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Full-Text Articles in Life Sciences
Dexterous Manipulation Capabilities Are Associated With Change In Discharge Rate Properties Of Motor Neurons With Age, Mukta N. Joshi
Dexterous Manipulation Capabilities Are Associated With Change In Discharge Rate Properties Of Motor Neurons With Age, Mukta N. Joshi
Theses and Dissertations
Aging is accompanied by declines in manual dexterity and fine motor control. The purpose of this research was to compare hand motor control in young and older adults and examine the neuromuscular mechanisms responsible for enabling these interactions. We test force variability during isometric and dynamic contractions, manual dexterity and track motor unit activity to identify the neuromuscular mechanisms responsible for changes in dexterity with age. 26 older adults (66-86 years) and 28 young adults (19 – 38 years) participated in the study. Research participants performed force matching tasks during index finger abduction, precision pinch, static pressing and hybrid force/ …
Effects Of Parkinson’S Disease On Motor Asymmetry, Deborah Mazanek Watson
Effects Of Parkinson’S Disease On Motor Asymmetry, Deborah Mazanek Watson
Theses and Dissertations
Introduction: Persons with Parkinson’s disease (PD) experience changes cortically, subcortically and behaviorally. This dissertation examines the asymmetry of motor behavior to explore the role of asymmetry in persons with PD and its connection to clinical symptoms. Purpose: Project 1: To assess the hand asymmetry difference in young adults versus older adults. Project 2: To investigate the difference in hand asymmetry in older adults and persons with PD. Project 3: To explore the correlation between function and clinical symptoms of persons with PD. Methods: 55 right-handed participants [Young Adults (YA) = 20, Female = 10; Older Adults (OA) = 20, Female …
Eye Movements And Attention Are Related To Impaired Hand Motor Control In Older Adults, Brittany Heintz Walters
Eye Movements And Attention Are Related To Impaired Hand Motor Control In Older Adults, Brittany Heintz Walters
Theses and Dissertations
Visual information is critical for many goal-directed movements and changes in visual information influence hand motor performance in older adults. Knowledge of eye movements during hand motor tasks would provide greater insight into impaired hand function in older adults. This dissertation examined age-related changes in eye movements and the association with hand motor impairments in older adults. Given that attention plays a role in motor performance and declines with age, the relationship between attentional processes and hand motor control was also assessed. A total of 23 young (age 20 – 38) and 28 older (age 65 – 90) adults were …
Replacing Sedentary Behavior With A Light Intensity Physical Activity In The Homes Of Older Adults, Nicholas Louis Lerma
Replacing Sedentary Behavior With A Light Intensity Physical Activity In The Homes Of Older Adults, Nicholas Louis Lerma
Theses and Dissertations
Aging is positively correlated with time spent in sedentary behavior (SB), which has been found to be linked to premature mortality, cardiovascular disease risk, and functional limitations. Moderate-to-vigorous-intensity physical activity (MVPA) is a potent stimulus for preventing and improving functional limitations in older adults, but less than 17% of the older adult population meets the recommended PA guidelines. While increased time spent in SB is detrimental to health in all, the impact among those that are physically inactive appear to be most pronounced. Recent evidence suggests increasing light-intensity physical activity (LPA) in these populations may provide health benefits and could …
Investigation Of Neural Mechanisms Of Grip Relaxation, Binal Motawar
Investigation Of Neural Mechanisms Of Grip Relaxation, Binal Motawar
Theses and Dissertations
Neural mechanisms for grip relaxation are relatively unknown and understudied, as compared to mechanisms for grip initiation. Yet, termination of motor activity is as important as initiation in daily function. This knowledge gap presents incomplete understanding of neural control of hand function and its impairment with aging and neurologic disorders. The purpose of this dissertation was to identify and examine neural mechanisms of grip relaxation in healthy young adults, with aging, and in chronic stroke survivors. A series of experiments in healthy young adults showed that the relaxation from a maximum power grip was mediated by increase in the short-interval …
Individual, Occupational And Biomechanical Factors That Affect Slip And Fall Risk From Fixed Ladders, Erika Mae Pliner
Individual, Occupational And Biomechanical Factors That Affect Slip And Fall Risk From Fixed Ladders, Erika Mae Pliner
Theses and Dissertations
Injuries from ladder falls are prevalent and severe. Previous research has examined certain elements of ladder falls such as the ladder base slipping, but few studies have examined the factors that contribute to climbers falling from the ladder, particularly for permanent/fixed ladders. In addition, the biomechanical response to a ladder slip/misstep during ladder climbing and the factors that affect a fall from a ladder are not well understood. This thesis is a two part study that simulated ladder slips and missteps in order to find factors 1) associated with ladder slip risk and 2) that decrease fall severity from a …
The Effects Of Exercise Training On Cognitive Reserve And Cognitive Function In Healthy Older Women, Katie Marie Becofsky
The Effects Of Exercise Training On Cognitive Reserve And Cognitive Function In Healthy Older Women, Katie Marie Becofsky
Theses and Dissertations
Cognitive reserve theory suggests that physical activity may protect individuals from cognitive decline. At the brain level, greater cognitive reserve may manifest as greater neural network efficiency. Our purpose was to investigate 1) whether participation in a 16-week walking program increased brain efficiency, and 2) whether increased brain efficiency correlated with change in fitness and task performance. Our secondary purpose was to investigate whether exercise training improved performance on a battery of cognitive tasks, particularly executive functioning performance. Seventeen healthy but sedentary women aged 60-75 years participated in a supervised walking program; eighteen women served as a non-randomized control group. …
The Effects Of Arthritis Foundation’S “Walk With Ease” Program On Cognitive Function, Ryan S. Falck
The Effects Of Arthritis Foundation’S “Walk With Ease” Program On Cognitive Function, Ryan S. Falck
Theses and Dissertations
Physical activity (PA) is believed to improve cognitive function, particularly executive function, in older adults. However, few interventions in community settings have been performed to improve executive function through PA. The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of a community-based walking program on executive function in older adults (60+ years). Older adults from senior centers throughout Lexington County, SC were recruited for participation in this intervention. Exclusion criteria included currently exercising >30 minutes and exercising ≥2x/week or scoring ≤25 on the Mini-Mental State Exam. The intervention consisted of an evidenced-based community walking program, the Arthritis Foundation ’ …