title: Factors underlying age-related changes in discrete aiming.
abstract: Age has a clear impact on one's ability to make accurate goal-directed aiming movements. Older adults seem to plan slower and shorter-ranged initial pulses towards the target, and rely more on sensory feedback to ensure endpoint accuracy. Despite the fact that these age-related changes in manual aiming have been observed consistently, the underlying mechanism remains speculative. In an attempt to isolate four commonly suggested underlying factors, young and older adults were instructed to make discrete aiming movements under varying speed and accuracy constraints. Results showed that older adults were physically able to produce fast primary submovements and that they demonstrated similar movement-programming capacities as young adults. On the other hand, considerable evidence was found supporting a decreased visual feedback-processing efficiency and the implementation of a play-it-safe strategy in older age. In conclusion, a combination of the latter two factors seems to underlie the age-related changes in manual aiming behaviour.
authors: Movement Control and Neuroplasticity Research Group, Department of Kinesiology, KU Leuven, Tervuursevest 101, 3001, Louvain, Belgium, florian.vanhalewyck@faber.kuleuven.be.
authors: Florian
authors: F
authors: Van Halewyck
authors: Ann
authors: A
authors: Lavrysen
authors: Oron
authors: O
authors: Levin
authors: Matthieu P
authors: MP
authors: Boisgontier
authors: Digby
authors: D
authors: Elliott
authors: Werner F
authors: WF
authors: Helsen
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000375:Aging / Q000502:physiology*; D001696:Biomechanical Phenomena; D056228:Feedback, Sensory / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009068:Movement / Q000502:physiology*; D011597:Psychomotor Performance / Q000502:physiology*; D055815:Young Adult