Faculty Collaboration Database

The role of eye movements, attention, and hand movements on age-related differences in pegboard tests. J Neurophysiol 2021 Nov 01;126(5):1710-1722

Date

10/14/2021

Pubmed ID

34644180

DOI

10.1152/jn.00629.2020

Scopus ID

2-s2.0-85120037803 (requires institutional sign-in at Scopus site)   3 Citations

Abstract

Well-documented manual dexterity impairments in older adults may critically depend on the processing of visual information. The purpose of this study was to determine age-related changes in eye and hand movements during commonly used pegboard tests and the association with manual dexterity impairments in older adults. The relationship between attentional deficits and manual dexterity was also assessed. Eye movements and hand kinematics of 20 young (20-38 yr) and 20 older (65-85 yr) adults were recorded during 9-Hole Pegboard, Grooved Pegboard, and a visuospatial dual test. Results were compared with standardized tests of attention (The Test of Everyday Attention and Trail Making Test) that assess visual selective attention, sustained attention, attentional switching, and divided attention. Hand movement variability was 34% greater in older versus young adults when placing the pegs into the pegboard and this was associated with decreased pegboard performance, providing further evidence that increased movement variability plays a role in dexterity impairments in older adults. Older adults made more corrective saccades and spent less time gazing at the pegboard than young adults, suggesting altered visual strategies in older compared with young adults. The relationship between pegboard completion time and Trail Making Test B demonstrates an association between attentional deficits and age-related pegboard impairments. Results contribute novel findings of age-associated changes in eye movements during a commonly used manual dexterity task and offer insight into potential mechanisms underlying hand motor impairments in older adults.NEW & NOTEWORTHY This eye tracking study contributes novel findings of age-associated changes in eye movements during the commonly used pegboard tests of manual dexterity, including a greater number of corrective saccades and lesser time gazing at the pegboard holes in older compared with young adults. An association between attentional deficits and dexterity impairments in older adults is also highlighted. Results shed light on potential mechanisms underlying well-documented motor deficits in older adults.

Author List

Heintz Walters B, Huddleston WE, O'Connor K, Wang J, Hoeger Bement M, Keenan KG

Authors

Marie Hoeger Bement MPT,PhD Associate Professor in the Physical Therapy department at Marquette University
Jinsung Wang PhD Assistant Professor in the Human Movement Sciences department at University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee

MESH terms used to index this publication - Major topics in bold

Adult
Aged
Aged, 80 and over
Aging
Attention
Eye Movements
Female
Humans
Male
Motor Activity
Psychomotor Performance
Young Adult