title: Impact of Prolonged Temporal Discrimination Threshold on Finger Movements of Parkinson's Disease.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Sensory information is essential for the precise control of movement. Patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) have higher-order sensory dysfunctions including prolonged temporal discrimination threshold (TDT). However, the impact of prolonged TDT on parkinsonian motor deficits is uncertain.
  
  
  METHODS
  This study includes 33 PD patients and 24 healthy controls. TDT values were measured in the index finger. Using coin rotation task (CRT), dexterous finger movement was assessed. Using an inertial sensor, the speed, amplitude, and frequency of finger tapping were measured. The impact of prolonged index finger TDT on two different finger movements was analyzed using the general estimating equation.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Compared to healthy controls, TDT was prolonged in the PD patients. There was no impact of TDT on mean values or decrement for amplitude and speed, as well as mean values, decrement and variability of tapping frequency. However, prolonged TDT had a significant impact on the variability in amplitude (B = 436.905 × 10-4, Wald χ2 = 9.140, p = 0.014) and speed (B = 425.655 × 10-4, Wald χ2 = 9.876, p = 0.014) of finger tapping. There was a marginal correlation between TDT and CRT. In addition, CRT correlated with variability in amplitude and speed of finger tapping.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In PD, cutaneous temporal discriminative sensory dysfunction appears to be related to increased variabilities in the speed and amplitude of fast repetitive finger movements and disturbed finger dexterity.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Pusan National University Hospital, Pusan National University School of Medicine and Biomedical Research Institute, Busan, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: M J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.affiliation: Department of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation, Northwestern University, Chicago, Illinois, United States of America.
authors.forename: J S
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Son
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Pusan National University Yangsan Hospital, Pusan National University School of Medicine and Biomedical Research Institute, Yangsan, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: J H
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Busan Baik Hospital, Inje University College of Medicine, Busan, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: S J
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Gangnam Severance Hospital, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: C H
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: Lyoo
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Gangnam Severance Hospital, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: M S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Lee
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001696:Biomechanical Phenomena; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D004192:Discrimination, Psychological; D005260:Female; D005385:Fingers / Q000503:physiopathology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009068:Movement; D010300:Parkinson Disease / Q000503:physiopathology*; D011597:Psychomotor Performance