Your hand has its a mind of its own!?
In Stanley Kubrick’s 1964 film Dr. Strangelove, the main character suffers from a supernatural disease where his one hand has a mind of its own, and he has no control over it. His hand keeps doing a Nazi salute, even through his attempt to reject the gesture. This condition may seem like a funny joke on television, but it is real!
Alien Hand Syndrome, or Dr. Strangelove syndrome, is a rare medical condition in which a person loses control of one of their hands. Their brain is no longer able to give directions to this limb but it continues to move and perform actions, almost with “a mind of its own.” This disease can occur to anyone and is caused by injury to a certain part of the brain, specifically in the frontal lobe, callosal, or posterior. Because it results from brain injury, it has been associated with brain tumors, aneurysms, degenerative brain diseases, and, less commonly, strokes.
In 2017, Baylor University published a case report in which a 77 year old woman was complained that her left hand started moving while she was watching TV. In her report, she said that it started stroking her face and hair as if someone was “controlling it.” Further studies of the patient’s brain showed that unlike normal individuals, there was isolated activation of the contralateral primary motor cortex.
There is no cure for alien hand syndrome. However, there are many ways to reduce symptoms by keeping the hand involved in a task to distract it. Another way is cognitive behavioral therapy, which allows the patient to accept the emotional realities of their condition and consider their alien hand differently.
The good news is that this disease is extremely rare, with only 40–50 cases being recorded since it was first identified by Kurt Goldstein in 1909. So next time you see a horror movie where a body part has a mind of its own, don’t forget about the few people who have to live with that horror everyday.
