Repetitive Finger Movement and Dexterity Tasks in People With Parkinson's Disease

BACKGROUND. Little is known regarding how repetitive finger movement performance, an assessment of bradykinesia (slowness of movement), is related to fine-motor dexterity tasks in people with Parkinson's disease (PD). OBJECTIVE. This pilot study examined the relationship between the performance of fine-motor dexterity tasks and repetitive finger movement in people with PD. METHOD. Forty-six participants with PD completed an acoustically cued repetitive finger movement task (1-3 Hz). Movement amplitude, movement rate difference, and coefficient of variation were obtained for each tone rate. Participants also completed a buttoning and Purdue pegboard assembly task. Buttoning time and number of assemblies were recorded. RESULTS. A significant association was found between movement rate difference and movement rate difference coefficient of variation and buttoning performance in which higher movement rate and higher variability were associated with slower buttoning times. No significant associations between any of the repetitive finger movement outcome measures and Purdue pegboard assembly performance were revealed. CONCLUSION. Changes in movement amplitude and movement rate may influence fine-motor dexterity tasks differently. Thus, it is important to consider the quantitative assessment of both movement rate and movement amplitude because they may indicate differential clinical applications in the treatment of people with PD.