Ipsilesional Arm Motor Sequence Performance After Right and Left Hemisphere Damage

ABSTRACT

Aiming movements are part of daily activities but the brain hemispheres’ role in targeted aiming sequential movements is not fully clear. Start and execution of discrete and sequential tasks toward targets were analyzed in 10 individuals with left-hemisphere damage, 10 right-hemisphere–damaged, and 10 healthy ones. Arm movements were performed over a digitizing tablet, following stimuli on a monitor, from initial position toward right and left-positioned targets. Poststroke individuals used their ipsilesional arm and healthy individuals, both arms. Right-hemisphere–damaged individuals showed higher reaction time and left-hemisphere–damaged individuals, lower smoothness. Due to spatial demand of tasks, the right hemisphere played a major role in movement planning, while the left, in movement execution.

Keywords:

• lateralization
• motor performance
• planning
• rapid aiming movements

Additional information

Funding

The authors thank the Universidade Cidade de São Paulo (UNICID) and the Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES-PROSUP) for the postgraduate scholarship for Flávia Priscila de Paiva Silva.