Brain areas coactivating with motor cortex during chronic motor tics and intentional movements.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Chronic tic disorders are characterized by motor tics that are often preceded by premonitory urges to tic. Functional neuroimaging studies have documented brain activity patterns prior to and during tics, but these studies have not examined whether the activation patterns differ from those seen in normal control subjects performing similar acts.

Methods

A novel method was used to compare brain patterns during tics and intentional movements. First, the part of motor cortex specific to each patient's tic movement was identified. The brain areas activating prior to, during, and after that part of motor cortex during tics were then identified by temporally cross-correlating the time course of the localized motor region with activity in other brain areas. Given that mo

SUBMITTER: Hampson M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2679868 | biostudies-literature | 2009 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature