The Neurologic Substrate of Out-of-Body Experiences

These authors report on a patient’s out-of-body experiences (OBEs) during electrical stimulation of the patient’s right superior temporal gyrus, carried out in an attempt to treat tinnitus.

Functional imaging with PET, performed during the patient’s OBE episodes, revealed activation of three regions of the temporoparietal junction. Based on these results, the investigators conclude that “activation of these regions is the neural correlate of the disembodiment that is part of the out-of-body experience.” They note that anatomic studies have revealed that the inferior parietal lobe is a polymodal convergence area, and they suggest that OBEs are the result of a “failure to integrate the visual, tactile, proprioceptive, and vestibular informatio…