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Sex differences in tracking performance in patients with Parkinson's disease
James R Carey1, Kim A Deskin, Kevin T Josephson
1Program in Physical Therapy, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis 55455, USA. carey007@tc.umn.edu
Objective:
To examine whether Parkinson's disease affects men and women differently, relative to age-matched controls, in manual tracking.
Design:
Cross-sectional exploratory study.
Setting:
Ambulatory activity center.
Participants:
Ten men and 10 women with Parkinson's disease; 10 men and 10 women age-matched controls.
Interventions:
Patients tracked a sinewave target on a computer monitor in stimulus-response compatible (finger extension/flexion in vertical) or incompatible (horizontal) conditions.
Main Outcome Measure:
Accuracy Index (AI) score on finger movement tracking tests.
Results:
With data collapsed across sexes, AI scores were significantly higher for control subjects compared with subjects with Parkinson's disease in compatible (P<.001) and incompatible (P<.001) positions. With data partitioned out across sexes, control men tracked significantly higher than men with Parkinson's disease in compatible (P=.004) and incompatible (P<.001) positions, but control women did not track significantly different from women with Parkinson's disease in either position. Control men tracked significantly higher than control women in compatible (P=.003) and incompatible (P=.001) positions, but men with Parkinson's disease did not track significantly different from women with Parkinson's disease in either position.
Conclusion:
Parkinson's disease affects men and women disproportionately in manual tracking. Comparisons between subjects with Parkinson's disease and controls in spatial skill should include sex as a factor. More research is needed to confirm these findings.