Search

Copyright of Retos: Nuevas Perspectivas de Educación Física, Deporte y Recreación is the property of Federacion Espanola de Asociaciones de Docentes de Educacion Fisica and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Introduction: Even simple tapping tasks require cognitive processes. Some variants of the Finger Tapping Test (FTT) may reveal cognitive aspects associated with frontal processing, including executive functions such as inhibition, or emotional aspects such as anxiety. A context of particular interest for the application of cognitive-motor-anxiety interactions is sports. Although athletes generally exhibit better anxiety levels, they may experience heightened anxiety before important competitions. The problem lies in determining whether the application of anxiety control techniques can be useful in pre-competition situations, given the lack of quick and easy methods to detect if an athlete is experiencing anxiety at a particular moment. Methods: This exploratory study evaluated anxiety using online versions of questionnaires (ISRA, the Competitive State Anxiety Inventory-2, and STAI) and applied a variant of the FTT to 204 participants, both athletes and non-athletes. The scores were compared and correlated. Results: Athletes exhibited lower general anxiety and greater cognitive resistance to interference (better cognitive inhibition). Non-athletes displayed a particular parameter in the FTT variant that differed from the one obtained by athletes and exhibited higher anxiety levels. In the athletes' group only, anxiety was correlated with a specific parameter of the FTT task. Discussion: Our conclusion is that this parameter holds potential relevance in elite sports performance to detect if an athlete is experiencing anxiety. It could be of particular interest in psychological interventions in sports. Further investigation is warranted to fully explore this potential. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The finger tapping test (FTT) is a tool to evaluate the motor performance of the hand and fingers and eye-hand coordination with applicability in people with multiple sclerosis (pwMS). The aim of this study was to evaluate the intra- and inter-rater reliability of the TappingPro® mobile app and the construct validity between this app and validated clinical scales for motor performance in healthy subjects and pwMS. 42 healthy subjects (mean age 25.05) and 13 pwMS (mean age 51.69, EDSS between 3 and 7.5E) participated. FTT was performed with the TappingPro® mobile app. All participants were examined twice, with a one-week interval between the two appointments. For the analysis of construct validity, the Jamar® hydraulic hand dynamometer, Box and Blocks Test (BBT), and Nine Hole Peg Test (NHPT) were used. The intra-rater reliability showed a good correlation (Intraclass Correlation Coefficient, ICC > 0.787) for both upper limbs and both times of FTT for healthy subjects, and an excellent correlation (ICC > 0.956) for upper limbs and both times of FTT for pwMS. The ICC for the inter-rater reliability was good (ICC = 0.869) for the non-dominant upper limb in the FTT 10 s of the healthy subjects, and excellent (ICC > 0.904) for all the other measurements of the healthy subjects and pwMS. However, the Bland–Altman plots showed disagreement between observers and measurements that should be considered in the interpretation of clinical evaluations. The correlation analysis for healthy subjects showed poor associations between all variables, except for the association between hand grip strength and the FTT 60 s in the non-dominant upper limb, which had a moderate coefficient. For pwMS, there were moderate to excellent associations between BBT and the NHPT and FTT for both upper limbs. The correlations between hand grip strength and FFT were poor. This mobile app could be a useful and low-cost assessment tool in pwMS, allowing a simple evaluation and follow-up that has excellent correlation with clinical scales validated in this pathology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

IntroductionEven simple tapping tasks require cognitive processes. Some variants of the Finger Tapping Test (FTT) may reveal cognitive aspects associated with frontal processing, including executive functions such as inhibition, or emotional aspects such as anxiety. A context of particular interest for the application of cognitive-motor-anxiety interactions is sports. Although athletes generally exhibit better anxiety levels, they may experience heightened anxiety before important competitions. The problem lies in determining whether the application of anxiety control techniques can be useful in pre-competition situations, given the lack of quick and easy methods to detect if an athlete is experiencing anxiety at a particular moment.MethodsThis exploratory study evaluated anxiety using online versions of questionnaires (ISRA, the Competitive State Anxiety Inventory-2, and STAI) and applied a variant of the FTT to 204 participants, both athletes and non-athletes. The scores were compared and correlated.ResultsAthletes exhibited lower general anxiety and greater cognitive resistance to interference (better cognitive inhibition). Non-athletes displayed a particular parameter in the FTT variant that differed from the one obtained by athletes and exhibited higher anxiety levels. In the athletes’ group only, anxiety was correlated with a specific parameter of the FTT task.DiscussionOur conclusion is that this parameter holds potential relevance in elite sports performance to detect if an athlete is experiencing anxiety. It could be of particular interest in psychological interventions in sports. Further investigation is warranted to fully explore this potential.

