TY - JOUR
T1 - Out-of-body experiences and other complex dissociation experiences in a patient with unilateral peripheral vestibular damage and deficient multisensory integration
AU - Kaliuzhna, Mariia
AU - Vibert, Dominique
AU - Grivaz, Petr
AU - Blanke, Olaf
PY - 2015/7/31
Y1 - 2015/7/31
N2 - Out-of-body experiences (OBEs) are illusory perceptions of ones body from an elevated disembodied perspective. Recent theories postulate a double disintegration process in the personal (visual, proprioceptive and tactile disintegration) and extrapersonal (visual and vestibular disintegration) space as the basis of OBEs. Here we describe a case which corroborates and extends this hypothesis. The patient suffered from peripheral vestibular damage and presented with OBEs and lucid dreams. Analysis of the patients behaviour revealed a failure of visuo-vestibular integration and abnormal sensitivity to visuo-tactile conflicts that have previously been shown to experimentally induce out-of-body illusions (in healthy subjects). In light of these experimental findings and the patients symptomatology we extend an earlier model of the role of vestibular signals in OBEs. Our results advocate the involvement of subcortical bodily mechanisms in the occurrence of OBEs.
AB - Out-of-body experiences (OBEs) are illusory perceptions of ones body from an elevated disembodied perspective. Recent theories postulate a double disintegration process in the personal (visual, proprioceptive and tactile disintegration) and extrapersonal (visual and vestibular disintegration) space as the basis of OBEs. Here we describe a case which corroborates and extends this hypothesis. The patient suffered from peripheral vestibular damage and presented with OBEs and lucid dreams. Analysis of the patients behaviour revealed a failure of visuo-vestibular integration and abnormal sensitivity to visuo-tactile conflicts that have previously been shown to experimentally induce out-of-body illusions (in healthy subjects). In light of these experimental findings and the patients symptomatology we extend an earlier model of the role of vestibular signals in OBEs. Our results advocate the involvement of subcortical bodily mechanisms in the occurrence of OBEs.
KW - lucid dreams
KW - multisensory integration
KW - Out-of-body experiences
KW - temporo-parietal junction
KW - vestibular
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84938566156&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1163/22134808-00002506
DO - 10.1163/22134808-00002506
M3 - Article
VL - 28
SP - 613
EP - 635
JO - Multisensory Research
JF - Multisensory Research
SN - 2213-4794
IS - 5-6
ER -