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Updated: May 27, 2026
Event-related Potentials During Target-response Tasks to Study Cognitive Processes of Upper Limb Use in Children with Unilateral Cerebral Palsy
Published on: January 11, 2016
Movement preparation and cortical processing of afferent inputs in cortical tremor: an event-related
E Houdayer1, A Degardin, J Salleron
1Departement de Neurophysiologie Clinique, Hôpital Roger Salengro, EA 2683, Centre Hospitalier Régional Universitaire, F-59037 Lille cedex, France.
Objective:
We sought to characterize cortical activity related to motor control in patients presenting with isolated cortical tremor, in order to determine whether or not myoclonus-related impairments are a source of event-related desynchronization/synchronization (ERD/ERS) disruption.
Methods:
Nine patients presenting with isolated cortical tremor were compared with controls. Mu and beta ERD/ERS were computed over the scalp and brain surfaces using 128-channel electroencephalographic (EEG) recording during voluntary and passive finger extensions. We recorded somatosensory-evoked potentials following median nerve stimulation and performed myoclonic jerk-locked back-averaging of EEG activity.
Results:
Back-averaging revealed a cortical premyoclonic spike in all patients. Five of the nine patients had exaggerated SEPs. The amplitude of mu ERD was greater in patients. Beta ERD/ERS did not differ from that seen in controls. Localizations of mu and beta ERD/ERS did not differ from controls and were identified in pre- and post-central sensorimotor cortical areas.
Conclusions:
The present results suggest a hyperexcitability of the cortico-subcortical loops responsible for movement preparation and execution. Post-movement inhibition related to cortical processing of afferent input is unaffected in isolated cortical myoclonus.
Significance:
Intracortical abnormalities can differ in patients suffering from cortical myoclonus, according to whether or not the individuals have associated epileptic symptoms.