Abstract: Monitoring body motion is relevant to motor control disorders as well as assessment of fine motor skills in child development. Furthermore, motion tracking is necessary for rehabilitation monitoring and injury prevention and benefits both sick and healthy individuals. Flexible pressure sensors based on resistors, capacitors, inductors, or transistors are reviewed in the context of healthcare measurements, ranging from physiological signals to body movement characteristics such as grip and gait. To demonstrate the use of flexible pressure sensors for motor assessment, a touch sensing glove that evaluates fine motor skills in autism research is developed. The results show that autistic children perform fewer taps per minute compared to typically developing children, with larger variations in tap durations. In a second example, a force and motion sensing glove is developed to assess spasticity, a neuromuscular disorder that causes muscle stiffness/resistance and jerky movement. Analyses of force versus velocity show movement‐dependent muscle resistance in a patient with spasticity. Through these flexible sensor systems, the shift from subjective scores to objective measurement will promote better diagnosis and dramatically improve the accuracy in tracking patient response to therapy.

Background and Study Aim. The functional state of organs and systems determines the level of preparedness of athletes in modern sports. The evaluation of the state of the central nervous system is of particular importance. The purpose of the study is a comparative analysis of the results of the tapping test of taekwondo athletes of different ages. Material and Methods. 42 taekwondo athletes were divided into groups of 14 people depending on age: group 1 - (7.50±0.14) years, group 2 - (10.07±0.22) years, group 3 - (13.36±0.27) years. Participants of groups 1 and 2 were engaged in the amateur level, and group 3 had a skill level of 2 Gup - 1 Dan. A special computer program for devices with the iOS operating system was used. An Apple tablet was used - iPad, 4th generation with a screen diagonal of 9.7 inches. The finger-tapping test was carried out for 60 s, 12 subtests of 5 s each. For analysis, we evaluated the total number of depressions during the entire test, the average number of depressions per 5 s, the number of depressions in each subtest, the duration of depressions in each subtest, and the dynamic performance index (DPI). Group results were compared using the nonparametric Rosenbaum test (Q) and sign test (z). Results. It was found that the athletes of the 2nd group performed more depressions in the test as a whole and in 11 out of 12 subtests compared with the athletes of the 1st group. Comparison of the middle and senior groups also confirmed the best results of the athletes of the senior group in 6 subtests out of 12. The senior athletes had a longer duration of depressions in 2 subtests. The most pronounced differences were established when comparing the results of the junior and senior groups. A significant excess in the number of depressions was confirmed for senior athletes in all subtests. The duration of depressing was longer in senior athletes in 2 subtests. A significant reduction in the number of depressions from the beginning to the end of the test was determined. Changes in the duration of depressions were opposite, and the time increased from the beginning to the end of the test. Conclusions. The presence of a direct dependence of the results of the finger-tapping test of taekwondo athletes on age is determined. An increase in the number of depressions in the test, an increase in the integral criterion - an indicator of dynamic performance was determined. The results reflect an increase in the strength of nervous processes, positive changes in the functional state under the influence of regular training loads. This condition should be evaluated as a predictor of the success of taekwondo athletes. The computer version of the test is mobile, informative and valid. It can be used in monitoring the functional state of combat sports athletes.

The finger tapping test (FTT) is a tool to evaluate the motor performance of the hand and fingers and eye-hand coordination with applicability in people with multiple sclerosis (pwMS). The aim of this study was to evaluate the intra- and inter-rater reliability of the TappingPro® mobile app and the construct validity between this app and validated clinical scales for motor performance in healthy subjects and pwMS. 42 healthy subjects (mean age 25.05) and 13 pwMS (mean age 51.69, EDSS between 3 and 7.5E) participated. FTT was performed with the TappingPro® mobile app. All participants were examined twice, with a one-week interval between the two appointments. For the analysis of construct validity, the Jamar® hydraulic hand dynamometer, Box and Blocks Test (BBT), and Nine Hole Peg Test (NHPT) were used. The intra-rater reliability showed a good correlation (Intraclass Correlation Coefficient, ICC > 0.787) for both upper limbs and both times of FTT for healthy subjects, and an excellent correlation (ICC > 0.956) for upper limbs and both times of FTT for pwMS. The ICC for the inter-rater reliability was good (ICC = 0.869) for the non-dominant upper limb in the FTT 10 s of the healthy subjects, and excellent (ICC > 0.904) for all the other measurements of the healthy subjects and pwMS. However, the Bland–Altman plots showed disagreement between observers and measurements that should be considered in the interpretation of clinical evaluations. The correlation analysis for healthy subjects showed poor associations between all variables, except for the association between hand grip strength and the FTT 60 s in the non-dominant upper limb, which had a moderate coefficient. For pwMS, there were moderate to excellent associations between BBT and the NHPT and FTT for both upper limbs. The correlations between hand grip strength and FFT were poor. This mobile app could be a useful and low-cost assessment tool in pwMS, allowing a simple evaluation and follow-up that has excellent correlation with clinical scales validated in this pathology.

