Abstract
The role of the cerebral cortices in normal plantar response was investigated with event-related functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) at 3 Tesla in 12 right-handed normal subjects. During fMRI acquisition, the lateral (LS) and medial (MS) side of the left sole was mechanically stimulated every 16 s to evoke the plantar response under monitoring of the surface electromyogram. LS activated the contralateral supplementary motor area (SMA) more intensively than MS. In contrast, no difference was found in the commonly activated areas including the contralateral primary sensorimotor area, bilateral secondary sensory areas and the thalamus. The results support the hypothesis that the normal plantar response is influenced by the cerebral cortices, and that the SMA likely participates in the regulation of the plantar reflex arc at the spinal level.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 17-20 |
Number of pages | 4 |
Journal | Neuroscience Letters |
Volume | 345 |
Issue number | 1 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Jul 10 2003 |
Externally published | Yes |
Keywords
- Babinski sign
- Brain activation
- Cortical reflex arc
- Event-related functional magnetic resonance imaging
- Plantar response
- Plantar stimulation
- Supplementary motor area
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- General Neuroscience