Movement-related cortical activity in a patient with chronic bilateral lesion of the supplementary motor area. A high resolution EEG study

Responses of both primary sensorimotor areas (Ml-Sls) to the preparation and execution of simple, self-paced unilateral one-digit movements were investigated with a high resolution electroencephalography technology (63-channel spatial sampling, surface Laplacian estimate) in a subject having a chronic bilateral lesion of supplementary (SMA) and cingulate (CMA) motor areas. The working hypothesis was that the SMA (and CMA?) lesion could impair the modeled responses of Ml-Sls in preparation for and/or during the execution of the movement. With respect to normative data, the modeled responses of the contralateral MI-SI showed normal latency and amplitude during the preparation and lower amplitude during the execution of the movement. Whereas, the modeled responses of the ipsilateral MI-SI started later and were lower in amplitude. These findings may suggest that SMA (and CMA?) plays an excitatory influence on bilateral MI-Sis during the motor performance and on the ipsilateral Mi-SI in the motor planning and performance.