Background: Manual dexterity is the ability to manipulate objects using the hands and fingers for a specific task. Although manual dexterity is widely investigated in the general and special population at all ages, numerous aspects still remain to be explored in children. The aim of this study was to assess the presence of the training effect of the execution of the Grooved Pegboard test (GPT) and to measure the performance of the GPT in dual-task (DT), i.e., during a motor task and a cognitive task. Methods: In this observational, cross-sectional study manual dexterity was assessed in children aged between 6 and 8. The procedure consisted of two phases: (1) the execution of five consecutive trials of the GPT to evaluate the training effect; (2) the execution of one trial of the GPT associated with a motor task (finger tapping test, GPT-FTT), and one trial of the GPT associated with a cognitive task (counting test, GPT-CT) to evaluate the performance in DT. Results: As for the training effect, a significant difference (p

Hand pose estimation (HPE) plays an important role during the functional assessment of the hand and in potential rehabilitation. It is a challenge to predict the pose of the hand conveniently and accurately during functional tasks, and this limits the application of HPE. In this paper, we propose a novel architecture of a shifted attention regression network (SARN) to perform HPE. Given a depth image, SARN first predicts the spatial relationships between points in the depth image and a group of hand keypoints that determine the pose of the hand. Then, SARN uses these spatial relationships to infer the 3D position of each hand keypoint. To verify the effectiveness of the proposed method, we conducted experiments on three open-source datasets of 3D hand poses: NYU, ICVL, and MSRA. The proposed method achieved state-of-the-art performance with 7.32 mm, 5.91 mm, and 7.17 mm of mean error at the hand keypoints, i.e., mean Euclidean distance between the predicted and ground-truth hand keypoint positions. Additionally, to test the feasibility of SARN in hand movement recognition, a hand movement dataset of 26K depth images from 17 healthy subjects was constructed based on the finger tapping test, an important component of neurological exams administered to Parkinson's patients. Each image was annotated with the tips of the index finger and the thumb. For this dataset, the proposed method achieved a mean error of 2.99 mm at the hand keypoints and comparable performance on three task-specific metrics: the distance, velocity, and acceleration of the relative movement of the two fingertips. Results on the open-source datasets demonstrated the effectiveness of the proposed method, and results on our finger tapping dataset validated its potential for applications in functional task characterization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Personal Assistive RObot (PARO) interventions have been used to treat agitation and mood symptoms of dementia effectively. However, the effects of a PARO intervention on physiological and cognitive function are unclear. To examine the effects of a group-based PARO intervention for older adults with mild dementia. Using a group-based PARO intervention randomized controlled trial with 2-arm parallel groups. Older adults with mild dementia aged 65 years or older from 4 dementia day care centers were recruited. Physiological parameters were assessed using the finger tapping test (FTT) and heart rate variability (HRV). The Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), Geriatric Depression Scale–Short Form (GDS-SF), University of California Los Angeles loneliness scale–version 3 (UCLA-3), and Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-being Scale (WEMWBS) were assessed before the intervention, end of the intervention, and 1-month after the intervention. Using a repeated-measures generalized linear model, significant time × group interactions were found in the MMSE [ F (2, 115) = 19.54, P <.001], FTT [ F (2, 115) = 4.87, P =.01], HRV high-frequency [ F (2, 115) = 3.57, P =.03], and high-frequency/low-frequency ratio [ F (2, 115) = 0.96, P =.01], UCLA-3 [ F (2, 115) = 54.7, P <.001], GDS-SF [ F (2, 115) = 3.36, P =.04], and WEMWBS [ F (2, 115) = 5.93, P <.001]. Furthermore, psychological parameters improved significantly and continuously even 1 month after the PARO intervention was finished. Physiological parameters significantly improved at week 6, but the effects had diminished by week 10. A PARO intervention may effectively improve the physiological and psychological responses of people with mild dementia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Finger tapping is one of the standard tests for Parkinson's disease diagnosis performed to assess the motor function of patients' upper limbs. In clinical practice, the assessment of the patient's ability to perform the test is carried out visually and largely depends on the experience of clinicians. This article presents the results of research devoted to the objectification of this test. The methodology was based on the proposed measurement method consisting in frame processing of the video stream recorded during the test to determine the time series representing the distance between the index finger and the thumb. Analysis of the resulting signals was carried out in order to determine the characteristic features that were then used in the process of distinguishing patients with Parkinson's disease from healthy cases using methods of machine learning. The research was conducted with the participation of 21 patients with Parkinson's disease and 21 healthy subjects. The results indicate that it is possible to obtain the sensitivity and specificity of the proposed method at the level of approx. 80 %. However, the patients were in the so-called ON phase when symptoms are reduced due to medication, which was a much greater challenge compared to analyzing signals with clearly visible symptoms as reported in related works.

