CONTRIBUTION TO ANATOMICAL AND CLINICAL-STUDIES OF AVOIDANCE PHENOMENA

  • 1 January 1979
    • journal article
    • research article
    • Vol. 135  (11) , 775-787
Abstract
Cases (5) of avoiding phenomenon of the hand from parietal lesions were reported. Of these patients 4 were operated for intractable epilepsy, from a parietal cortectomy that implicated a certain amount of white matter. The avoiding phenomena observed are analyzed as elementary motor perturbations rather than a disturbance of motor comportment. Types (2) of avoiding phenomena were distinguished: avoiding phenomenon of dystonic type occurs during any motor activity and persists during all its development; it is probably related to the removal of the cortex of the post-central gyrus and of the anterior part of the superior parietal lobule; the initial avoiding phenomenon is brief and occurs only at the beginning of the movements which implicate solely the upper limb; it seems related to the removal of the internal part of the superior parietal lobule that corresponds approximately to areas 5 and 7 from Brodmann. Some hypotheses are discussed concerning the possible physio-pathological mechanisms of these disturbances.