title: Finger tapping analysis in patients with Parkinson's disease and atypical parkinsonism.
abstract: The goal of this study was to investigate repetitive finger tapping patterns in patients with Parkinson's disease (PD), progressive supranuclear palsy-Richardson syndrome (PSP-R), or multiple system atrophy of parkinsonian type (MSA-P). The finger tapping performance was objectively assessed in PD (n=13), PSP-R (n=15), and MSA-P (n=14) patients and matched healthy controls (HC; n=14), using miniature inertial sensors positioned on the thumb and index finger, providing spatio-temporal kinematic parameters. The main finding was the lack or only minimal progressive reduction in amplitude during the finger tapping in PSP-R patients, similar to HC, but significantly different from the sequence effect (progressive decrement) in both PD and MSA-P patients. The mean negative amplitude slope of -0.12°/cycle revealed less progression of amplitude decrement even in comparison to HC (-0.21°/cycle, p=0.032), and particularly from PD (-0.56°/cycle, p=0.001), and MSA-P patients (-1.48°/cycle, p=0.003). No significant differences were found in the average finger separation amplitudes between PD, PSP-R and MSA-P patients (pmsa-pd=0.726, pmsa-psp=0.363, ppsp-pd=0.726). The lack of clinically significant sequence effect during finger tapping differentiated PSP-R from both PD and MSA-P patients, and might be specific for PSP-R. The finger tapping kinematic parameter of amplitude slope may be a neurophysiological marker able to differentiate particular forms of parkinsonism.
authors.affiliation: Innovation Center, School of Electrical Engineering, University of Belgrade, Belgrade, Serbia.
authors.forename: Milica
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Djurić-Jovičić
authors.affiliation: Neurology Clinic, Clinical Center of Serbia, School of Medicine, University of Belgrade, Dr Subotica 6, Belgrade, Serbia.
authors.forename: Igor
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Petrović
authors.affiliation: Neurology Clinic, Clinical Center of Serbia, School of Medicine, University of Belgrade, Dr Subotica 6, Belgrade, Serbia.
authors.forename: Milica
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ječmenica-Lukić
authors.affiliation: Institute for Medical Research, University of Belgrade, Belgrade, Serbia.
authors.forename: Saša
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Radovanović
authors.affiliation: Neurology Clinic, Clinical Center of Serbia, School of Medicine, University of Belgrade, Dr Subotica 6, Belgrade, Serbia.
authors.forename: Nataša
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Dragašević-Mišković
authors.affiliation: Innovation Center, School of Electrical Engineering, University of Belgrade, Belgrade, Serbia.
authors.forename: Minja
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Belić
authors.affiliation: School of Electrical Engineering, University of Belgrade, Department for Signals and Systems, Belgrade, Serbia.
authors.forename: Vera
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Miler-Jerković
authors.affiliation: School of Electrical Engineering, University of Belgrade, Department for Signals and Systems, Belgrade, Serbia.
authors.forename: Mirjana B
authors.initials: MB
authors.lastname: Popović
authors.affiliation: Neurology Clinic, Clinical Center of Serbia, School of Medicine, University of Belgrade, Dr Subotica 6, Belgrade, Serbia. Electronic address: vladimir.s.kostic@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Vladimir S
authors.initials: VS
authors.lastname: Kostić
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D018450:Disease Progression; D005260:Female; D005385:Fingers; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009048:Motor Skills; D019578:Multiple System Atrophy / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis; D009460:Neurologic Examination / Q000379:methods*; D020734:Parkinsonian Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000209:etiology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D013494:Supranuclear Palsy, Progressive / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis
keywords: Atypical parkinsonism; Hypokinesia; Kinematic analysis; Progressive supranuclear palsy; Repetitive finger tapping