Psychological and Electroencephalographic Relationships in Cryothalamectomy for Parkinsonism

Abstract
Psychological tests and a scalp electroencephalogram were administered to parkinsonians undergoing left, right, or second side thalamic surgery for alleviation of contralateral tremor and rigidity. The psychological tests were designed to assess a range of behavioral activation. EEGs were subjected to frequency analysis from which an activation index was derived. No significant preoperative correlations obtained between EEG activation ratios and the scores of any of the psychological tests under consideration. Nor was any significant relationship found between pre- to postoperative psychological change scores and alterations in EEG patterns of activation. However, a significant decrease in EEG activation ratios for left-brain operates was found in the absence of any such changes for the right-brain operates. This finding was consistent for EEG ratios of both left- and right-hemisphere leads and for parietal and central leads. Some primarily cortical hemispheric specialization was suggested with regard to the processes underlying EEG activation, and a possible mechanism was proposed.

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