Transient dynamics in motor control of patients with Parkinson's disease.

Experimental observations of movement disorders including tremor and voluntary microdisplacements recorded in patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) during a simple visuomotor tracking task are analyzed. The performance of patients with PD having a very large amplitude tremor is characterized either by the intermittent appearance of transient dynamics or by the presence of sudden transitions in the amplitude or frequency of the signal. The need to develop new tools to characterize changes in dynamics (i.e., transitions) and to redefine neurological degeneration, such as Parkinson's disease, in terms of qualitative changes in oscillatory behaviors is emphasized.