In medicine, there is a place not only for scientific facts, but also for amazing, sometimes mystical phenomena. Among the latter can be attributed the disease of "someone else's hand syndrome." This is a very rare pathology that the average person is unlikely to encounter in everyday life.
general information
This disease is understood as a rare disorder of a neuropsychiatric nature, in which the limbs make movements that are not controlled by the human mind. Just imagine: regardless of your intentions, the hand begins to perform various actions: touch objects, say hello, and hit in the face.
Despite all the unusual, this pathology is quite real. It is a variety of so-called idiokinetic apraxia. Alien syndrome is often accompanied by bouts of epilepsy.
This pathology in medical practice is also known as the "disease of Dr. Strangelove." In the film by Stanley Kubrick, the protagonist named after the ailment had a hand that could lift itself up in a Nazi salute or begin to strangle unexpectedly.
Despite the official recognition of this disease in medical circles, they are still actively interested in adherents of mystical stories. Until now, many believe that this phenomenon is associated with the supernatural abilities of man.
Alien Hand Syndrome: Myth or Reality?
This disorder was first discovered in 1909. Since then, only 50 such cases have been reported.
A German neurologist Goldstein once turned to a lady who, while resting, was constantly strangled by her own hand. The doctor was not able to detect any serious mental abnormalities in the patient to explain such attacks from a medical point of view. After the death of a woman, Goldstein performed an autopsy and examined her brain. The doctor found injuries that destroyed the connection between the two hemispheres.
Today, someone else's syndrome is the cause of numerous disputes among scientists from around the world. There is no universal way to treat it. To reduce the symptoms, doctors recommend psychotropic drugs.
Relatively recently, neurosurgeons discussed the consequences of an operation performed on the brain, as a result of which the patient developed this disorder. This fact is confirmation that the disease develops against the background of injuries and mechanical damage to the brain. Doctors studied the effects of surgery and came to the conclusion that this rare disease really arose after the operation. A woman now has to wage a daily struggle with her own limb, which once almost strangled her. The patient was prescribed sedative, so the deviation was able to curb for some time. However, it is now impossible to predict how the hand will behave in the future.
The main causes of pathology
Why does a strange hand syndrome occur? The causes of this disorder are still unexplored.
Neurologists rely on the theory that the human brain cannot determine the difference between previously planned actions and mechanical functions. It is believed that the desire that arises in a person penetrates into that part of the brain that is subconscious, and then it becomes a mechanical function. As a result, “violent” movements of the limbs appear.
Such actions are regarded as disturbing, and at times mystical. Today, this theory has a stage of speculation. Scientists still cannot explain why someone else’s hand syndrome affects only a specific part of the body.
What diseases does this disorder accompany?
- Stroke.
- Formations of malignant nature.
- Injuries and mechanical damage.
- Cortico-basal degeneration.
- Vascular heart attacks.
- Pathologies leading to damage to the corpus callosum (agenesis, multiple sclerosis).
- Alzheimer's disease.
Clinical picture
Pathology begins its development with the fact that the patient has a feeling of foreignness of his own limb. As the disease progresses, a person cannot fully control the movements of the hand, it literally does not obey him. The limbs suddenly begin to live their own lives, sometimes trying to attack their master. They stop executing commands given by the brain. Sometimes a person is forced to tie a limb so as not to become its accidental victim and thus curb the syndrome of someone else's hand. Symptoms of this pathology develop very rapidly, which forces a person to seek help at a medical institution.
Ways of development of the pathological process
Doctors distinguish three options for the development of this disease:
- Callosal. In this case, there is a violation of the direct connection between the right and left hemisphere of the brain.
- Frontal. As a result of damage to the anterior cingulate gyrus and motor cortex, the disease gradually spreads to the dominant limb. The research mechanisms are disinhibited, so the grasping reflex is most pronounced .
- Talamic. Against the background of the defeat of the thalamic system, there is a violation of control over the movements of the limb, the body scheme is distorted. A person loses the ability to put objects on a table or touch his own nose.
The described pathways of the pathological process sometimes occur in mixed form. To determine the specific variant of the disease, you need to seek help from a doctor. Only a qualified specialist after a full examination can confirm the diagnosis of "someone else's syndrome."
Treatment and prognosis
Currently, doctors cannot offer effective therapy to combat this disease. Treatment and prognosis are determined by the ailment that caused it. First of all, they eliminate the causes of pathology. In the presence of obvious neuropsychological disorders, medications are prescribed to eliminate them. Psychotropic medicines are used to relieve motor arousal.
Cortico-basal degeneration, which usually accompanies the syndrome, inevitably progresses. The main disease gradually becomes less pronounced against the background of increasing weakness in muscle tissue. According to statistics, a fatal outcome occurs within the first 10 years after the onset of symptoms that characterize someone else's syndrome. Photos of patients with this diagnosis can be studied in specialized medical guides.
In the absence of serious damage to the brain, the prognosis is favorable. As a result of drug treatment, patients with this syndrome recover or continue to live, gradually adapting to all changes in the body.