Damage to the parietal lobe impairs bimanual coordination

Moving the upper limbs at a common tempo according to a mirror or parallel mode represents elementary coordination dynamics. Previously, the role of t he medial wall areas have been emphasized for successful production of thes e bimanual patterns. The involvement of the parietal lobe is less clear des pite its importance for the representation of motor skill and sensorimotor integration. The objective of this study was to investigate temporal contro l in patients with parietal pathology when performing isofrequency configur ations. As compared to control subjects, these patients showed desynchroniz ation of movement trajectories that was most apparent during parallel patte rns. These observations suggest the significant role of the parietal lobe f or bimanual coordination which becomes increasingly relevant as a function of task complexity. NeuroReport 12:2721-2724 (C) 2001 Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.