EEG Correlates of Passive Hand Movement in Patients after Traumatic Brain Injury with Preserved fMRI Motor Response

Abstract

We have analyzed EEG alterations during a passive hand movement test in ten patients with varying degrees of hemiparesis caused by brain injury and compared them with normal data (17 healthy volunteers). The fMRI responses of the patients were normal. It was found that additional brain structures (that seem to be untypical of healthy people) are included in the reactive process in patients with brain injury. Additionally, we observed a widening of affected frequency bands. We observed the highest correlation with the degree of hemiparesis for the topographical parameters of changes in EEG coherence during the passive hand movement test with specific response features of the brain hemispheres contra- and ipsilateral to the movement. It is discussed whether there is any involvement of the tactile component in the passive motor EEG response. The data are considered in the context of the earlier hypothesis [1, 2] on the participation of the extrapyramidal system in the compensation of a post-traumatic motor defect.