Upper-extremity motor co-ordination of healthy elderly people.
Motor co-ordination is an important prerequisite to adequate upper-extremity performance. With the ageing of the population, more and more elderly people are at risk of acquiring upper-extremity motor inco-ordination following sensorimotor deficit. The main objective of the study was to develop normative data on upper-extremity motor co-ordination for elderly people. Three hundred and sixty subjects aged 60 and over were randomly selected and evaluated with the Finger-Nose Test. The results revealed a linear decline in the performance of this test with age. Younger, more active and subjectively healthier subjects presented better motor co-ordination. Some differences were found between sexes and sides. The normative data will help clinicians to identify pathological reduction in motor co-ordination in an elderly population.
Desrosiers
J
J
Centre de recherche en gérontologie et gériatrie, Hôpital D'Youville de Sherbrook, Québec, Canada.
Hébert
R
R
Bravo
G
G
Dutil
E
E
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000375:Aging / Q000502:physiology*; D001132:Arm / Q000294:innervation; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009046:Motor Neurons / Q000502:physiology; D009048:Motor Skills / Q000502:physiology*; D018482:Muscle, Skeletal / Q000294:innervation; D009460:Neurologic Examination; D011597:Psychomotor Performance / Q000502:physiology*; D012016:Reference Values