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The debate on apraxia and the supplementary motor area in the twentieth century

  • Original Article - History of Neurosurgery
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Abstract

Hand function and apraxia are equally relevant to neurosurgeons: as a symptom, as well as through the functional anatomy of “praxis” which underlies the dexterity needed for neurosurgical practice. The supplementary motor area is crucial for its understanding. Historically, Hugo Liepmann dominated the apraxia debate at the beginning of the twentieth century, a debate that has remained influential until today. Kurt Goldstein, a contemporary of Liepmann, is regularly mentioned as the first to have described the alien hand syndrome in 1909. Wilder Penfield was a key figure in exploring the role of the fronto-mesial cortex in human motor control and coined the term “supplementary motor area”. It was Goldstein who not only contributed substantially to the apraxia debate more than 100 years ago; he also established the link between the dysfunction of the fronto-mesial cortex and abnormal higher motor control in humans.

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Abbreviations

SMA:

supplementary motor area

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Acknowledgments

This contribution is presented on behalf of the 50th anniversary of the founding of the Department of Neurosurgery at the Cantonal Hospital Gallen, Switzerland. The authors thank Dr. Laura A. Kampf for proofreading the manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Neurosurgery, Ernst von Bergmann Hospital, HMU Health and Medical University Potsdam, Charlottenstraße 72, 14467, Potsdam, Germany

    Holger Joswig

  2. Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Psychiatric Hospital of the University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland

    Werner Surbeck

  3. Department of Neuroanatomy, Faculty of Medicine, Liège Belgium & Department of Neurosurgery, University Hospital of Liège, University of Liège, Liège, Belgium

    Felix Scholtes

  4. Schulthess Clinic, Zurich, Switzerland

    Denis Bratelj

  5. Department of Neurosurgery, Cantonal Hospital St. Gallen, St. Gallen, Switzerland

    Gerhard Hildebrandt

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  1. Holger Joswig
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  4. Denis Bratelj
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Correspondence to Holger Joswig.

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Dr. Holger Joswig received speaker honoraria from UCB Canada and travel grants from Medtronic. The other authors certify that they have no affiliations with or involvement in any organization or entity with any financial interest (such as honoraria; educational grants; participation in speakers’ bureaus; membership, employment, consultancies, stock ownership, or other equity interest; and expert testimony or patent-licensing arrangements), or non-financial interest (such as personal or professional relationships, affiliations, knowledge or beliefs) in the subject matter or materials discussed in this manuscript.

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Joswig, H., Surbeck, W., Scholtes, F. et al. The debate on apraxia and the supplementary motor area in the twentieth century. Acta Neurochir 163, 1247–1255 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00701-020-04509-0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00701-020-04509-0

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