Epileptic negative myoclonus

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Abstract
A phenomen similar to epileptic negative myoclonus can be elicited by direct cortical stimulations of the premotor cortex from chronically indwelling subdural grid electrodes during presurgical evaluation of epilepsy patients. [7,8] These so-called negative motor responses are characterized by an inability to perform certain voluntary movements or to sustain a voluntary muscle contraction, whereas no motor effects can be observed during rest. On the contrary, stimulation of the primary motor cortex in the precentral gyrus elicits so-called positive motor effects with clonic or tonic motor phenomena. [7,8] These findings suggest that epileptic negative myoclonus similarly may be caused by epileptic activity in the premotor cortex rather than in the primary motor cortex.