Parkinson’s disease (PD) and essential tremor (ET) are neurodegenerative diseases characterized by movement deficits. Especially in PD, maintaining cyclic movement can be significantly disturbed due to pathological changes in the basal ganglia and the cerebellum. Providing external cues improves timing of these movements in PD and also affects ET. The aim of this study is to determine differences in cortical activation patterns in PD and ET patients during externally and internally cued movements. Eleven PD patients, twelve ET patients, OFF tremor suppressing medication, and nineteen age-matched healthy controls (HC) were included and asked to perform a bimanual tapping task at two predefined cue frequencies. The auditory cue, a metronome sound presented at 2 or 4 Hz, was alternately switched on and off every 30 s. Tapping at two different frequencies were used since it is expected that different brain networks are involved at different frequencies as has been shown in previous studies. Cortical activity was recorded using a 64-channel EEG cap. To establish the cortical activation pattern in each group, the task related power (TRP) was calculated for each subject. For inter-groups analysis, EEG electrodes for divided into 5 different areas. Inter-group analysis revealed significant differences in areas responsible for motor planning, organization and regulation and involved in initiation, maintenance, coordination and planning of complex sequences of movements. Within the area of the primary motor cortex the ET group showed a significantly lower TRP than the HC group. In the area responsible for combining somatosensory, auditory and visual information both patient groups had a higher TRP than the HC group. Different neurological networks are involved during cued and non-cued movements in ET, PD and HC. Distinct cortical activation patterns were revealed using task related power calculations. Different activation patterns were revealed during the 2 and 4 Hz tapping task indicating different strategies to execute movements at these rates. The results suggest that a including a cued/non-cued tapping task during clinical decision making could be a valuable tool in an objective diagnostic protocol.

中文翻译：

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双手拍打任务期间，帕金森氏病和原发性震颤的皮质活动模式不同。

帕金森氏病（PD）和原发性震颤（ET）是神经退行性疾病，其特征在于运动障碍。尤其是在PD中，由于基底神经节和小脑的病理变化，维持循环运动可能会受到严重干扰。提供外部提示可以改善PD中这些运动的时机，并影响ET。这项研究的目的是确定外部和内部提示运动期间PD和ET患者的皮质激活模式的差异。包括11位PD患者，12位ET患者，OFF震颤抑制药物和19位年龄匹配的健康对照（HC），并要求他们以两个预定的提示频率执行双手敲击任务。听觉提示（以2或4 Hz出现的节拍器声音）每30秒交替打开和关闭一次。如之前的研究所示，使用了两个不同的频率进行敲击，因为期望以不同的频率涉及到不同的大脑网络。使用64通道EEG帽记录皮层活动。为了建立每组中的皮质激活模式，针对每个受试者计算任务相关能力（TRP）。对于组间分析，EEG电极分为5个不同区域。小组之间的分析表明，负责运动计划，组织和调节的领域以及参与复杂运动序列的发起，维护，协调和计划的领域存在显着差异。在初级运动皮层区域，ET组的TRP明显低于HC组。在负责体感结合的领域，两组患者的听觉和视觉信息的TRP均高于HC组。在ET，PD和HC的提示和非提示运动中涉及不同的神经网络。使用任务相关的功率计算揭示了不同的皮质激活模式。在2 Hz和4 Hz敲击任务期间揭示了不同的激活模式，表明以这些速率执行运动的不同策略。结果表明，在临床决策过程中包括提示/非提示敲击任务可能是客观诊断方案中的宝贵工具。在2 Hz和4 Hz敲击任务期间揭示了不同的激活模式，表明以这些速率执行运动的不同策略。结果表明，在临床决策过程中包括提示/非提示敲击任务可能是客观诊断方案中的一种有价值的工具。在2 Hz和4 Hz敲击任务期间揭示了不同的激活模式，表明以这些速率执行运动的不同策略。结果表明，在临床决策过程中包括提示/非提示敲击任务可能是客观诊断方案中的宝贵工具。