The Finger Tapping Test (FTT) is a neurophysiological test with a long history in the field of neuropsychology, used to examine motor control. The objective of the present investigation was to validate a computerized version of the FTT, estimating its concurrent validity with standardized tests of anxiety and precompetitive anxiety. A total of 102 participants took part in the study, of which 47 practiced physical activity and sports on a regular basis, and 55 did not. 34.31% of the sample were men and 65.68% were women. Two computerized versions of the FTT were used, along with the Competitive State Anxiety Inventory 2 (CSAI2), State-Trait Anxiety Questionnaire (STAI), Situation and Response Anxiety Inventory (ISRA), Competitive Anxiety Inventory (SCAT) and Emotional Regulation Questionnaire (ERQ). Correlations were found between the pulses of the classic modality and movement version and with some of the scales of the questionnaires used, such as emotional suppression, cognitive and somatic anxiety, and, especially, selfconfidence. The results show that the FTT has stability in terms of its evaluation, as well as high concurrent validity [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Study Aim. The functional state of organs and systems deter-mines the level of preparedness of athletes in modern sports. The evaluation of the state of the central nervous system is of particular importance. The purpose of the study is a comparative analysis of the results of the tapping test of taekwondo athletes of different ages. Material and Methods. 42 taekwondo athletes were divided into groups of 14 people depending on age: group 1 - (7.50±0.14) years, group 2 - (10.07±0.22) years, group 3 - (13.36±0.27) years. Participants of groups 1 and 2 were engaged in the amateur level, and group 3 had a skill level of 2 Gup - 1 Dan. A special computer program for devices with the iOS operating system was used. An Apple tablet was used - iPad, 4th generation with a screen diagonal of 9.7 inches. The finger-tapping test was carried out for 60 s, 12 subtests of 5 s each. For analysis, we evaluated the total number of depressions during the entire test, the average number of depressions per 5 s, the number of depressions in each subtest, the duration of depressions in each subtest, and the dynamic performance index (DPI). Group results were compared using the nonparametric Rosenbaum test (Q) and sign test (z). Results. It was found that the athletes of the 2nd group performed more depressions in the test as a whole and in 11 out of 12 subtests compared with the athletes of the 1st group. Comparison of the middle and senior groups also confirmed the best results of the athletes of the senior group in 6 subtests out of 12. The senior athletes had a longer duration of depressions in 2 subtests. The most pronounced differences were established when comparing the results of the junior and senior groups. A significant excess in the number of depressions was confirmed for senior athletes in all subtests. The duration of depressing was longer in senior athletes in 2 subtests. A significant reduction in the number of depressions from the beginning to the end of the test was determined. Changes in the duration of depressions were opposite, and the time increased from the beginning to the end of the test. Conclusions. The presence of a direct dependence of the results of the finger-tapping test of taekwondo athletes on age is determined. An increase in the number of depressions in the test, an increase in the integral criterion - an indicator of dynamic performance was determined. The results reflect an increase in the strength of nervous processes, positive changes in the functional state under the influence of regular training loads. This condition should be evaluated as a predictor of the success of taekwondo athletes. The computer version of the test is mobile, informative and valid. It can be used in monitoring the functional state of combat sports athletes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the 1970s and 1980s, a multitude of cognitive rehabilitation programs proliferated to facilitate recovery after brain injury. However only a few programs provided a framework for ameliorating disturbances in the cognitive, psychological, and interpersonal spheres of the brain-injured patient. Greatly influenced by Leonard Diller and Yehuda Ben-Yishay’s ideas and methods, George P. Prigatano began, in early 1980, a holistic neuropsychological rehabilitation program at the Presbyterian Hospital in Oklahoma City (Oklahoma). The objective of this paper is to summarize the contributions of George P. Prigatano to neuropsychological rehabilitation and clinical neuropsychology during his 50th year of practice. The main body of the paper is structured in three sections. The first section briefly explains the history of neuropsychological rehabilitation in the twentieth century and the emergence of holistic neuropsychological rehabilitation programs in the 1970s. The second section describes the contributions of George P. Prigatano to neuropsychological rehabilitation and clinical neuropsychology (written by AGM). In the third section, the second author (GPP) prepared an autobiographical statement, which attempts to summarize some of the personal and professional experiences which influenced his work. George P. Prigatano’s contributions to neuropsychological rehabilitation and clinical neuropsychology are essential to understanding the therapeutic approaches currently used in the treatment of brain-injured patients.

Objective: Motor tests, including Finger-Tapping Test, Grooved Pegboard Test, and Grip Strength Test, are frequently used by neuropsychologists when assessing pediatric populations. Many of the norms available for these measures are outdated, have not been co-normed, and have samples with limited diversity. This study aims to provide updated, co-norms for three commonly used motor tasks with a diverse population. Method: Participants (n = 476; age range 6–14) were recruited from community settings to complete each of the three motor tests. Results: Results demonstrate generally improved performance across ages with no significant difference between performance of males and females on the Grooved Pegboard Test or the Finger Tapping Test. The only significant findings were on the Grip Strength Test where 12–14-year-old boys demonstrated stronger performance on the dominant hand. Conclusion: This study provides updated and co-normed data on frequently used motor tasks with a diverse pediatric sample, which are useful for clinicians. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hand pose estimation (HPE) plays an important role during the functional assessment of the hand and in potential rehabilitation. It is a challenge to predict the pose of the hand conveniently and accurately during functional tasks, and this limits the application of HPE. In this paper, we propose a novel architecture of a shifted attention regression network (SARN) to perform HPE. Given a depth image, SARN first predicts the spatial relationships between points in the depth image and a group of hand keypoints that determine the pose of the hand. Then, SARN uses these spatial relationships to infer the 3D position of each hand keypoint. To verify the effectiveness of the proposed method, we conducted experiments on three open-source datasets of 3D hand poses: NYU, ICVL, and MSRA. The proposed method achieved state-of-the-art performance with 7.32 mm, 5.91 mm, and 7.17 mm of mean error at the hand keypoints, i.e., mean Euclidean distance between the predicted and ground-truth hand keypoint positions. Additionally, to test the feasibility of SARN in hand movement recognition, a hand movement dataset of 26K depth images from 17 healthy subjects was constructed based on the finger tapping test, an important component of neurological exams administered to Parkinson’s patients. Each image was annotated with the tips of the index finger and the thumb. For this dataset, the proposed method achieved a mean error of 2.99 mm at the hand keypoints and comparable performance on three task-specific metrics: the distance, velocity, and acceleration of the relative movement of the two fingertips. Results on the open-source datasets demonstrated the effectiveness of the proposed method, and results on our finger tapping dataset validated its potential for applications in functional task characterization.

