The Astral Pulse

Astral Projection & Out of Body Experiences => Welcome to Out of Body Experiences! => Topic started by: SkepticBoy on February 17, 2011, 14:46:55

Title: Anyone experience Anglar Gyrus effects?
Post by: SkepticBoy on February 17, 2011, 14:46:55
So many people say OBE or sensations that could aid getting to an OBE could be created by stimulation to the right Anglar Gyrus in the brain. The Q I have now is has anyone ever experienced any effects to their brain in this location? I guess it may be practically hard to actually stimulate the brain this way and I suspect dangerous if you don't know what your doing.

Still......has anyone been able to effect this area to maybe aid an OBE somehow? worth asking I think. If so....what was the feeling like and if you were able to OBE properly, pls tell of experience.
Title: Re: Anyone experience Anglar Gyrus effects?
Post by: catmeow on February 17, 2011, 18:41:21
As far as I am aware, the only case reported of OBE like sensations resulting from stimulating the angular gyrus was reported by Dr Olaf Blanke. It was with an epileptic (ie neurologically abnormal) subject, it occurred in only one subject and the symptoms were very atypical of the classical OBE spectrum experience.  The stimulation was about one inch away from the area in the subject's brain which would normally induce an epileptic fit.

Nevertheless, this one report has single-handedly generated an unwarranted frenzy in both the popular and scientific press.

In reality the result is meaningless until it can be replicated in a reasonable sample of normal subjects by an investigator other than Olaf Blanke. So far this has not been done.

Stimulating the angular gyrus might induce some sort of OBE-like experience, but the jury is well and truly out on this. Unfortunately it would be difficult to test, since the AG is not readily accessible without invasive interventions. Unless of course some sort of magnetic stimulation were possible.  Perhaps that route might be possible.

It is interesting to note that so far, nobody has managed to repeat Olaf's result.

The AG is not the only area of the brain which has this effect. Stimulating other areas of the brain have also produced OBE-like sensations, but the scientists involved (I have forgotten their names) didn't have the same press office as Olaf Blanke. 
Title: Re: Anyone experience Anglar Gyrus effects?
Post by: CFTraveler on February 17, 2011, 19:17:27
IIRC the effect was autoscopy, which is not at all like the experience of an OBE.
Title: Re: Anyone experience Anglar Gyrus effects?
Post by: catmeow on February 19, 2011, 09:52:10
Quite