Malfunctions of Central Control of Movement Studied with Slow Brain Potentials in Neurological Patients

Studies are reviewed that used movement-related EEG potentials to investigate impairments of movement control in neurological patients. The EEG potentials reviewed are the Bereitschaftspotential (BP), Contingent Negative Variation (CNV), and components of the lateralized readiness potential (LRP). Patient groups included in this review are patients with infarction of the middle cerebral artery, Parkinson's disease, cerebellar disease, and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. A rich body of evidence has been collected on Parkinson's disease, and somewhat less on cerebellar atrophy, contributing to an understanding of the impairments caused by these diseases. In contrast, not much research has been done in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and in infarction patients. The latter is particularly striking since utility of this method for assessing residual capacities of affected motor areas seems rather obvious.