Background: Parkinson's disease (PD) is characterized by bradykinesia, tremor, rigidity, postural instability and cognitive deficits in attention, executive functions, learning and memory. Motor speed, measured using Finger Tapping Test (FTT), is an important indicator and predictor of cognitive and motor functions. Deficits in motor speed have significant impact on performance on other neuropsychological tests.Objective: This study aimed to understand and compare the cognitive profile of patients with and without deficits in motor speed as evaluated on the FTT.Method and Material: A detailed neuropsychological evaluation using the NIMHANS Neuropsychological Battery was carried out on 70 PD patients. The PD patients were divided into patients with (n = 46) and without (n = 24) motor speed deficits. The two groups were comparable with regard to age (P = 0.591), years of formal education (up to 10th - 24.3, above 10th - 75.7) duration of illness (P = 0.703) and age of onset (P = 0.721).Results: Across the various cognitive domains such as executive functions, verbal recognition, visuospatial functions, visual learning and memory, the group without deficits in motor speed performed significantly better in comparison to patients with motor symptoms.Conclusion: A short and simple test such as FTT may be helpful in predicting the range and severity of cognitive deficits across other cognitive domains in patients with PD. Future studies on larger cohort examining the intricate role and association of FTT and other motor functions such as dexterity may be helpful in understanding the nature and severity of other cognitive functions in this clinical population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Aims: Early psychomotor recovery is an essential part of day care surgery which depends on brain integration of motor and sensory co-ordination. Even though dexmedetomidine is commonly used for day care procedures, the recovery profile was not studied. Hence, this study was designed to evaluate the psychomotor recovery of sedation with dexmedetomidine during spinal anesthesia. Material and Methods: Sixty-six patients were included. Group D received dexmedetomidine 0.5 μg/kg (loading dose) followed by 0.2–1 μg/kg/hour. Group P received propofol infusion of 25–100 μg/kg/minute. Psychomotor recovery was assessed by finger-tapping, manual dexterity, visual spatial memory capacity, and pen and paper tests. Psychomotor tasks were given to the patients postoperatively at every 30 minutes for 2 hours followed by every hour up to 4 hours after surgery. Distribution of patients, age, weight, duration of surgery, and the level of sensory blockade was compared using independent t-test. Student's t-test has been used to find the significance of parameters such as heart rate, mean arterial pressure, oxygen saturation (SpO2), psychomotor recovery between two groups. P < 0.05 was considered as significant. Results: The motor recovery using finger tapping test was faster in Group D than Group P (73.94 ± 42.13 vs 101.21 ± 37.98 minutes, P–value = 0.007). Motor recovery using peg board test was faster in Group P than Group D (82.12 ± 40.37 vs 99.39 ± 43.08 minutes, P–value = 0.098). Visual spatial capacity memory test and pen and paper test were unaffected. Conclusions: We conclude that patients who received dexmedetomidine showed earlier recovery with finger tapping test. Hence, we suggest to use dexmedetomidine for complete psychomotor recovery and fast-track discharging of the patient after spinal anesthesia.

Background: Quantitative measurement of parkinsonian motor symptoms is crucial in clinical practice and in research. However, the widely used Unified PD Rating Scale (UPDRS) part III is based on a semi-quantitative evaluation with high inter- and intra-rater variability. Sensor-based measurements have been widely studied but are limited for their accessibility.Methods: We analyzed 2D-RGB videos recording finger tapping and leg agility tests in 29 PD patients with a marker-less deep-learning based tracking algorithm. The tracking performance was validated with an accelerometer. Four parameters (mean amplitude, mean interpeak interval, amplitude variability and interpeak interval variability) were calculated from the position tracking.Results: The performance of the video-tracking was in good agreement with the accelerometer-based tracking (Intra-class correlation coefficient > 0.9 for the peak amplitude, and >0.6 for the interpeak interval). The video-tracking successfully captured variable aspects of limb bradykinesia that have a distinct correlation with the general parkinsonian motor symptoms and gait. In the finger-tapping task, the mean amplitude (R = -0.6, p = 2.4 × 10-6), amplitude variability (R = 0.36, p = 0.0092), mean interpeak interval (R = 0.34, p = 0.014), and interpeak interval variability (R = 0.66, p = 1.4 × 10-7) was significantly correlated with the UPDRS scores. In leg agility test, the mean amplitude (R = -0.58, p = 1.7 × 10-5), mean interpeak interval (R = 0.37, p = 0.0088) and interpeak interval variability (R = 0.7, p = 6.2 × 10-8) were significantly correlated with the UPDRS scores, but not with amplitude variability (R = 0.17, p = 0.26). Limb rigidity was significantly correlated with the interpeak interval (R = 0.40, p = 0.0036) and its variability (R = 0.59, p = 4.2 × 10-6) in the leg agility test.Conclusion: The video-based tracking could objectively measure limb bradykinesia in PD patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: There has been a constant increase in life expectancy with the advancement of modern medicine. Likewise, dementia has also increased and projected to elevate in the coming decades with the higher expenditure on healthcare. Consequently, it is essential to identify early dementia, e.g., a patient suffering from mild cognitive impairment who is highly vulnerable to developing dementia soon. Methods: Through this work, we brought forward an approach by fusing cognitive task and EEG signal processing. Continuous EEG of 16 dementia, 16 early dementia and 15 healthy subjects recorded under two resting states; eye open and eye closed, and two cognitive states; finger tapping test (FTT) and the continuous performance test (CPT). The present approach introduced iterative filtering (IF) as a decomposition technique for dementia diagnosis along with four significant EEG features power spectral density, variance, fractal dimension and Tsallis entropy. Multi-class classification conducted to compare the decision tree, k nearest neighbour (${k}$ NN), support vector machine, and ensemble classifiers. Results: The proposed approach deeply checked for their capability of prediction using cognitive scores and EEG measures. The highest accuracies obtained by ${k}$ NN with 10-fold cross-validation for dementia, early dementia and healthy are 92.00%, 91.67% and 91.87%, respectively. Conclusion: The essential findings of this study are: 1) Experimental results indicate that ${k}$ NN is superior over other classifier algorithms for dementia diagnosis. 2) CPT is the best predictor for healthy subjects. 3) FTT can be an essential test to diagnose significant dementia.Significance: IF decomposition technique enhances the diagnostic accuracy even with a limited dataset. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Children diagnosed with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder encounter difficulties in many activities in their daily lives that require motor coordination skills. The aim of this study was to establish whether children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder have deficits in fine motor skills. Eighty male and female learners diagnosed with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder matched with 80 non-attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder from the North West and Limpopo provinces (South Africa), aged 7–13 years, participated in the study. All participants completed the grooved pegboard test, the maze coordination task, and the finger tapping test. These instruments measure various functions of motor speed and eye–hand coordination. The findings reveal that children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder performed significantly poorer than the control group with regard to the grooved pegboard and maze coordination tasks, but not with the finger tapping task. There were no gender differences in all the tests. Performance on the maze coordination task with the non-dominant hand was poorer for the attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder group with regard to the time taken to complete the task. However, no hand dominance differences were found on the grooved pegboard and finger tapping tests. The study revealed a relationship between attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder symptomatology and motor problems with regard to complex tasks of accuracy, but not on a simple task of motor speed. It is, therefore, recommended that since children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder show motor deficiencies, motor skill training should be considered as part of the intervention, as these skills are needed for many daily activities and academic competencies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Context: Patient's rating of perceived effort (RPE) is used to assess central fatigue. Cancer-related fatigue (CRF) is believed to be of central origin. The increased RPE with a motor task, such as the Finger-Tapping Test (FTT), can easily be measured in the clinical setting. Objectives: To correlate the FTT, RPE and the Brief Fatigue Inventory (BFI) rated fatigue severity in patients with cancer. Methods: Subjective fatigue was assessed in adult patients with cancer by the BFI. Participants performed a modified FTT with the index finger of the dominant hand: 15 seconds × 2, 30 seconds × 2, and 60 seconds × 2 with 1 minute of rest between each time trial. Rating of perceived effort at the end of task was measured by the Borg 10 scale. Exclusions: Brain metastasis, history of brain radiation, Parkinson disease, Huntington Chorea, multiple sclerosis, delirium, and depression. Pearson correlation coefficients were used to describe the relationships between BFI, FTT, and Borg 10 scale. Results: Thirty patients participated. Mean age was 56.2. Sixteen were females (53.3%). The mean BFI mean was 4.1, median 4.4. Tapping rate did not correlate with fatigue severity. The RPE correlated with the mean BFI: r s 0.438, P =.0155. These correlations persisted after adjustment for age. Conclusion: An increased RPE in the absence of