Bereitschaftspotential preceding eyelid blinks in Parkinson’s disease

Abstract

The Bereitschaftspotential (BP) is a negative wave observed in EEG retrograde averaging, preceding a motor act. The objective was to study the BP preceding voluntary eyelid blinks in Parkinson’s disease (PD) patients during off and on phases of levodopa. Methods Ten PD patients in stages 1 and 2 of the Hoehn & Yahr classification were compared to 18 healthy controls. Artifact-free EEG segments of two seconds preceding the onset of the blink potential were averaged and analyzed, and the statistical significance of the measured amplitudes were evaluated by analysis of variance models. Results The presence of a BP in the PD patients was demonstrated. The mean amplitudes at 0 ms were respectively 0.6 µV and 3.3 µV for the BP patients and the normal controls, respectively. Conclusions The BP amplitudes were significantly smaller in PD patients than normal participants. The amplitudes of the BP were not modified by levodopa.

Bereitschaftspotential Preceding Eyelid Blinks

“…The evaluation of patient with Parkinson Disease in early stages revealed a reduction of more than 80% in the BP amplitude before voluntary blinks as compared to normal subjects [4]. This is a physiological finding related to the classical signs of bradykinesia of PD, such as reduction of eyelid blinking and hypomimia, suggesting that the damages to the neural systems related to the voluntary blinking probably begin in pre-clinical phases of the disease.…”

“…A BP preceding eyelid blinks has only been described in four studies, two of them correlating voluntary blinks and blepharospasm [1,2], one of them evaluating blinking in normal subjects [3] and another evaluating voluntary blinks in patients with Parkinson Disease (PD) [4]. The evaluation of eyelid blinks is important in evaluating neurological and psychiatric diseases which courses with hypo and hyperkinetic abnormalities during the evolution of the disease.…”

Clinical Efficacy and Dosing of Vibrotactile Coordinated Reset Stimulation in Motor and Non-motor Symptoms of Parkinson's Disease: A Study Protocol

“…The early RP is thought to be generated from the supplementary motor area (SMA) while the late readiness potential is associated with activation of the primary motor cortex (59). Dysfunction of the SMA (60,61) and lower amplitudes of the RP have been found in PD patients (62)(63)(64)(65). For this study, increases in RP amplitude prior to button press during the course of vCR treatment could serve as an indicator of improvements in motor ability and SMA function.…”