Age-related accelerated tapping response in healthy population.
Different types of rapid tapping responses were described in the finger-tapping test. The "Hastening phenomenon" was described as an abnormal motor response in patients with Parkinson's disease. Accelerated tapping has been shown in a healthy elderly sample. It is not clear whether accelerated tapping relates to the hastening phenomenon or characterizes normal aging. We hypothesized that this sample of 21 healthy elderly people showed increased accelerated tapping but not hastening phenomenon. To assess this hypothesis, 20 healthy young and 21 elderly subjects performed a tapping test, requiring responses from 1 to 6 Hz. The healthy elderly sample showed increased accelerated tapping but not increased "hastening phenomenon." We conclude that Accelerated tapping may represent age-related motor processes unlike the hastening phenomenon characterizing Parkinson's disease.
Elazary
Anat Scheiman
AS
Department of Physiology, The Hebrew University-Hadassah Medical School, Jerusalem, Israel. anatscheiman@yahoo.com
Attia
Revital
R
Bergman
Hagai
H
Ben-Pazi
Hilla
H
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000375:Aging / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009043:Motor Activity; D010300:Parkinson Disease / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology; D011930:Reaction Time; D012016:Reference Values