicking those of Bendii Syndrome.