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Dissociation of the subjective and objective bodies: Out‐of‐body experiences following the development of a posterior cingulate lesion
Author(s) -
Hiromitsu Kentaro,
Shinoura Nobusada,
Yamada Ryoji,
Midorikawa Akira
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
journal of neuropsychology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.85
H-Index - 37
eISSN - 1748-6653
pISSN - 1748-6645
DOI - 10.1111/jnp.12199
Subject(s) - dissociation (chemistry) , temporoparietal junction , psychology , posterior cingulate , neuroscience , functional connectivity , cognitive psychology , cingulate cortex , cognition , prefrontal cortex , central nervous system , chemistry
An out‐of‐body experience (OBE) is a phenomenon whereby an individual views his/her body and the world from a location outside the physical body. Previous studies have suggested that the temporoparietal junction (TPJ), the brain region responsible for integrating multisensory signals, is responsible for OBE development. Here, however, we first present a case of OBE after brain tumour development in the posterior cingulate cortex (PCC). The patient was a 46‐year‐old right‐handed female; she underwent brain surgery. She reported that she had experienced OBEs several times monthly (during daily life) before surgery but never after surgery. She defined her OBEs explicitly; she drew pictures. Her OBEs exhibited phenomenological, overt dissociation of the subjective and objective bodies. We discuss the mechanisms underlying this phenomenon and the relationship between OBEs and the PCC in terms of anatomical and functional brain connectivity. Our case sheds some light on the mechanism involved in creating spatial (dis)unity between the self and the body.