Stimulating illusory own-body perceptions.
Olaf Blanke, Stéphanie Ortigue, Théodor Landis, Margitta Seeck
Nature September 1, 2002 DOI: 10.1038/419269a (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Case study Case report Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 1 |
| Population | A patient undergoing evaluation for epilepsy treatment |
| Keywords | Humans Epilepsy Seizures Brain mapping Electric stimulation Delusions Adult Female |
| Key findings | Focal electrical stimulation of the right angular gyrus repeatedly induced out-of-body experiences in a single patient, along with complex somatosensory illusions of the arm and legs and vestibular whole-body displacements. The authors argue that out-of-body experiences may reflect a failure by the brain to integrate complex somatosensory and vestibular information. |
Abstract
'Out-of-body' experiences (OBEs) are curious, usually brief sensations in which a person's consciousness seems to become detached from the body and take up a remote viewing position. Here we describe the repeated induction of this experience by focal electrical stimulation of the brain's right angular gyrus in a patient who was undergoing evaluation for epilepsy treatment. Stimulation at this site also elicited illusory transformations of the patient's arm and legs (complex somatosensory responses) and whole-body displacements (vestibular responses), indicating that out-of-body experiences may reflect a failure by the brain to integrate complex somatosensory and vestibular information.
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- Linking Out-of-Body Experience and Self Processing to Mental Own-Body Imagery at the Temporoparietal Junction Journal of Neuroscience January 19, 2005
- Increased Global Functional Connectivity Correlates with LSD-Induced Ego Dissolution. Current Biology April 13, 2016
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