The proposed research addresses several crucial aspects of Parkinsonian motor behavior by breaking down motor programming processes into identifiable functional operations. By systematically varying the functional aspects of voluntary movement preparation more will be understood about the information processing deficits that result from structure disturbances and set the stage for more detailed accounts of the motor physiology involved. The research is directed toward identifying, isolating, and documenting which motor processes contribute to akinetic and bradykinetic disorders through established behavior methods commonly employed in the study of motor control of normals. Five experiments are proposed which probe the following movement organization processes: Response Determination, Response Specification, Preprogramming and Reprogramming, and Bimanual Control. We are confident that both the scientist and the clinician will be served by the data: the former by having information on the locus of the disorders and the latter by being presented with interpretations from which more objective rehabilitory procedures can enolve.
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