Strength and isometric torque control in individuals with Parkinson's disease.
It has been previously reported that patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) struggle with fine adjustments of finger forces while manipulating an object. However, impairments in everyday activities can not only be attributed to difficulties with the linear forces applied on an object, but also to the application of rotational forces (torque). This study examined finger strength and isometric torque control in elderly persons with PD. Six individuals with PD (66.1 +/- 0.7 years), six elderly healthy controls (65.3 +/- 0.2 years) matched by age, gender and handedness, and six young adults (22.3 +/- 0.2 years) participated in this study. The subjects were asked to perform two tasks: maximum voluntary thumb-index pinching torque production (MVT) and constant isometric thumb-index torque control at 40% of their MVT for 20 s. The results showed decreased strength and increased difficulty in isometric torque control in individuals with PD as compared to their healthy peers. This study demonstrates that PD affects isometric finger torque production and control.
Oliveira
Marcio Alves
MA
Department of Kinesiology, University of Maryland, 2318, College Park, MD 20742, USA. marcio@umd.edu
de Oliveira
Marcio Alves
MA
Rodrigues
Ana Melissa
AM
Caballero
Raphael Maciel Silva
RM
da Silva Caballero
Raphael Maciel
RM
Petersen
Ricardo Demetrio
RD
de Souza Petersen
Ricardo Demetrio
RD
Shim
Jae Kun
JK
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001479:Basal Ganglia / Q000503:physiopathology; D004185:Disability Evaluation; D005260:Female; D005385:Fingers / Q000294:innervation / Q000503:physiopathology*; D018737:Hand Strength / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D007537:Isometric Contraction / Q000502:physiology; D008297:Male; D009044:Motor Cortex / Q000503:physiopathology; D009048:Motor Skills / Q000502:physiology; D009068:Movement / Q000502:physiology; D053580:Muscle Strength / Q000502:physiology; D018908:Muscle Weakness / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology; D018482:Muscle, Skeletal / Q000294:innervation / Q000503:physiopathology*; D009434:Neural Pathways / Q000503:physiopathology; D010300:Parkinson Disease / Q000503:physiopathology*; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D016059:Range of Motion, Articular / Q000502:physiology; D019415:Torque