Episode 29: The Neuroscience of Alien Hand Syndrome

Neuroscience: Amateur Hour

A tragic incident - a brain injury, a stroke, the development of a neurodegenerative disease, and all of a sudden, a patient's arm no longer belongs to them. It will pull their hair, pinch their cheeks, and grab miscellaneous objects, seemingly developing a mind of its own.
How can something that belongs to you and is controlled by your brain, your electrical pulses, and your motor neurons ever develop a mind of its own? Listen to find out more!
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Citations and relevant papers are below!
Doody RS, Jankovic J. The alien hand and related signs. Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery & Psychiatry. 1992;55(9):806-810. doi:https://doi.org/10.1136/jnnp.55.9.806

Panikkath R, Panikkath D, Mojumder D, Nugent K. The alien hand syndrome. Proceedings (Baylor University Medical Center). 2014;27(3):219-220. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4059570/#:~:text=Alien%20hand%20syndrome%20is%20a

Caixeta L, Maciel P, Nunes J, Nazareno L, Araújo L, Borges JR. Alien hand syndrome in AIDS: Neuropsychological features and physiopathological considerations based on a case report. Dementia & Neuropsychologia. 2007;1(4):418-421. doi:https://doi.org/10.1590/s1980-57642008dn10400016

Alyssa Anderson. What Is Alien Hand Syndrome? WebMD. Published April 8, 2022. https://www.webmd.com/brain/what-is-alien-hand-syndrome

Parry-Romberg Syndrome | Boston Children’s Hospital. www.childrenshospital.org. https://www.childrenshospital.org/conditions/parry-romberg-syndrome

Feinberg TE, Schindler RJ, Flanagan NG, Haber LD. Two alien hand syndromes. Neurology. 1992;42(1):19-19. doi:https://doi.org/10.1212/wnl.42.1.19

Le K, Zhang C, Greisman L. Alien hand syndrome – a rare presentation of stroke. Journal of Community Hospital Internal Medicine Perspectives. 2020;10(2):149-150. doi:https://doi.org/10.1080/20009666.2020.1756610

Motor Cortex (Section 3, Chapter 3) Neuroscience Online: An Electronic Textbook for the Neurosciences | Department of Neurobiology and Anatomy - The University of Texas Medical School at Houston. nba.uth.tmc.edu. https://nba.uth.tmc.edu/neuroscience/m/s3/chapter03.html#:~:text=The%20premotor%20cortex%20appears%20to

Bru I, Verhamme L, Neve P, Maebe H. Rehabilitation of a patient with alien hand syndrome: A case report of a 61-year old man. Journal of Rehabilitation Medicine – Clinical Communications. 2021;4(1):jrmcc00050. doi:https://doi.org/10.2340/20030711-1000050

Gheewala G, Gadhia R, Surani S, Ratnani I. Posterior Alien Hand Syndrome from Acute Ischemic Left Parietal Lobe Infarction. Cureus. Published online October 3, 2019. doi:https://doi.org/10.7759/cureus.5828

Mannella F, Mirolli M, Baldassarre G. Goal-Directed Behavior and Instrumental Devaluation: A Neural System-Level Computational Model. Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience. 2016;10. doi:https://doi.org/10.3389/fnbeh.2016.00181

McBride J, Sumner P, Jackson SR, Bajaj N, Husain M. Exaggerated object affordance and absent automatic inhibition in alien hand syndrome. Cortex. 2013;49(8):2040-2054. doi:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cortex.2013.01.004

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