Electromyographic assessment of central motor disorders

Experimental procedures are described that were designed to assess central motor disorders quantitatively. Initially delineated is a study of triggered ballistic movement performed in a reaction-time situation. The reciprocal triphasic EMG pattern recorded in an antagonistic muscle pair was clearly abnormal in Parkinsonian patients; increased duration, diminished synchronization of motor units, and a tendency for coactivation of agonist and antagonist muscles and for action tremor were observed. Transport time of elbow movement was prolonged, particularly in a choice reaction-time situation. Rapid, passive displacements of the forearm combined with excitability measurements of hindlimb motoneurons in monkeys revealed the existence of a transcortical loop that may contribute to increased muscle tone in Parkinsonian patients.