title: Strength and isometric torque control in individuals with Parkinson's disease.
abstract: 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.
authors.affiliation: Department of Kinesiology, University of Maryland, 2318, College Park, MD 20742, USA. marcio@umd.edu
authors.forename: Marcio Alves
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Oliveira
authors.forename: Marcio Alves
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: de Oliveira
authors.forename: Ana Melissa
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Rodrigues
authors.forename: Raphael Maciel Silva
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Caballero
authors.forename: Raphael Maciel
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: da Silva Caballero
authors.forename: Ricardo Demetrio
authors.initials: RD
authors.lastname: Petersen
authors.forename: Ricardo Demetrio
authors.initials: RD
authors.lastname: de Souza Petersen
authors.forename: Jae Kun
authors.initials: JK
authors.lastname: Shim
mesh_terms: 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