The magnitude and rate of reduction in strength, dexterity and sensation in the human hand vary with ageing

Experimental Gerontology

Volumn 48, Issue 8, 2013, Pages 756-765

  Bowden, Jocelyn L ^a,b   McNulty, Penelope A ^a,b  

^a NEUROSCIENCE RESEARCH AUSTRALIA   (Australia)

^b UNIVERSITY OF NEW SOUTH WALES   (Australia)

Author keywords

Cutaneous sensation; Finger tapping; Grooved pegboard; Handgrip strength; Sensorimotor integration; Sex differences

Indexed keywords

ADULT; AGE DISTRIBUTION; AGED; AGING; ARTICLE; DEXTERITY; FEMALE; GRIP STRENGTH; HAND; HAND MOVEMENT; HUMAN; MALE; MOTOR PERFORMANCE; PERCEPTION; PRIORITY JOURNAL; SEX DIFFERENCE; SKIN SENSATION;

CUTANEOUS SENSATION; FINGER-TAPPING; GROOVED-PEGBOARD; HANDGRIP STRENGTH; SENSORIMOTOR INTEGRATION; SEX DIFFERENCES;

ADULT; AGE FACTORS; AGED; AGED, 80 AND OVER; AGING; CROSS-SECTIONAL STUDIES; FEMALE; HAND; HAND STRENGTH; HUMANS; MALE; MIDDLE AGED; MOTOR ACTIVITY; MUSCLE STRENGTH; PSYCHOMOTOR PERFORMANCE; SENSATION; SEX FACTORS; SKIN PHYSIOLOGICAL PHENOMENA; TASK PERFORMANCE AND ANALYSIS; TIME FACTORS;

EID: 84879276322     PISSN: 05315565     EISSN: 18736815     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.1016/j.exger.2013.03.011     Document Type: Article

References (67)

