[Quantitative measurement of muscle and joint sensitivity in focal brain lesions]

A method is suggested of quantitative evaluation of disorders of musculoarticular sensitivity from the time of ordinary motor reaction to passive movement of a finger (BR). The method is based on an examination of 16 normal test subjects and 75 patients with focal injuries of the brain. It was established that upon preservation of the pathways and centers of deep sensitivity, there were no differences between BR in response to stimulation of the right and left hand. In patients with a pathological focus in the somatosensory area, BR to passive movement of the hand contralateral to the affected hemisphere was greater than that to the stimulation of the analogous hand. BR was made use of to recognize the involvement of the parietal area even where it was not found during neurological examination. During repeated examinations changes in BR reflected the time course of the pathological process in the somatosensory area of the brain.