| Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha) |
HALLETT Mark NINDS, National Institute of Health, Bethesda, USA, (NHI)NINDS(アメリカ合衆国), 部長
LUDERS Hans Department of Neurology, The Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Cleveland, USA, 神経内科(アメリカ合衆国), 部長
YONEKURA Yoshiharu Department of Brain Pathophysiology, Faculty of Medicine, 医学部, 助教授 (60135572)
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| Research Abstract |
International collaborative studies were made in order to elucidate the central mechanisms involved in human voluntary movement, and the following results were obtained although some of them are still preliminary.
1. Generator sources of movement-related cortical potentials
By taking advantage of opportunities to record from subdural electrodes in epileptic patients with Dr. H. Luders in Cleveland Clinic, both primary and supplementary motor areas were shown to be activated bilaterally starting about 2 sec before the onset of finger movement, and the contralateral primary motor area became much more activated 300 msec. before the movement onset.
2. Measurements of regional cerebral blood flow changes
Functional imaging of brain was done by PET during voluntary movements of unilateral fingers after intravenous injection of O-15 water in normal subjects, comparing simple and complex movements. In the complex movement, not only supplementary motor areas but also bilateral primary motor areas were shown to play an important role.
3. Recording of movement-related magnetic field
In collaboration with NINDS, National Instiute of Health, Bethesda, USA and The National Institute of Physiology at Okazaki, magnetic fields associated with unilateral voluntary finger movements were measured by using 7 or 37 channel magnetometer. Analysis of the data is now in progress.
4. In vivo chemical analysis for human brain during voluntary movement
At The National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry, P-31 and H-1 NMR spectroscopy was successfully done in normal subjects, and the spectrum of good quality was obtained. Since an increased lactate level was reported in the occipital cortex during photic stimulation, it is hoped that the same finding might be seen in the motor cortex during voluntary movement. This, however, remained unsolved and the future research is warranted.
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