How does alien hand syndrome work?

University / Undergraduate
Modified: 11th Feb 2020
Wordcount: 346 words

Disclaimer: This is an example of a student written question. Click here for sample essays written by our professional nursing essay writers.

Cite This

Question

How does alien hand syndrome work?

Answer

Alien hand syndrome is a rare neurological condition, in which one hand (almost always the left) conducts movements without conscious control of the person affected (it can also affect the left leg). Sufferers frequently remark that someone else is moving their hand, or that it is moving on its own. They may also be unaware of the alien hand’s actions until something draws their attention to it.

Get Help With Your Nursing And Healthcare Question

If you need assistance with writing your nursing and healthcare question, our professional nursing and healthcare question writing service is here to help!

Nursing and Healthcare Question Writing Service

The most common cause of alien hand syndrome is damage to the corpus callosum – the part of the brain that serves as the only connection between the two hemispheres. While this can be the result of strokes or other brain damage, severance of the corpus callosum has been a common treatment for severe epilepsy. When the two hemispheres cannot communicate, they each act as separate entities. Each hemisphere controls the hand on the opposite side of the body, and when no longer connected each can form differing opinions, and can act upon them independently. However, when such a person speaks, only one hemisphere is really speaking, as the speech centres are located in the left hemisphere. This leads to the impression that the actions undertaken by the left hand are not under control – the entity controlling them is simply mute, and cannot justify its actions.
Some other conditions can also result in alien hand syndrome.
One-sided damage to mesial parts of the frontal lobe can cause exploratory reaching movements in the corresponding hand, where stretching towards and grasping nearby objects is reinforced through a tactile positive feedback loop (sometimes called magnetic apraxia). It can be difficult to extract the object from the affected hand once this has happened.

Damage to posterior sections of the brain (particularly the inferior parietal lobule) can cause another distinct variant of alien hand syndrome. The affected hand avoids touching objects, and can withdraw in anticipation of things coming into contact with it.

References

 

Cite This Work

To export a reference to this article please select a referencing style below:

Give Yourself The Academic Edge Today

  • On-time delivery or your money back
  • A fully qualified writer in your healthcare subject
  • In-depth proofreading by our Quality Control Team
  • 100% confidentiality, the work is never re-sold or published
  • Standard 7-day amendment period
  • A paper written to the standard ordered
  • A detailed plagiarism report
  • A comprehensive quality report
Discover more about our
Nursing Essay Writing Service

Essay Writing
Service

GBP123

Approximate costs for Undergraduate 2:2

1000 words

7 day delivery

Order An Essay Today

Delivered on-time or your money back

Reviews.io logo

1858 verfied reviews

Get Academic Help Today!

Encrypted with a 256-bit secure payment provider