It started as a quiet moment in front of the TV—until her hand turned against her.
A 77-year-old woman was relaxing at home when she noticed her left hand slowly, deliberately stroking her own face and hair. She hadn’t moved it. In fact, she tried to grab it with her right hand to stop it—but no luck. For nearly 30 minutes, she watched in helpless disbelief as her limb carried out actions on its own.
“Her left hand stroked her face and hair without her will. She got terrified,” wrote doctors in a 2014 case study published in Baylor University Medical Center Proceedings. “Her attempts to control the left hand with the right hand were unsuccessful. She did not have any control of the left hand for almost 30 minutes as it continued to make purposeful movements.”
Panicked, her husband rushed her to the hospital, where staff immediately noticed she was dragging her left leg. Scans of her brain revealed recent strokes in both parietal lobes—regions responsible for processing sensory input and movement.
What is Alien Hand Syndrome(AHS)?
The unexpected diagnosis: Alien Hand Syndrome (AHS), also known as Dr. Strangelove syndrome—a rare and unsettling neurological condition where a person's hand moves on its own, often performing complex tasks without the person’s intent.
“Alien hand syndrome, or Dr. Strangelove syndrome, is an interesting situation in which a person loses control of his or her hand, which starts to act independently,” the doctors wrote. “The alien hand might grab onto things and the person might have to use the other limb to release the objects from it. At extremes, the alien hand has been reported to even suffocate the patient.”
In real life, people with AHS have described their hand undoing buttons they just fastened, snuffing out lit cigarettes, and even slapping their own faces.
In this case, doctors believe her symptoms were brought on by the interruption of blood flow to the brain—likely a result of stopping her blood clot medication ahead of planned spinal surgery. While Alien Hand Syndrome is known to be triggered by brain trauma, stroke, tumors, or neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s, it remains one of the rarest neurological phenomena. A 2013 medical review found just 150 cases ever documented.
What made this woman’s case even more extraordinary was how brief it was. Symptoms of AHS can persist for weeks, months, or even years—but hers resolved within 30 minutes, making it the shortest-known episode on record. Still, her left arm remained weak and numb for several hours afterward.
An ultrasound later showed her heart and major blood vessels were free of clots. She was instructed to resume her medication, and was discharged with no further complications.
There’s currently no definitive treatment for AHS, though behavioral strategies like keeping the affected hand busy can sometimes help manage episodes. Because of how rare it is, there’s still much that’s unknown—both about what causes the syndrome, and how many people may be living with it undiagnosed.
The first known case of Alien Hand Syndrome was described by neurologist Kurt Goldstein in 1908. Over a century later, it still continues to challenge doctors—and terrify patients—with its surreal symptoms.
A 77-year-old woman was relaxing at home when she noticed her left hand slowly, deliberately stroking her own face and hair. She hadn’t moved it. In fact, she tried to grab it with her right hand to stop it—but no luck. For nearly 30 minutes, she watched in helpless disbelief as her limb carried out actions on its own.
“Her left hand stroked her face and hair without her will. She got terrified,” wrote doctors in a 2014 case study published in Baylor University Medical Center Proceedings. “Her attempts to control the left hand with the right hand were unsuccessful. She did not have any control of the left hand for almost 30 minutes as it continued to make purposeful movements.”
Panicked, her husband rushed her to the hospital, where staff immediately noticed she was dragging her left leg. Scans of her brain revealed recent strokes in both parietal lobes—regions responsible for processing sensory input and movement.
What is Alien Hand Syndrome(AHS)?
The unexpected diagnosis: Alien Hand Syndrome (AHS), also known as Dr. Strangelove syndrome—a rare and unsettling neurological condition where a person's hand moves on its own, often performing complex tasks without the person’s intent.
“Alien hand syndrome, or Dr. Strangelove syndrome, is an interesting situation in which a person loses control of his or her hand, which starts to act independently,” the doctors wrote. “The alien hand might grab onto things and the person might have to use the other limb to release the objects from it. At extremes, the alien hand has been reported to even suffocate the patient.”
In real life, people with AHS have described their hand undoing buttons they just fastened, snuffing out lit cigarettes, and even slapping their own faces.
In this case, doctors believe her symptoms were brought on by the interruption of blood flow to the brain—likely a result of stopping her blood clot medication ahead of planned spinal surgery. While Alien Hand Syndrome is known to be triggered by brain trauma, stroke, tumors, or neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s, it remains one of the rarest neurological phenomena. A 2013 medical review found just 150 cases ever documented.
What made this woman’s case even more extraordinary was how brief it was. Symptoms of AHS can persist for weeks, months, or even years—but hers resolved within 30 minutes, making it the shortest-known episode on record. Still, her left arm remained weak and numb for several hours afterward.
An ultrasound later showed her heart and major blood vessels were free of clots. She was instructed to resume her medication, and was discharged with no further complications.
There’s currently no definitive treatment for AHS, though behavioral strategies like keeping the affected hand busy can sometimes help manage episodes. Because of how rare it is, there’s still much that’s unknown—both about what causes the syndrome, and how many people may be living with it undiagnosed.
The first known case of Alien Hand Syndrome was described by neurologist Kurt Goldstein in 1908. Over a century later, it still continues to challenge doctors—and terrify patients—with its surreal symptoms.
You may also like
Centre downgrades former PM Manmohan Singh's wife Gursharan Kaur's security cover
Russia strikes Zelenskyy's hometown, 14 dead; Ukrainian president says 'Moscow doesn't want ceasefire'
Grateful to PM Modi for including Assam in vibrant village programme: Himanta Biswa Sarma
Abhishek Ghosalkar Murder Case: Shiv Sena (UBT) Leader's Wife Tejaswi Ghosalkar And Key Witness Receive Death Threat; FIR Registered
'My fiance is an AI bot - we're now making our relationship physical'
