Chapter 25 Long-lasting simultaneous activation of cortical and subcortical structures in movement preparation and execution

Abstract

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the results of cortical and of subcortical recordings from the point of view of brain network operations linked with movement preparation and execution. Twenty-six patients examined in Paris had orthogonal cortical electrodes. Readiness potential (RP) was tested in 17 patients, contingent negative variation (CNV) was tested in 14 patients, and both protocols were tested in seven patients. In addition to the orthogonal electrodes, these patients also had one diagonal electrode that reached the amygdala and hippocampus via the basal ganglia. The basal ganglia contacts were located in nine patients in the putamen and in one patient in the head of the caudate nucleus and in the pallidum. The potentials recorded during the execution of the movement (MAPs) either followed the potentials preceding the movement or they occurred without the presence of pre-movement potentials. The topography of simultaneously active cortical regions is task related. During identical movements, the topography of areas with slow activation varied, depending on the kind of pacing. In addition to a sequential processing of information, there is also a simultaneous, long activation of cortical and sub-cortical structures, lasting hundreds of milliseconds to seconds.