Hair-brushing syndrome is a rare condition in which static electricity causes a potentially fatal interruption in brain function or neurological communication with the body organs. No studies of this condition exist in the medical literature, but it has received widespread attention in the popular press.
Hair-brushing syndrome received widespread media attention in 2011 after a case was reported at the Royal Hospital for Sick Children in Glasgow, Scotland. Newspapers noted that for the patient involved, a 13-year-old Scottish girl, activities such as brushing her hair while sitting up, wearing polyester or other "shiny" fabrics, jumping on a trampoline, walking across a carpet in stocking feet, or touching balloons or rubbing them against her head could all potentially cause a fatal episode. She is only permitted to brush her hair upside down with a damp brush.
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