Computerized measures of finger tapping: reliability, malingering and traumatic brain injury.
We analyzed computerized finger tapping metrics in four experiments. Experiment 1 showed tapping-rate differences associated with hand dominance, digits, sex, and fatigue that replicated those seen in a previous, large-scale community sample. Experiment 2 revealed test-retest correlations (r = .91) that exceeded those reported in previous tapping studies. Experiment 3 investigated subjects simulating symptoms of traumatic brain injury (TBI); 62% of malingering subjects produced abnormally slow tapping rates. A tapping-rate malingering index, based on rate-independent tapping patterns, provided confirmatory evidence of malingering in 48% of the subjects with abnormal tapping rates. Experiment 4 compared tapping in 24 patients with mild TBI (mTBI) and a matched control group; mTBI patients showed slowed tapping without evidence of malingering. Computerized finger tapping measures are reliable measures of motor speed, useful in detecting subjects performing with suboptimal effort, and are sensitive to motor abnormalities following mTBI.
a Human Cognitive Neurophysiology Laboratory , Martinez Clinic , Martinez , CA , USA.
Kerry A
KA
Hubel
E William
EW
Yund
Timothy J
TJ
Herron
David L
DL
Woods
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000465:Algorithms; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D001930:Brain Injuries / Q000523:psychology*; D003071:Cognition / Q000502:physiology; D004522:Educational Status; D005221:Fatigue / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D005385:Fingers / Q000502:physiology*; D007839:Functional Laterality / Q000502:physiology; D006225:Hand / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008306:Malingering / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000523:psychology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D011597:Psychomotor Performance / Q000502:physiology*; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012727:Sex Characteristics; D013313:Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic / Q000523:psychology; D055815:Young Adult