Alien Hand Syndrome

DOUGH GOOD
Jan 27
2 min read

Updated: Feb 20

Alien Hand Syndrome is quite a scary condition, as those who have it face movements of their hand without any control. It can severely affect physical and mental health due to the helplessness felt, and sometimes this condition could be a sign of stroke. There is currently no known way to prevent alien hand syndrome.

There are five types of alien hand syndrome. Diagnostic dyspraxia (intermanual conflict), where one hand acts independently from the other, alien hand sign, where you believe the hand is not your own, anarchic hand syndrome, where your hand performs tasks without your control, supernumerary hand, where it feels like you have an extra limb, and levitating hand, where your hand raises without conscious effort.

Symptoms of AHS

Involuntary actions/tasks performed by a hand
Touching parts of your clothing, body, objects, etc.
Walking/stepping (if affecting leg)
Difficulty performing tasks that require two hands
Raising your hand
Waving or moving your fingers
Holding objects and being unable to release
Weakness in an arm or leg
Difficulty speaking
Trouble identifying seen or touched objects
Newfound difficulty reading/writing

Which hand does AHS affect, and why?

The lesion or injury in your brain decides which hand is affected, and in some cases, it could be both hands or even a leg. Some examples include the left medial frontal lobe affecting the right hand, and the corpus callosum and the right parietal lobe both affecting the left hand.

By extension, AHS is caused by a lesion or injury to a brain area, like the corpus callosum, parietal region, and frontal region. This could be caused by surgery and underlying conditions.

Underlying conditions leading to AHS