Everything About ___
Live briefing

Everything about Alien hand syndrome

Neuropsychiatric disorder

Alien hand syndrome (AHS) or alien limb syndrome is a category of conditions in which a person experiences their limbs acting seemingly on their own, without conscious control over the actions. There are a variety of clinical conditions that fall under this category, most commonly affecting the left hand. There are many similar terms for the various forms of the condition, but they are often used inappropriately. The affected person may sometimes reach for objects and manipulate them without wanting to do so, even to the point of having to use the controllable hand to restrain the alien hand. The occurrence of alien hand syndrome can be usefully conceptualized as a phenomenon reflecting a functional "disentanglement" between thought and action. Wikipedia →

🧭 Start here: a 6-step reading path

  1. Read the overview: Alien hand syndromeA 5-minute orientation
  2. Skim a recent paper: Alien hand syndrome: Pathophysiology, semiology and differential diagnosis with psychiatric disorders (Review)Influential work since 2022
  3. Pick up a classic book: Tattoo Coloring Book for AdultThe most-reprinted book on the subject
  4. Read the landmark paper: Alien Hand SyndromeCited 87 times
  5. Go sideways: Utilization behaviorA closely related topic
  6. Go sideways: Premotor cortexA closely related topic

📖 Definitions

Noun A condition in which a person experiences their limbs acting seemingly on their own, without control over the actions.

🗂️ The subject at a glance

  1. Signs and symptoms
  2. Cause
  3. Diagnosis
  4. Treatment
  5. History
  6. In popular culture
  7. Works cited

🏆 Landmark papers (most cited)

🆕 Influential since 2022

📚 Books worth reading

Ranked by number of editions on Open Library, a rough measure of how lasting a book is.

🔗 Related topics