Posterior Alien Hand Syndrome: Case Report and Rehabilitative Treatment

Alien hand syndrome (AHS) is a rare syndrome characterized by involuntary, uncontrollable, and purposeless movement of one upper limb, which is considered as extraneous by the patient. The term AHS was previously used to describe a syndrome due to lesions in the anterior corpus callosum. Successivel...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of neurologic rehabilitation 2004-09, Vol.18 (3), p.176-181
Main Authors: Pappalardo, A., Ciancio, M. R., Reggio, E., Patti, F.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Brain Ischemia - complications
Brain Ischemia - diagnosis
Dominance, Cerebral
Dyskinesias - etiology
Dyskinesias - physiopathology
Dyskinesias - rehabilitation
Hand
Humans
Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy
Male
Middle Aged
Occipital Lobe - blood supply
Occipital Lobe - pathology
Parietal Lobe - blood supply
Parietal Lobe - pathology
Sensation Disorders - etiology
Sensation Disorders - physiopathology
Sensation Disorders - rehabilitation
Stroke - complications
Stroke - diagnosis
Treatment Outcome
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Summary:Alien hand syndrome (AHS) is a rare syndrome characterized by involuntary, uncontrollable, and purposeless movement of one upper limb, which is considered as extraneous by the patient. The term AHS was previously used to describe a syndrome due to lesions in the anterior corpus callosum. Successively, some authors reported cases of AHS in patients due to posterior cerebral lesions, without lesions of the corpus callosum. Thus, it was possible to distinguish the posterior variant of AHS from the anterior form. The authors report an unusual case of posterior AHS due to a unique parieto-occipital lesion of the dominant hemisphere. However, the patient showed clinical findings that were similar to the anterior AHS. The rehabilitative treatment, individualized and targeted toward the specific needs of the patient, allowed the improvement of the patient’s participation in activities of daily living.
ISSN:0888-4390
1545-9683
1552-6844
DOI:10.1177/0888439004269031