task failure suggests that the origin of CRF is central. The performance of an FTT with RPE helps to improve our understanding of fatigue in the clinical setting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study was designed to develop validity cutoffs within the Finger Tapping Test (FTT) using demographically adjusted T-scores, and to compare their classification accuracy to existing cutoffs based on raw scores. Given that FTT performance is known to vary with age, sex, and level of education, failure to correct for these demographic variables poses the risk of elevated false positive rates in examinees who, at the level of raw scores, have inherently lower FTT performance (women, older, and less educated individuals). Data were collected from an archival sample of 100 adult outpatients (MAge = 38.8 years, MEducation = 13.7 years, 56% men) consecutively referred for neuropsychological assessment at an academic medical center in the Midwestern USA after sustaining a traumatic brain injury (TBI). Performance validity was psychometrically defined using the Word Memory Test and two validity composites based on five embedded performance validity indicators. Previously published raw score-based validity cutoffs disproportionately sacrificed sensitivity (.13–.33) for specificity (.98–1.00). Worse yet, they were confounded by sex and education. Newly introduced demographically adjusted cutoffs (T ≤ 33 for the dominant hand, T ≤ 37 for both hands) produced high levels of specificity (.89–.98) and acceptable sensitivity (.36–.55) across criterion measures. Equally importantly, they were robust to injury severity and demographic variables. The present findings provide empirical support for a growing trend of demographically adjusted performance validity cutoffs. They provide a practical and epistemologically superior alternative to raw score cutoffs, while also reducing the potential bias against examinees inherently vulnerable to lower raw score level FTT performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Aims: Early psychomotor recovery is an essential part of day care surgery which depends on brain integration of motor and sensory co-ordination. Even though dexmedetomidine is commonly used for day care procedures, the recovery profile was not studied. Hence, this study was designed to evaluate the psychomotor recovery of sedation with dexmedetomidine during spinal anesthesia. Material and Methods: Sixty-six patients were included. Group D received dexmedetomidine 0.5 μg/kg (loading dose) followed by 0.2–1 μg/kg/hour. Group P received propofol infusion of 25–100 μg/kg/minute. Psychomotor recovery was assessed by finger-tapping, manual dexterity, visual spatial memory capacity, and pen and paper tests. Psychomotor tasks were given to the patients postoperatively at every 30 minutes for 2 hours followed by every hour up to 4 hours after surgery. Distribution of patients, age, weight, duration of surgery, and the level of sensory blockade was compared using independent t-test. Student's t-test has been used to find the significance of parameters such as heart rate, mean arterial pressure, oxygen saturation (SpO2), psychomotor recovery between two groups. P < 0.05 was considered as significant. Results: The motor recovery using finger tapping test was faster in Group D than Group P (73.94 ± 42.13 vs 101.21 ± 37.98 minutes, P–value = 0.007). Motor recovery using peg board test was faster in Group P than Group D (82.12 ± 40.37 vs 99.39 ± 43.08 minutes, P–value = 0.098). Visual spatial capacity memory test and pen and paper test were unaffected. Conclusions: We conclude that patients who received dexmedetomidine showed earlier recovery with finger tapping test. Hence, we suggest to use dexmedetomidine for complete psychomotor recovery and fast-track discharging of the patient after spinal anesthesia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Objective Recently, Electroencephalogram (EEG) shows potential in the diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease and other dementia. We aim to investigate whether EEG and selected cognitive biomarkers can classify mild cognitive impairment (MCI), dementia and healthy subjects using support vector machine classifier in Indian cohort. Methods Eight EEG biomarkers, power spectral density, skewness, kurtosis, spectral skewness, spectral kurtosis, spectral crest factor, spectral entropy (SE), fractal dimension (FD) were analyzed from 44 subjects in four conditions; eye-open, eye-close, finger tapping test (FTT) and continuous performance test (CPT). FFT and CPT are used to measure motor speed and sustained attention as these cognitive biomarkers are free from the educational barrier. Results We achieved very good accuracy for each event from 73.4% to 89.8% for three binary classes. We investigated that FTT (84% accuracy), CPT (88% accuracy) were the most efficient events to diagnose MCI from dementia. MCI from control successfully diagnosed with 89.8% accuracy in FTT, 73.4% accuracy in CPT and 84.1% accuracy in eye open resting state. Even though cognitive biomarkers were also adequately diagnosed MCI from other groups. Conclusions Our classifier findings are consistent with the utmost evidence. Yet, our results are promising and especially newfangled in the case of FTT and CPT from the prior studies. We developed an experimental protocol and proposed a novel technique to classify MCI with efficient biomarkers. Graphical abstract Highlights • This work implemented a shortest designed experiment protocol ever. • Designed protocol eliminates dialectal and educational barrier among subjects. • Analyzing various efficient biomarkers of EEG to detect MCI and dementia. • Classified the subjects with the best accuracy, using support vector machine. • Finger tapping and continuous performance tests are promising diagnostic tests. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A psychological test is a test that is designed to measure one aspect of human behavior. These tests are usually designed to evaluate a person’s ability to complete tasks that were individual's performance on certain tasks that have usually been requested in advance. Usually a test score is used to compare with other results to measure the individual’s performance regarding cognitive ability, aptitude, personality, etc. One such test is the so called “finger tapping” test, designed to measure the integrity of the neuromuscular system and examine motor control. There are several ways to perform such a test. The purpose of this paper isn’t to study the finger tapping test which is well documented in the literature, but to develop if possible a simple way of performing such a test. Using the method presented in the paper a nonstationary signal was obtained and it was analyzed using the Short-time Fourier time frequency representation to obtain the signals frequency and its variation in time. The results presented in the paper show that this method can be used to perform the test and the frequency and spatial amplitude of the obtained tapping signal can be determined easily.

