Clinical aspects of the rubber hand illusion

The rubber hand illusion is a multisensory phenomenon characterized by the subjective feeling that a rubber hand is part of one's body. It may occur when covert tactile stimulation of a participant's hand co-occurs with overt corresponding stimulation of a rubber hand. The illusion allows investigating distortions of body image and body perceptions which have been reported for several neurological and psychiatric disorders, e. g. somatoform disorders, focal hand dystonia, visuo-spatial neglect, eating disorders and schizophrenia. Moreover, the illusion has been successfully applied in order to aid the integration of prostheses into the body image of limb-amputated patients. Understanding the mechanisms underlying body image and body schema distortions may substantially advance the understanding of these diseases and their treatment options.