1. Andersen J.L., Terzis G., Kryger A. Increase in the degree of coexpression of myosin heavy chain isoforms in skeletal muscle fibers of the very old. Muscle Nerve 1999, 22:449-454.
2. Aoki T., Fukuoka Y. Finger tapping ability in healthy elderly and young adults. Med. Sci. Sports Exerc. 2010, 42:449-455.
3. Araujo A.B., Travison T.G., Bhasin S., Esche G.R., Williams R.E., Clark R.V., McKinlay J.B. Association between testosterone and estradiol and age-related decline in physical function in a diverse sample of men. J. Am. Geriatr. Soc. 2008, 56:2000-2008.
4. Ashendorf L., Vanderslice-Barr J.L., McCaffrey R.J. Motor tests and cognition in healthy older adults. Appl. Neuropsychol. 2009, 16:171-176.
5. Augurelle A.S., Smith A.M., Lejeune T., Thonnard J.L. Importance of cutaneous feedback in maintaining a secure grip during manipulation of hand-held objects. J. Neurophysiol. 2003, 89:665-671.
6. Bell-Krotoski J. Sensibility Testing: Current Concepts. Rehabilitation of the Hand: Surgery and Therapy 1995, Mosby, St. Louis. J.M. Hunter, E.J. Mackin, A.D. Callahan (Eds.).
7. Bornstein R.A. Normative data on selected neuropsychological measures from a nonclinical sample. J. Clin. Psychol. 1985, 41:651-659.
8. Bouche P., Cattelin F., Saint-Jean O., Léger J.M., Queslati S., Guez D., Moulonguet A., Brault Y., Aquino J.P., Simunek P. Clinical and electrophysiological study of the peripheral nervous system in the elderly. J. Neurol. 1993, 240:263-268.
9. Bowden J.L., McNulty P.A. Age-related changes in cutaneous sensation in the healthy human hand. Age 2012, 10.1007/s11357-012-9429-3.
10. Buller N.P., Garnett R., Stephens J.A. The reflex responses of single motor units in human hand muscles following muscle afferent stimulation. J. Physiol. 1980, 303:337-349.
11. Caccia M.R., McComas A.J., Upton A.R., Blogg T. Cutaneous reflexes in small muscles of the hand. J. Neurol. Neurosurg. Psychiatry 1973, 36:960-977.
12. Carmeli E., Patish H., Coleman R. The aging hand. J. Gerontol. A Biol. Sci. Med. Sci. 2003, 58:146-152.
13. Cauna N. The Effects of Aging on the Receptors Organs of the Human Dermis. Adv. Biol. Skin. 1965, Pergamon Press, New York. W. Montagna (Ed.).
14. Christianson M.K., Leathem J.M. Development and standardisation of the computerised finger tapping test: comparison with other finger tapping instruments. N. Z. J. Psychol. 2004, 33:44-49.
15. Cole K.J., Rotella D.L., Harper J.G. Tactile impairments cannot explain the effect of age on a grasp and lift task. Exp. Brain Res. 1998, 121:263-269.
16. Cousins M.S., Corrow C., Finn M., Salamone J.D. Temporal measures of human finger tapping: effects of age. Pharmacol. Biochem. Behav. 1998, 59:445-449.
17. Datta A.K., Stephens J.A. The effects of digital nerve stimulation on the firing of motor units in human first dorsal interosseous muscle. J. Physiol. 1981, 318:501-510.
18. Dellon E.S., Keller K.M., Moratz V., Dellon A.L. Validation of cutaneous pressure threshold measurements for the evaluation of hand function. Ann. Plast. Surg. 1997, 38:485-492.
19. Desrosiers J., Hébert R., Bravo G., Dutil É. Hand sensibility of healthy older people. J. Am. Geriatr. Soc. 1996, 44:974-978.
20. Deuschl G., Feifel E., Guschlbauer B., Lücking C.H. Hand muscle reflexes following air puff stimulation. Exp. Brain Res. 1995, 105:138-146.
21. Doherty T.J. Invited review: aging and sarcopenia. J. Appl. Physiol. 2003, 95:1717-1727.
22. Doherty T.J., Brown W.F. Age-related changes in the twitch contractile properties of human thenar motor units. J. Appl. Physiol. 1997, 82:93-101.
23. Doherty T.J., Vandervoort A.A., Taylor A.W., Brown W.F. Effects of motor unit losses on strength in older men and women. J. Appl. Physiol. 1993, 74:868-874.
24. Edin B.B., Abbs J.H. Finger movement responses of cutaneous mechanoreceptors in the dorsal skin of the human hand. J. Neurophysiol. 1991, 65:657-670.
25. Fallon J.B., Bent L.R., McNulty P.A., Macefield V.G. Evidence for strong synaptic coupling between single tactile afferents from the sole of the foot and motoneurons supplying leg muscles. J. Neurophysiol. 2005, 94:3795-3804.
26. Folstein M.F., Folstein S.E., McHugh P.R. "Mini-mental state". A practical method for grading the cognitive state of patients for the clinician. J. Psychiatr. Res. 1975, 12:189-198.
27. Giampaoli S., Ferrucci L., Cecchi F., Lo Noce C., Poce A., Dima F., Santaquilani A., Vescio M.F., Menotti A. Hand-grip strength predicts incident disability in non-disabled older men. Age Ageing. 1999, 28:283-288.
28. Jette A.M., Branch L.G., Berlin J. Musculoskeletal impairments and physical disablement among the aged. J. Gerontol. 1990, 45:M203-M208.
29. Johansson R.S., Vallbo Å B.,densities of four types of mechanoreceptive units in glabrous skin. J. Physiol. 1979, 286:283-300.
30. Kalisch T., Wilimzig C., Kleibel N., Tegenthoff M., Dinse H.R. Age-related attenuation of dominant hand superiority. PLoS One 2006, 1:e90.
31. Kalisch T., Kattenstroth J.C., Kowalewski R., Tegenthoff M., Dinse H.R. Cognitive and tactile factors affecting human haptic performance in later life. PLoS One 2012, 7:e30420.
32. Kallman D.A., Plato C.C., Tobin J.D. The role of muscle loss in the age-related decline of grip strength: cross-sectional and longitudinal perspectives. J. Gerontol. 1990, 45:M82-M88.
33. Kauranen K., Vanharanta H. Influences of aging, gender, and handedness on motor performance of upper and lower extremities. Percept. Mot. Skills 1996, 82:515-525.
34. Keele S.W. Movement control in skilled motor performance. Psychol. Bull. 1968, 70:387-403.
35. Klitgaard H., Mantoni M., Schiaffino S., Ausoni S., Gorza L., Laurent-Winter C., Schnohr P., Saltin B. Function, morphology and protein expression of ageing skeletal muscle: a cross-sectional study of elderly men with different training backgrounds. Acta Physiol. Scand. 1990, 140:41-54.
