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Characteristics of the bimanual deficit using grip strength
S A Morehouse1, F Szeligo, E DiTommaso
1University of New Brunswick, Fredericton, Canada.
Laterality
|October 30, 2004
Summary
Bimanual coordination, assessed via grip strength, appears to be managed at an inter-hemispheric level, not lateralized to one brain hemisphere. This finding holds true for both sexes and across different grip tasks.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Human Motor Control
- Psychology
Background:
- Bimanual functioning is crucial for daily activities.
- Understanding hand dominance and interhemispheric communication is key to grasping bimanual coordination.
- The bimanual deficit is a measure used to explore the relationship between hands and brain hemispheres.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate bimanual functioning and the bimanual deficit using grip strength.
- To determine if bimanual coordination is lateralized or governed by inter-hemispheric processes.
- To examine sex differences in bimanual grip performance.
Main Methods:
- 174 right-handed individuals participated in two experiments.
- Experiment 1 involved measuring maximal, unimanual, and bimanual grips (symmetrical and asymmetrical).
- Experiment 2 focused on asymmetrical grips with emphasis placed on a single hand.
Main Results:
- Grip strength decrements in bimanual tasks were similar for preferred and non-preferred hands, and across sexes.
- Emphasizing one hand in asymmetrical grips increased its strength but did not impact the other hand.
- No significant sex differences were observed in bimanual grip performance.
Conclusions:
- Bimanual coordination is likely governed by non-lateralized, inter-hemispheric processes.
- The brain's management of bimanual tasks is consistent across sexes.
- Grip strength provides a valid measure for assessing bimanual coordination and hemispheric relationships.