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Alien Grasp Reflex

The term alien grasp reflex has been used to describe a grasp reflex occurring in full consciousness, which the patient could anticipate but perceived as alien (i.e., not modified by will), occurring in the absence of other abnormal movements. These phenomena were associated with an intrinsic tumor of the right (nondominant) frontal lobe. It was suggested that the grasp reflex and alien hand syndromes are not separate entities but part of the spectrum of frontal lobe dysfunction, the term "alien grasp reflex" attempting to emphasize the overlap.

References
Silva MT, Howard RS, Kartsounis LD, Ross Russell RW. The alien grasp reflex. European Neurology 1996; 36: 55-56