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Updated: Jul 19, 2026
Measurement of Spatial Stability in Precision Grip
Published on: June 4, 2020
Fingertip force planning during grasp is disrupted by impaired sensorimotor integration in children with hemiplegic
Andrew M Gordon1, Jeanne Charles, Bert Steenbergen
1Department of Biobehavioral Sciences, Teachers College, Columbia University, NY, NY 10027, USA. ag275@columbia.edu
Insights
Children with hemiplegic cerebral palsy (CP) show impaired anticipatory force control in their involved hand. Surprisingly, this control can transfer between hands, suggesting integration issues rather than purely sensory or motor deficits.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Motor Control
- Developmental Pediatrics
Background:
- Hemiplegic cerebral palsy (CP) often impairs motor control, particularly anticipatory force adjustments during grasping.
- Understanding these deficits is crucial for developing effective rehabilitation strategies.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate anticipatory control of fingertip forces in children with hemiplegic CP.
- To determine if contralateral hand use facilitates anticipatory control in the involved hand.
Main Methods:
- Eight children with hemiplegic CP (ages 4-13) performed object lifts with involved and non-involved hands.
- Force transducers measured fingertip forces during lifts of varying weights (250g, 500g).
- Lifts were performed sequentially with each hand to assess inter-limb transfer.
Main Results:
- Impaired anticipatory control was observed in the involved hand, consistent with prior research.
- Anticipatory control was intact in the non-involved hand.
- Transfer of anticipatory control occurred from the non-involved to the involved hand.
- Unexpectedly, transfer of anticipatory control was also observed from the involved to the non-involved hand.
Conclusions:
- Impaired anticipatory control in hemiplegic CP may stem from difficulties integrating sensory information with motor output, not solely sensory or motor deficits.
- Findings suggest novel therapeutic targets for improving motor function in children with CP.
- The observed inter-limb transfer has significant clinical implications for rehabilitation.
Abstract:
In the present study we examine the ability of children with hemiplegic cerebral palsy (CP) to use anticipatory control of fingertip forces during grasping, and whether anticipatory control is facilitated by lifts with the contralateral hand. Eight children with CP (age 4-13) were asked to perform several lifts of either a 250-g or 500-g object instrumented with force transducers with one hand, followed immediately by several lifts with the contralateral hand. This was repeated for each combination of weight and starting (involved or non-involved) hand. Similar to previous studies, the rate of load force development showed impaired anticipatory control during lifts with the involved hand, intact anticipatory control in the non-involved hand, and transfer of anticipatory control from the non-involved to the involved hand. Surprisingly, however, we also found a transfer from the involved hand to the non-involved hand. The results suggest that the impaired anticipatory control in the involved hand is not purely a sensory or motor problem, and instead is due to an inability to appropriately integrate sensory information with subsequent motor output of the same hand. These results provide important information about the mechanisms underlying impaired anticipatory control, and may have important clinical implications.
