title: Ear movement induced by electrical cortical stimulation.
abstract: Cortical areas that control ear movement have not been reported in humans. We describe a rare case in which ear auricle movement was induced by extraoperative electrical cortical stimulation. A 21-year-old man with intractable localization-related epilepsy was admitted for presurgical evaluation. Subdural electrodes were implanted over the right temporal and frontal regions. Tonic upward contraction of the left ear auricle was elicited by stimulating the subdural electrode on the posterior portion of the right superior temporal gyrus close to the end of the Sylvian fissure. No other body movements or auditory symptoms were elicited. A possible mechanism underlying this rare phenomenon is discussed.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, National Epilepsy Center, Shizuoka Institute of Epilepsy and Neurological Disorders, Aoi-ku, Shizuoka, Japan.
authors.forename: Lu
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Yu
authors.forename: Kiyohito
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Terada
authors.forename: Naotaka
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Usui
authors.forename: Keiko
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Usui
authors.forename: Koichi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Baba
authors.forename: Yushi
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Inoue
mesh_terms: D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000502:physiology; D054644:Ear Auricle / Q000503:physiopathology*; D004558:Electric Stimulation / Q000009:adverse effects*; D004827:Epilepsy / Q000628:therapy; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009069:Movement Disorders / Q000209:etiology*; D055815:Young Adult