Does the Thalamus Contribute to Preparation for Voluntary Movement

Abstract

The physiologic significance of the surface negative slow potential recorded over the centroparietal scalp before self-paced movement (called the Bereitschaftspotential , or BP) is of major interest in motor physiology. The current consensus is that the BP is generated first in the bilateral pre-supplementary motor area (SMA) and SMA proper, then in the bilateral premotor cortex, and finally in the contralateral primary motor cortex (M1). Recently, however, BP-like potentials have reportedly been recorded from much wider areas that include the basal ganglia and thalamus. These authors evaluated BP-like potentials preceding self-paced wrist-extension movements recorded from electrode contacts placed in the ventrolateral nucleus (VL) of the …