Alien hand syndrome: causes, symptoms, treatment

What is alien hand syndrome

Alien hand syndrome is a situation where a person losesR. Panikkath, D. Panikkath, D. Mojumder, K. Nugent. The alien hand syndrome / Baylor University Medical Center control over his hand, much less often - over his leg. Violation is infrequent, but has become viral in popular culture thanks to the film Stanley Kubrick Dr. Strangelove, or How I Stopped Worrying and Loved the Atomic Bomb. Hence the second name - Dr. Strangelove's disease.

Although this syndrome is also loved by other directors: he met in the TV series "House Doctor" and "Scream Queens", the film "Idle Hands", and the Thing in "The Addams Family" - it is literally a hand that has a mind.

How does alien hand syndrome manifest?

In this syndrome, the hand SeemsL.A. Scepkowski A. Cronin-Golomb. The alien hand: cases, categorizations, and anatomical correlates / Behavioral and cognitive neuroscience reviews a stranger and behaves as if she has her own mind: she does not obey the will of a person and performs actions that are inexplicable to the owner. For example, touching the face and body, unbuttoning and fastening buttons, taking objects, opening drawers. Since her actions cannot be controlled, she often appears "bad" or "naughty". The limb is perceived to be so separate from the body that often people even give it its own name.

This feeling of alienation of the hand is an important difference between the syndrome and conditions associated with tics or reflex twitches, such as Tourette syndrome.

In addition to the emerging feeling of foreignness of the limb, the syndrome can manifestF. Aboitiz, X. Carrasco, C. Schroter, D. Zaidel, E. Zaidel, M. Lavados. The alien hand syndrome: classification of forms reported and discussion of a new condition / Neurological Sciences and in another way:

• conflict between hand actions;
• feeling of having an "extra" limb;
• levitating hand.

Why Alien Hand Syndrome Occurs

alien hand syndrome developsR. Panikkath, D. Panikkath, D. Mojumder, K. Nugent. The alien hand syndrome / Baylor University Medical Center when the corpus callosum, which connects the hemispheres, is affected. Or when dissociatesF. Assal, S. Schwartz, P. Vuilleumier. Moving with or without will: functional neural correlates of alien hand syndrome / Annals of neurology the work of two parts of the cerebral cortex: the premotor, which is responsible for controlling actions and planning movements, and the primary motor, which regulates movements. This may take placeJ. Graff‑Radford, M. N. Rubin, D. T. Jones, A. J. Aksamit, J. E. Ahlskog, D. S. Knopman, R. C. Peterson, b. F. Boeve, K. A. Josephs. The alien limb phenomenon / Journal of neurology for various reasons:

• stroke or transient, that is, transient, cerebral ischemia;
• brain tumor;
• head injury;
• dementia;
• demyelinating diseases of the brain, such as multiple sclerosis;
• brain surgery;
• neuroinfections such as mad cow disease.

Why is Alien Hand Syndrome dangerous?

The scientific literature does not describe specific cases when the hand is really causedR. Panikkath, D. Panikkath, D. Mojumder, K. Nugent. The alien hand syndrome / Baylor University Medical Center physical harm. Although it is sometimes mentioned in passing how she tried to strangle the owner, this information usually requires confirmation. It was also reported that one day a man's hand masturbatedU. Kischka, T.M. Ettlin, L. Lichtenstern, C. Riedo. Alien hand syndrome of the dominant hand and ideomotor apraxia of the nondominant hand / European neurology in front of the nurse, and he couldn't stop it. So this syndrome can seriously complicate life.

How is alien hand syndrome treated?

There is no effective treatment for alien hand syndrome. He can lastR. Panikkath, D. Panikkath, D. Mojumder, K. Nugent. The alien hand syndrome / Baylor University Medical Center from a few days to several years, and then pass. This is due to the extreme neuroplasticity of the brain and its ability to recover - some areas can take over the functions of the damaged ones. The shortest documented incident of violation lasted only 30 minutes.

Symptoms can controlJ. J. Nicholas, M. H. Wichner, P. b. Gorelick, M. M. Ramsey. "Naturalization" of the alien hand: case report / Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, if you occupy your hand with something, restrain it or “calm it down” by stroking or putting it, for example, into a mitten, a culinary mitten.

There are no approved drugs for this syndrome, but finding them continuesH. Sarva, A. Deik, W.L. severt. Pathophysiology and Treatment of Alien Hand Syndrome / Tremor and Other Hyperkinetic Movements. So, a case is described when a thirteen-year-old girl with a “levitating” arm was helped by botulinum toxin and an anticonvulsant. And another patient began to use her hand when, after cognitive behavioral therapy learned to control anger and frustration over the diagnosis.