A Computational Approach to Arm Movement on the Sagittal Plane Performed by Parietal Lobe Damaged Patients

We measured arm movement on the sagittal plane of parietal lobe damaged patients and normal subjects. In neurological patients, (1) the hand height did not become lower as the motion duration became shorter; (2) the hand jerk of measured trajectory increased when motion duration lengthened; (3) the velocity of measured trajectory differed from that theoretically predicted from the minimum jerk model. These results suggested that the parietal lobe is involved with realizing smooth arm movement. The performance of patients with parietal lobe lesions may reflect their difficulties in planning a trajectory with smooth movement