Possible contribution of the anterior forebrain commissures to bilateral motor coordination.

Abstract In search for possible functions mediated by anterior portions of the forebrain commissures in man, bilateral motor coordination was studied in two patients in whom the anterior commissure and the anterior two thirds of the corpus callosum had been sectioned to control for intractable epilepsy. Compared with normal controls and persons with a similarly severe history of epilepsy, patients with partial commissurotomy showed less improvement after nearly 500 trials of training, and performed at a consistently inferior level in terms of both quality and speed. It is suggested that the anterior commissurotomy eliminated a control mechanism involving direct interhemispheric interaction of motor corollary outflow, forcing these subjects to rely on slower visual and proprioceptive feedback systems. Direct hemispheric interaction appears to be important for the fine regulation of the lower motor system from within each hemisphere. Certain consistent performance characteristics of the patients and control subjects are discussed with respect to lateral dominance and ipsilateral control in motor functions.

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