Effect of deafferentation of an arm upon the tremor of the opposite arm

Parkinsonism: If surgery is necessary, can it help spontaneous movement and motor fatiguing?

Eleven patients with Parkinsonism had unilateral sterotaxic lesions made in the vicinity of the ventrolateral thalamus to reduce contralateral tremor and rigidity. The results indicate that a lesion of this sort allows motor fatiguing to improve in those limbs in which rigidity is reduced. It increases contraletral spontaneous movement if it relieves rigidity by a sufficient amount. Otherwise spontaneous movement is reduced. The lesion affects the spontaneous movement of the ipsilateral arm in parellel with its effect on the contralateral one.