Cerebral potentials preceding unilateral and simultaneous bilateral finger movements.

Cerebral potentials preceding voluntary bilateral simultaneous finger movements were investigated in 19 right-handed young adult subjects, and were compared with unilateral right-sided finger m n the same experiment. With bilateral movements, the Bereitschaftspotential (BP) was not symmetrical or larger over the dominant hemisphere, but surprisingly, it was larger over the minor hemisphere. The BP averaged -3.66 microV (S.D. 1.96) over the left precentral region and -4.82 microV (S.D. 3.73) over the right precentral region in this condition. The difference was significant at 2P less than 0.01. This difference was pronounced in precentral leads but very small and almost missing in parietal leads. The pre-motion positivity (PMP) was well developed and even larger with bilateral than with unilateral (right-sides) movements. At the vertex it averaged +1.33 microV (S.D.4.16) with bilateral movements and only +0.15 microV (S.D. 1.42) with right-sided unilateral movements (2P less than 0.05). With bilateral movements the PMP could be observed in any record, but with unilateral movements it was missing at the left precentral lead, in accordance with previous publications (Deecke et al. 1969, 1976). The motor potential (MP), measured in a bipolar record from left and right precentral leads, was larger with unilateral (-1.25 microV, S.D. 1.33) than with bilateral movements (-0.36 microV, S.D. 0.92). Onset time differences of the BP preceding unilateral and bilateral movements were very small. However, there was a tendency towards earlier onset with unilateral than with bilateral movements (1031 msec, S.D. 358, as compared with 951 msec, S.D. 305). The averaged EMG revealed differences in movement onset. Muscular contraction tended to be earlier in the right than in the left m. flexor indicis in our right-handed subjects, on the average by 16 msec (S.D. 15). With unilateral right-sided movements, the left m. flexor indicis was not silent but showed an abortive mirror activity in the EMG, without visible movement. This activity occurred on the average 50 msec (S.D. 39) later on the non-moving side.