36. Kurina L.M., Gulati M., Everson-Rose S.A., Chung P.J., Karavolos K., Cohen N.J., Kandula N., Lukezic R., Dugan S.A., Sowers M., Powell L.H., Pickett K.E. The effect of menopause on grip and pinch strength: results from the Chicago, Illinois, site of the study of women's health across the nation. Am. J. Epidemiol. 2004, 160:484-491.
37. Larsson L., Karlsson J. Isometric and dynamic endurance as a function of age and skeletal muscle characteristics. Acta Physiol. Scand. 1978, 104:129-136.
38. Lexell J., Taylor C.C., Sjöström M. What is the cause of the ageing atrophy? Total number, size and proportion of different fiber types studied in whole vastus lateralis muscle from 15- to 83-year-old men. J. Neurol. Sci. 1988, 84:275-294.
39. Lezak M., Howieson D., Loring D. Neuropsychological Assessment 2004, Oxford University Press, New York.
40. Macefield V.G., Johansson R.S. Control of grip force during restraint of an object held between finger and thumb: responses of muscle and joint afferents from the digits. Exp. Brain Res. 1996, 108:172-184.
41. Marmon A.R., Pascoe M.A., Schwartz R.S., Enoka R.M. Associations among strength, steadiness, and hand function across the adult life span. Med. Sci. Sports Exerc. 2011, 43:560-567.
42. Mathiowetz V., Kashman N., Volland G., Weber K., Dowe M., Rogers S. Grip and pinch strength: normative data for adults. Arch. Phys. Med. Rehabil. 1985, 66:69-74.
43. McNulty P.A., Macefield V.G. Modulation of ongoing EMG by different classes of low-threshold mechanoreceptors in the human hand. J. Physiol. 2001, 537:1021-1032.
44. McNulty P.A., Türker K.S., Macefield V.G. Evidence for strong synaptic coupling between single tactile afferents and motoneurones supplying the human hand. J. Physiol. 1999, 518:883-893.
45. Melchior H., Vatine J.J., Weiss P.L. Is there a relationship between light touch-pressure sensation and functional hand ability?. Disabil. Rehabil. 2007, 29:567-575.
46. Michimata A., Kondo T., Suzukamo Y., Chiba M., Izumi S. The manual function test: Norms for 20- to 90-year-olds and effects of age, gender, and hand dominance on dexterity. Tohoku J. Exp. Med. 2008, 214:257-267.
47. Mitrushina M.N. Handbook of Normative Data for Neuropsychological Assessment 2005, Oxford University Press, New York.
48. Monzée J., Lamarre Y., Smith A.M. The effects of digital anesthesia on force control using a precision grip. J. Neurophysiol. 2003, 89:672-683.
49. Murata J., Murata S., Hiroshige J., Ohtao H., Horie J., Kai Y. The influence of age-related changes in tactile sensibility and muscular strength on hand function in older adult females. Int. J. Gerontol. 2010, 4:180-183.
50. Narici M.V., Maffulli N. Sarcopenia: characteristics, mechanisms and functional significance. Br. Med. Bull. 2010, 95:139-159.
51. Norris A.H., Shock N.W., Wagman I.H. Age changes in the maximum conduction velocity of motor fibers of human ulnar nerves. J. Appl. Physiol. 1953, 5:589-593.
52. Nowak D.A., Hermsdorfer J. Digit cooling influences grasp efficiency during manipulative tasks. Eur. J. Appl. Physiol. 2003, 89:127-133.
53. O'Sullivan D.J., Swallow M. The fibre size and content of the radial and sural nerves. J. Neurol. Neurosurg. Psychiatry 1968, 31:464-470.
54. Puh U. Age-related and sex-related differences in hand and pinch grip strength in adults. Int. J. Rehabil. Res. 2010, 33:4-11.
55. Ranganathan V.K., Siemionow V., Sahgal V., Yue G.H. Effects of aging on hand function. J. Am. Geriatr. Soc. 2001, 49:1478-1484.
56. Refshauge K.M., Kilbreath S.L., Gandevia S.C. Movement detection at the distal joint of the human thumb and fingers. Exp. Brain Res. 1998, 122:85-92.
57. Reuter E.M., Voelcker-Rehage C., Vieluf S., Godde B. Touch perception throughout working life: effects of age and expertise. Exp. Brain Res. 2012, 216:287-297.
58. Rose C.R., Keen D.A., Koshland G.F., Fuglevand A.J. Coordination of Multiple Muscles in the Elaboration of Individual Finger Movements. Society for Neuroscience 1999, Society for Neuroscience, Miami Beach, USA.
59. Ruff R.M., Parker S.B. Gender- and age-specific changes in motor speed and eye-hand coordination in adults: normative values for the Finger Tapping and Grooved Pegboard Tests. Percept. Mot. Skills 1993, 76:1219-1230.
60. Schmidt S.L., Oliveira R.M., Rocha F.R., Abreu-Villaca Y. Influences of handedness and gender on the grooved pegboard test. Brain Cogn. 2000, 44:445-454.
61. Smith C.D., Umberger G.H., Manning E.L., Slevin J.T., Wekstein D.R., Schmitt F.A., Markesbery W.R., Zhang Z., Gerhardt G.A., Kryscio R.J., Gash D.M. Critical decline in fine motor hand movements in human aging. Neurology 1999, 53:1458-1461.
62. Thornbury J.M., Mistretta C.M. Tactile sensitivity as a function of age. J. Gerontol. 1981, 36:34-39.
63. Tremblay F., Wong K., Sanderson R., Cote L. Tactile spatial acuity in elderly persons: assessment with grating domes and relationship with manual dexterity. Somatosens. Mot. Res. 2003, 20:127-132.
64. Tremblay F., Mireault A.C., Dessureault L., Manning H., Sveistrup H. Postural stabilization from fingertip contact II. Relationships between age, tactile sensibility and magnitude of contact forces. Exp. Brain Res. 2005, 164:155-164.
65. Vega-Bermudez F., Johnson K.O. Fingertip skin conformance accounts, in part, for differences in tactile spatial acuity in young subjects, but not for the decline in spatial acuity with aging. Percept. Psychophys. 2004, 66:60-67.
66. Woodward K.L. The relationship between skin compliance, age, gender, and tactile discriminative thresholds in humans. Somatosens. Mot. Res. 1993, 10:63-67.
67. Yu F., Hedstrom M., Cristea A., Dalen N., Larsson L. Effects of ageing and gender on contractile properties in human skeletal muscle and single fibres. Acta Physiol. 2007, 190:229-241.