The purpose of this study was to verify the effect of a program of functional motor stimulation in institutionalized elderly, with probable mild to moderate Alzheimer disease, through the Finger Tapping Test (FTT). Sixty elderly composed three groups: Normal Aging (NA) (N = 13); With Alzheimer but Without Intervention (WANI) (n = 18); and, With Alzheimer With Intervention (WAWI) (n = 29). FTT was made with index finger of the preferred hand, in a 10 seconds single trial. The program had a duration of 12 sessions, 2 per week. FTT revealed that WAWI preserved their motor competence in this task, distancing themselves from the regression observed in WANI. The number of beats in the elderly with Alzheimer was lower than in other studies, revealing that there are somehow in a more advanced stage of the disease, and by this way, reinforcing the effects of the intervention on WAWI subjects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Manual dexterity is the ability to manipulate objects using the hands and fingers for a specific task. Although manual dexterity is widely investigated in the general and special population at all ages, numerous aspects still remain to be explored in children. The aim of this study was to assess the presence of the training effect of the execution of the Grooved Pegboard test (GPT) and to measure the performance of the GPT in dual-task (DT), i.e., during a motor task and a cognitive task., Methods: In this observational, cross-sectional study manual dexterity was assessed in children aged between 6 and 8. The procedure consisted of two phases: (1) the execution of five consecutive trials of the GPT to evaluate the training effect; (2) the execution of one trial of the GPT associated with a motor task (finger tapping test, GPT-FTT), and one trial of the GPT associated with a cognitive task (counting test, GPT-CT) to evaluate the performance in DT., Results: As for the training effect, a significant difference (p < 0.001) between the five trials of the GPT (i.e., GPT1, GPT2, GPT3, GPT4, GPT5) was detected. In particular, we found a significant difference between GPT1 and GPT3 (p < 0.05), GPT1 and GPT4 (p < 0.001), and GPT1 and GPT5 (p < 0.001), as well as between GPT2 and GPT4 (p < 0.001), and GPT2 and GPT5 (p < 0.001).As for the performance in DT, no differences between the best trial of the GPT (i.e., GPT5) and both the GPT-FTT and GPT-CT was found., Conclusion: Our findings suggest that the execution of the GPT in children has a training effect up to the third consecutive trial. Furthermore, the administration of the GPT in DT does not affect GPT performance., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper, (© 2023 The Authors.)

Introduction: Timed performance tests were introduced to overcome the disadvantages of subjective evaluation of bradykinesia in Parkinson's disease (PD). We aimed to verify their discriminative properties and compare them with the motion capture analysis of finger tapping.Methods: We included 22 PD patients (10 M, 12 F), mean age 64 (range 48-82) yrs, Hoehn & Yahr stage 2 (1-2.5) and 22 (10 M, 12 F) normal controls, mean age 66 (41-82) yrs. The key tapping subtest of the Halstead-Reitan battery, the Purdue Pegboard test, and the Bradykinesia-Akinesia Incoordination (BRAIN) test were performed according to the test manuals. The finger tapping subtest of the UPDRS-III, item 23 was recorded using a contactless 3D motion capture system Optitrack-V120. Average frequency (AvgFrq), maximum opening velocity (MaxOpV) and amplitude decrement (AmpDec) were computed and simultaneous video recordings of finger tapping were rated by two experts.Results: The AmpDec and MaxOpV motion capture measures best differentiated between PD patients and controls (AUC = 0.87 and 0.81). Of the instrumental tests, only the Purdue Pegboard attained significance in differentiating PD patients from controls (AUC = 0.80). In PD patients, MaxOpV correlated with the finger tapping ratings and BRAIN test, and AvgFrq correlated with the BRAIN and Halstead-Reitan test scores. Moreover, correlations were found between the Purdue Pegboard and finger tapping ratings.Conclusions: Contactless 3D motion capture of finger tapping allowed an independent analysis of individual components of bradykinesia, demonstrating the amplitude decrement and maximum opening velocity as the most powerful discriminators between PD patients and controls. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Finger Tapping Test (FTT) has a strong empirical base but its procedures are inconsistent and the test can be time-consuming. To simplify and abbreviate administration procedures, several potential abbreviated procedures were evaluated using a sample of 71 individuals presenting to a VA Hospital for neuropsychological evaluation. A short version using the mean score of Trials 3–5 for each hand was found to be a strong predictor of full-test performance. The abbreviated version also had stronger reliability than the full version, and it accurately predicts impairment and performance validity classification based on the full version. This abbreviated version appears to be more efficient and sufficiently accurate to be considered for use in lieu of the traditional and potentially longer version of the FTT. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]