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Reaction times of movement preparation in patients with Parkinson's disease

From the Department of Neurology (Drs. Kaneoke, Koike, Sakurai, and Takahashi), Nagoya University School of Medicine, and the Department of Aerospace Physiology (Dr. Watanabe), The Reasearch Institute of Environmental Medicine, Nagoya University, Nagoya, Japan.

We studied the onset of preparatory postural responses and subsequent voluntary movements by measuring soleus muscle activities in the standing position in 20 patients with Parkinson's disease. We measured the postural response in preparing to rise on tiptoe as the onset of the premotion silent period (PMSP). Our patients showed no delay when compared with age-matched healthy controls, but did show a significant delay in the onset of voluntary movement. The elongated PMSP (increased duration of the preparatory postural adjustments) was related to the severity of bradykinesia. Results indicate that the conventional reaction time is increased in patients with Parkinson's disease, even though there is no delay of central processing for the preparation of voluntary movements, and that there is bradykinesia of involuntary postural movements.

Address correspondence and reprint requests to Dr. Kaneoke, Department of Neurology, Nagoya University School of Medicine, 65 Tsurumai-Cho, Showa-Ku, Nagoya, 466 Japan.

Received March 14, 1989. Accepted for publication in final form June 5, 1989.

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