“Auto-Activation Deficit: A Basal Ganglia Related Syndrome”, 2001-09-01 (; similar):
We draw attention to a new syndrome related to basal ganglia pathology. It is characterized by a deficit in spontaneous activation of mental processing, observed in behavioral, cognitive, or affective domains, which can be totally reversed by external stimulation that activates normal patterns of response. In addition, patients with auto-activation deficit (AAD) typically express the feeling that their mind is empty when they are not stimulated, a symptom that is sometimes difficult to recognize.
AAD, also designated “psychic akinesia”, differs from the inertia or abulia observed in patients with frontal lesions in that behavioral, cognitive, and emotional abilities become normal under external stimulation. This is particularly striking for executive functions, which are essentially preserved under test conditions. The dramatic effect of external stimulation on these patients may appear to resemble what has been called “kinesia paradoxica” on a motor point of view, except that, in the present case, external stimulation always activates all aspects of behavior.
The syndrome is mainly encountered following lesions of the basal ganglia and is thought to result from the disruption of passing fibers mediating the internal activation of mental processing. We believe that the concept may generate some new lines of research into the non-motor roles of the basal ganglia such as behavioral activation, cognitive processing, affectivity, and conscious awareness.