Out-of-body experience and autoscopy of neurological origin

Olaf Blanke1,2,3, Theodor Landis3, Laurent Spinelli1,2 and Margitta Seeck1
1 Laboratory of Presurgical Epilepsy Evaluation, Programme of Functional Neurology and Neurosurgery, University Hospitals, Geneva-Lausanne, and 2 Functional Brain Mapping Laboratory and 3 Neurology Clinic, Department of Neurology, University Hospital, Geneva, Switzerland
Correspondence to: Dr Olaf Blanke, Department of Neurology, University Hospital of Geneva, 24 rue Micheli-du-Crest, 1211 Geneva, Switzerland E-mail: olaf.blanke@hcuge.ch [pic]

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|[pic]Summary |
|[pic]Introduction |
|[pic]Methods |
|[pic]Results |
|[pic]Discussion |
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During an out-of-body experience (OBE), the experient seems to be awake and to see his body and the world from a location outside the physical body. A closely related experience is autoscopy (AS), which is characterized by the experience of seeing one’s body in extrapersonal space. Yet, despite great public interest and many case studies, systematic neurological studies of OBE and AS are extremely rare and, to date, no testable neuroscientific theory exists. The present study describes phenomenological, neuropsychological and neuroimaging correlates of OBE and AS in six neurological patients. We provide neurological evidence that both experiences share important central mechanisms. We show that OBE and AS are frequently associated with pathological sensations of position, movement and perceived completeness of one’s own body. These include vestibular sensations (such as floating, flying, elevation and rotation), visual body-part illusions (such as the illusory shortening, transformation or movement of an extremity) and the experience of seeing one’s body only partially