title: Event-related mu-rhythm desynchronization during movement observation is impaired in Parkinson's disease.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Patients with Parkinson's disease often experience difficulties in adapting movements and learning alternative movements to compensate for symptoms. Since observation of movement has been demonstrated to lead to the formation of a lasting specific motor memory that resembled that elicited by physical training we hypothesize that mu-rhythm desynchronization in response to movement observation is impaired in Parkinson's disease.
  
  
  METHODS
  In a pilot study with nine patients with Parkinson's disease at a Hoehn and Yahr stage of I or II and eleven age-matched controls, we tested this hypothesis by comparing the event related desynchronization (ERD) patterns from the EEG recorded during the observation of hand action and baseline videos.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Healthy subjects showed normal bilateral ERD of the mu-rhythm. In patients with Parkinson's disease this distinct ERD pattern was lacking.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The results of this study suggest that event-related mu-rhythm desynchronization is impaired in Parkinson's disease, even at early stages of the disease.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Studying event-related mu-rhythm desynchronization dysfunction in Parkinson's disease patients may enhance our understanding of symptoms as impaired motor learning.
authors.affiliation: MIRA Institute for Biomedical Engineering and Technical Medicine, Faculty of Electrical Engineering, Mathematics and Computer Science, Biomedical Signals and Systems Group, University of Twente, Enschede, The Netherlands. Electronic address: t.heida@utwente.nl.
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Heida
authors.affiliation: MIRA Institute for Biomedical Engineering and Technical Medicine, Faculty of Electrical Engineering, Mathematics and Computer Science, Biomedical Signals and Systems Group, University of Twente, Enschede, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: N R
authors.initials: NR
authors.lastname: Poppe
authors.affiliation: MIRA Institute for Biomedical Engineering and Technical Medicine, Faculty of Science and Technology, Department of Clinical Neurophysiology, University of Twente, Enschede, The Netherlands; Medisch Spectrum Twente, Department of Neurology and Clinical Neurophysiology, Enschede, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: C C
authors.initials: CC
authors.lastname: de Vos
authors.affiliation: MIRA Institute for Biomedical Engineering and Technical Medicine, Faculty of Science and Technology, Department of Clinical Neurophysiology, University of Twente, Enschede, The Netherlands; Medisch Spectrum Twente, Department of Neurology and Clinical Neurophysiology, Enschede, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: M J A M
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: van Putten
authors.affiliation: Medisch Spectrum Twente, Department of Neurology and Clinical Neurophysiology, Enschede, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: J P P
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: van Vugt
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D004569:Electroencephalography; D058407:Electroencephalography Phase Synchronization; D005071:Evoked Potentials; D005260:Female; D006225:Hand; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D059167:Mirror Neurons; D009068:Movement; D010300:Parkinson Disease / Q000503:physiopathology*; D010865:Pilot Projects
keywords: Event-related desynchronization; Event-related synchronization; Mirror neuron system; Mu-rhythm; Parkinson’s disease