Low- and high-frequency subcortical SEP amplitude reduction during pure passive movement.

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the effect of pure passive movement on both cortical and subcortical somatosensory evoked potentials (SEPs). METHODS: Median nerve SEPs were recorded in 8 patients suffering from Parkinson's disease (PD) and two patients with essential tremor. PD patients underwent electrode implantation in the subthalamic (STN) nucleus (3 patients) and pedunculopontine (PPTg) nucleus (5 patients), while 2 patients with essential tremor were implanted in the ventral intermediate nucleus (VIM) of the thalamus. In anesthetized patients, SEPs were recorded at rest and during a passive movement of the thumb of the stimulated wrist from the intracranial electrode contacts and from the scalp. Also the high-frequency oscillations (HFOs) were analyzed. RESULTS: Amplitudes of both deep and scalp components were decreased during passive movement, but the reduction was higher at cortical than subcortical level. Also the HFOs were reduced by movement. CONCLUSION: The different amount of the movement-related decrease suggests that the cortical SEP gating is not only the result of a subcortical somatosensory volley attenuation, but a further mechanism acting at cortical level should be considered. SIGNIFICANCE: Our results are important for understanding the physiological mechanism of the sensory-motor interaction during passive movement.