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Science 8 May 2009:
Vol. 324. no. 5928, pp. 811 - 813
DOI: 10.1126/science.1169896
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Reports

Movement Intention After Parietal Cortex Stimulation in Humans

Michel Desmurget,1,2 Karen T. Reilly,1,2 Nathalie Richard,1,2 Alexandru Szathmari,3 Carmine Mottolese,3 Angela Sirigu1,2,*

Parietal and premotor cortex regions are serious contenders for bringing motor intentions and motor responses into awareness. We used electrical stimulation in seven patients undergoing awake brain surgery. Stimulating the right inferior parietal regions triggered a strong intention and desire to move the contralateral hand, arm, or foot, whereas stimulating the left inferior parietal region provoked the intention to move the lips and to talk. When stimulation intensity was increased in parietal areas, participants believed they had really performed these movements, although no electromyographic activity was detected. Stimulation of the premotor region triggered overt mouth and contralateral limb movements. Yet, patients firmly denied that they had moved. Conscious intention and motor awareness thus arise from increased parietal activity before movement execution.

1 Centre de Neuroscience Cognitive, CNRS, UMR 5229, 69500 Bron, France.
2 Université Lyon 1, 69100 Villeurbanne, France.
3 Neurosurgery Unit 500, Hôpital Pierre Wertheimer, Hospices Civils de Lyon, 69003 Lyon, France.

* To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: sirigu{at}isc.cnrs.fr

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THIS ARTICLE HAS BEEN CITED BY OTHER ARTICLES:
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