Abstract
Pathophysiology and Treatment of Alien Hand Syndrome
Highlights
Alien hand syndrome (AHS) is a higher-order, motor control disorder featuring involuntary, yet purposeful, movements.[1]
Our understanding of underlying mechanisms remains incomplete, but evidence from pathological and functional neuroimaging studies suggests a role for network disruption causing bihemispheric disinhibition and/or interhemispheric disconnection
Depending on the variant and the underlying pathology, apraxia, neglect, cortical sensory deficits, and other neurologic abnormalities may be present in varying degrees, likely explaining the considerable phenotypic variability among patients
Summary
Alien hand syndrome (AHS) is a higher-order, motor control disorder featuring involuntary, yet purposeful, movements.[1] The affected limb is typically the hand, leg (alien limb phenomena) involvement has been reported.[2] In AHS there is a complex sense of limb foreignness,[3] including misidentifying the limb as the examiner’s. The limb movements are not the result of movement disorders They may be associated with other neurological deficits, including decreased motor spontaneity, speech hesitation, apraxia, tactile dysnomia, and behaviors associated with frontal lobe dysfunction.[5] The movements are sometimes so bizarre that they may be misinterpreted as functional.[4]. Alien hand syndrome (AHS) is a disorder of involuntary, yet purposeful, hand movements that may be accompanied by agnosia, aphasia, weakness, or sensory loss. As with many other interventions for movement disorders, identifying the specific functional impairments caused by AHS may provide the best guidance towards individualized supportive care
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