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Alien hand syndrome without a corpus callosum lesion
M G Ventura1, S Goldman, J Hildebrand
1Université Libre de Bruxelles, Faculté de Médecine, CUB, Hôpital Erasme, Belgium.
Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery, and Psychiatry
|June 1, 1995
Summary
Alien hand syndrome can occur after a large posterior brain lesion, not just disconnection. This case highlights a posterior lesion causing involuntary movements and lack of recognition.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Neurology
- Clinical Neuropsychology
Background:
- Alien hand syndrome (AHS) is a rare neurological disorder.
- Typically associated with corpus callosum lesions or disconnection syndromes.
- Characterized by a "foreign" or alien hand exhibiting involuntary movements.
Observation:
- A 58-year-old woman presented with left alien hand syndrome.
- The cause was a right capsulothalamic hemorrhage with mesencephalic extension.
- No corpus callosum lesion was identified.
Findings:
- Positron emission tomography (PET) indicated right cortical dysfunction.
- Cortical dysfunction may explain the lack of hand recognition.
- The lesion itself was linked to the involuntary motor activity.
Implications:
- This case challenges the traditional view of AHS as solely a disconnection syndrome.
- Suggests that large, strategically located posterior brain lesions can also cause AHS.
- Broadens the understanding of the neuroanatomical basis of alien hand syndrome.