title: Somatosensory evoked potentials during the ideation and execution of individual finger movements.
abstract: Scalp somatosensory evoked potentials (SEPs) were recorded in 10 volunteers after median nerve stimulation, in four experimental conditions of hand movements performance/ideation, and compared with the baseline condition of full relaxation. The experimental conditions were (a) self-improvised hand-finger sequential movements; (b) the same movements according to a read sequence of numbers; (c) mental ideation of finger movements; and (d) passive displacement of fingers in complete relaxation. Latencies and amplitudes of the parietal (N20, P25, N33, and P45) and frontal peaks (P20-22, N30, and P40) were analyzed. Latencies did not vary in any of the paradigms. Among the parietal complexes, only the P25-N33 amplitude was significantly reduced in (a), (b), (c), and (d) and the N20-P25 was reduced in (a) and (d); among frontal waves, N30 and P40 were significantly reduced (20-75%) in (a) and (b). Coronal electrodes showed amplitude decrements maximal at the frontal-rolandic positions contralateral to the stimulated side.
authors.affiliation: Divisione di Neurologia, Ospedale Fetebenefratelli-Isola Tiberina, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: P M
authors.initials: PM
authors.lastname: Rossini
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Caramia
authors.forename: M A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Bassetti
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Pasqualetti
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Tecchio
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Bernardi
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001931:Brain Mapping; D004558:Electric Stimulation; D004569:Electroencephalography; D005073:Evoked Potentials, Somatosensory / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D005385:Fingers / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009068:Movement / Q000502:physiology*