Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Experiment Videos

Grasp force control in older adults.

K J Cole1

  • 1Department of Exercise Science, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52242, USA.

Journal of Motor Behavior
|December 1, 1991
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Short communication: Environmental mastitis pathogen counts in freestalls bedded with composted and fresh recycled manure solids.

Journal of dairy science·2015
Same author

Source-pathway separation of multiple contaminants during a rainfall-runoff event in an artificially drained agricultural watershed.

Journal of environmental quality·2010
Same author

Inhibition of Acetylcholinesterases from Aphelenchus avenae by Carbofuran and Fenamiphos.

Journal of nematology·2009
Same author

The expression of xenobiotic-metabolizing enzymes in human prostate and in prostate epithelial cells (PECs) derived from primary cultures.

The Prostate·2006
Same author

Primary cultures of prostate cells and their ability to activate carcinogens.

Prostate cancer and prostatic diseases·2002
Same author

Morphological transformation of C3H/M2 mouse fibroblasts by, and genotoxicity of, extracts of human milk.

Mutation research·2001
Same journal

Preferential Cup Size and End-State Comfort in Children.

Journal of motor behavior·2026
Same journal

Expertise Modulates Anticipatory Synergy Adjustments in a Rapid Motor Skill Under Temporal Constraints.

Journal of motor behavior·2026
Same journal

A Boundary of Ideomotor Control: Semantic Labels Bias Selection but Do Not Tune Motor Execution.

Journal of motor behavior·2026
Same journal

Strategies When Choosing Between Movement Options in a Sequential Task.

Journal of motor behavior·2026
Same journal

Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation Combined with Neurofunctional Motor Training in Autistic Children: A Randomized, Sham-Controlled, Double-Blind Clinical Trial.

Journal of motor behavior·2026
Same journal

Individualized Virtual Angle Offset Training for Patients with Stroke.

Journal of motor behavior·2026
See all related articles

Elderly individuals use excessive grip force, potentially due to diminished tactile sensibility and increased skin slipperiness, impacting hand dexterity. This study investigated grasp forces in older versus younger adults.

Area of Science:

  • Gerontology
  • Neuroscience
  • Biomechanics

Background:

  • Elderly individuals often experience reduced tactile sensation and hand dexterity.
  • Impaired tactile sensibility in younger adults leads to excessive grasp force, suggesting a similar mechanism in the elderly.
  • Age-related changes in pseudomotor function may increase skin slipperiness, further contributing to excessive grip force.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To compare grasp forces during a precision grip task between elderly and young adults.
  • To investigate the relationship between tactile sensibility, skin slipperiness, and grasp force in aging.
  • To determine if elderly individuals employ excessive grasp forces as a compensatory strategy for sensory deficits.

Main Methods:

  • Measured grasp force in 10 elderly and 9 young adults during a precision grip and vertical lift task.

Related Experiment Videos

  • Varied object surface slipperiness and measured the grasp force at which the object slipped.
  • Assessed tactile sensibility using two-point discrimination limina.

    • Main Results:

    • Elderly subjects used grasp forces approximately twice as large as young subjects, with greater variability.
    • Increased skin slipperiness partially explained the higher grasp forces in older adults.
    • The margin of safety against slippage was greater than predicted by skin slipperiness alone, suggesting a strategic response.

    Conclusions:

    • Elderly individuals exhibit significantly increased and more variable grasp forces compared to young adults.
    • Excessive grasp forces in the elderly may be a compensatory strategy for diminished tactile sensibility.
    • Further research is needed to experimentally confirm the contribution of excessive grasp forces to impaired dexterity in older persons.