Altered visual strategies and attention are related to increased force fluctuations during a pinch grip task in older adults

The purpose of the study was to determine the visual strategies used by older adults during a pinch grip task and to assess the relations between visual strategy, deficits in attention, and increased force fluctuations in older adults. Eye movements of 23 older adults (>65 yr) were monitored duri...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of neurophysiology 2017-11, Vol.118 (5), p.2537-2548
Main Authors: Keenan, Kevin G, Huddleston, Wendy E, Ernest, Bradley E
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adult
Aged
Aged, 80 and over
Aging - physiology
Attention
Feedback, Physiological
Female
Humans
Male
Pinch Strength
Saccades
Visual Perception
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Summary:The purpose of the study was to determine the visual strategies used by older adults during a pinch grip task and to assess the relations between visual strategy, deficits in attention, and increased force fluctuations in older adults. Eye movements of 23 older adults (>65 yr) were monitored during a low-force pinch grip task while subjects viewed three common visual feedback displays. Performance on the Grooved Pegboard test and an attention task (which required no concurrent hand movements) was also measured. Visual strategies varied across subjects and depended on the type of visual feedback provided to the subjects. First, while viewing a high-gain compensatory feedback display (horizontal bar moving up and down with force), 9 of 23 older subjects adopted a strategy of performing saccades during the task, which resulted in 2.5 times greater force fluctuations in those that exhibited saccades compared with those who maintained fixation near the target line. Second, during pursuit feedback displays (force trace moving left to right across screen and up and down with force), all subjects exhibited multiple saccades, and increased force fluctuations were associated ( = 0.6; = 0.002) with fewer saccades during the pursuit task. Also, decreased low-frequency (
ISSN:0022-3077
1522-1598
DOI:10.1152/jn.00928.2016