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Persistent mirror movements: functional MR imaging of the hand motor cortex
G L Leinsinger1, D T Heiss, A G Jassoy
1Institute for Diagnostic Radiology, Klinikum Innenstadt, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität Munich, Germany.
Radiology
|May 1, 1997
Summary
Patients with mirror movements exhibit bilateral brain activity in the primary motor cortex, unlike healthy individuals. This suggests the motor cortex plays a key role in these persistent movements.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Motor Control
- Neuroimaging
Background:
- Mirror movements are involuntary, symmetrical movements.
- The exact neurological basis of persistent mirror movements is not fully understood.
- Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) is a valuable tool for studying brain activity during motor tasks.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare the cortical activation patterns during hand motor tasks in patients with persistent mirror movements versus healthy controls.
- To investigate the role of the primary motor cortex in the pathophysiology of mirror movements.
Main Methods:
- Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) at 1.5 T was used.
- Participants included nine patients with various mirror movement disorders and 10 healthy controls.
- fMRI data were acquired during sequential finger-thumb opposition tasks and rest periods.
Main Results:
- Healthy controls showed contralateral primary motor cortex activation.
- Patients with mirror movements displayed bilateral activation in the medial precentral gyrus.
- This bilateral activation was observed during unimanual intentional movements.
Conclusions:
- Bifurcations of the corticospinal tract may not be the sole cause of mirror movements.
- Bilateral primary motor cortex activity appears to contribute to the manifestation of mirror movements.
- These findings highlight the involvement of bilateral motor cortex engagement in mirror movement disorders.