Search research articles

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

Related Concept Videos

The Effect of Aging on Tissues

The Effect of Aging on Tissues

Several body functions deteriorate with age. The external signs of aging are easily identifiable. For example, the skin becomes dry, less elastic, and thins out, forming wrinkles. The skin of the face begins to appear looser due to a decrease in the levels of elastic and collagen fibers in the connective tissue. Additionally, melanin production in the hair follicle decreases with age, resulting in gray hair. Moreover, the senses of sight and hearing decline, so glasses and hearing aids may...

Changes in the Appendicular Skeleton with Age

Changes in the Appendicular Skeleton with Age

The upper and lower limb initially develops as a small bulge called a limb bud, which appears on the lateral side of the early embryo. The upper limb bud appears near the end of the fourth week of development, with the lower limb bud appearing shortly after.
Initially, the limb buds consist of a core of mesenchyme covered by a layer of ectoderm. The ectoderm at the end of the limb bud thickens to form a narrow crest called the apical ectodermal ridge. This ridge stimulates the underlying...

Pharmacodynamics in Geriatric Patients: Effects of Age

Pharmacodynamics in Geriatric Patients: Effects of Age

Age-related pharmacokinetic changes are extensively documented, but understanding age-related pharmacodynamic alterations is relatively limited. This knowledge gap can be partly attributed to the complexity of developing appropriate measures of drug responses compared to bioanalytical methods for determining drug concentrations.Most information regarding age-related differences in human pharmacodynamics originates from cross-sectional studies. However, these studies assume that observed mean...

Development of the Limb Synovial Joints

Development of the Limb Synovial Joints

Joints form during embryonic development in conjunction with the formation and growth of the associated bones. The embryonic tissue that gives rise to all bones, cartilage, and connective tissues of the body is called mesenchyme.
The mesenchymal stem cells differentiate into chondrocytes that form the hyaline cartilage, and later the cartilaginous model of the bone. This model further transforms into a bone. This process is known as endochondral ossification.
During development, the limbs...

Parkinson Disease ll: Pathophysiology

Parkinson Disease ll: Pathophysiology

Parkinson disease (PD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder primarily affecting movement, with additional non-motor features. Its pathophysiology involves complex interactions among genetic susceptibility, environmental exposures, and cellular dysfunction, including dopaminergic neuron loss, protein aggregation, and mitochondrial impairment.Selective NeurodegenerationA key feature is the degeneration of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra pars compacta, leading to reduced...

Bone Disorders

Bone Disorders

Aging and its effect on bone remodeling is the most common cause of bone disorders. In young and healthy people, bone deposition and resorption happen at an equal rate to maintain optimal bone health.
Bone deposition is also affected by the levels of sex hormones like estrogen and testosterone that promote osteoblast activity and bone matrix synthesis. When the level of these hormones decreases due to aging, it causes a reduction in bone deposition. As a result, bone resorption by osteoclasts...

You might also read

Related Articles

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

Sort by

Same author

Influence of target uncertainty on reaching movements while standing in stroke.

Human movement science·2019

Same author

Ipsilesional Arm Aiming Movements After Stroke: Influence of the Degree of Contralesional Impairment.

Journal of motor behavior·2017

Same author

Muscle Activation During Pilates Exercises in Participants With Chronic Nonspecific Low Back Pain: A Cross-Sectional Case-Control Study.

Archives of physical medicine and rehabilitation·2016

Same author

Trunk Muscle Coordination During Upward and Downward Reaching in Stroke Survivors.

Motor control·2016

Same author

Relationship of diminished interjoint coordination after stroke to hand path consistency.

Experimental brain research·2015

Same author

Functional connectivity underlying postural motor adaptation in people with multiple sclerosis.

NeuroImage. Clinical·2015

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 9, 2026

A Fine Motor Task to Study Joint Kinematics in a Preclinical Model of Neurodegenerative Disease

A Fine Motor Task to Study Joint Kinematics in a Preclinical Model of Neurodegenerative Disease

Published on: June 13, 2025

Diminished joint coordination with aging leads to more variable hand paths.

Geetanjali Gera Dutta¹, Sandra Maria Sbeghen Ferreira Freitas, John Peter Scholz

¹Biomechanics and Movement Science Program, University of Delaware, Newark, DE 19716, USA.

Human Movement Science

|August 3, 2013

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Young adults demonstrate superior joint coordination in arm movements compared to older adults. This enhanced coordination in younger individuals results in more consistent hand paths, particularly in the dominant arm, even with changing targets.

Keywords:

2330 Aging Coordination Reaching Uncontrolled manifold analysis

More Related Videos

Efficiently Recording the Eye-Hand Coordination to Incoordination Spectrum

Efficiently Recording the Eye-Hand Coordination to Incoordination Spectrum

Published on: March 21, 2019

Gait Analysis of Age-dependent Motor Impairments in Mice with Neurodegeneration

Gait Analysis of Age-dependent Motor Impairments in Mice with Neurodegeneration

Published on: June 18, 2018

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: May 9, 2026

A Fine Motor Task to Study Joint Kinematics in a Preclinical Model of Neurodegenerative Disease

A Fine Motor Task to Study Joint Kinematics in a Preclinical Model of Neurodegenerative Disease

Published on: June 13, 2025

Efficiently Recording the Eye-Hand Coordination to Incoordination Spectrum

Efficiently Recording the Eye-Hand Coordination to Incoordination Spectrum

Published on: March 21, 2019

Gait Analysis of Age-dependent Motor Impairments in Mice with Neurodegeneration

Gait Analysis of Age-dependent Motor Impairments in Mice with Neurodegeneration

Published on: June 18, 2018

Area of Science:

* Neuroscience
* Biomechanics
* Human Motor Control

Background:

* Aging impacts motor control and joint coordination.
* Understanding age-related differences in arm movement is crucial for rehabilitation and assistive technology.
* Previous research suggests declines in motor control with age, but specific joint coordination changes require further investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

* To investigate age-related differences in interjoint coordination of the arm during reaching movements.
* To examine how target uncertainty affects joint coordination in young versus older adults.
* To quantify the contribution of individual joint coordination to overall hand path stability.

Main Methods:

* Utilized uncontrolled manifold (UCM) analysis to assess joint coordination.
* Measured joint configuration variance, partitioning it into motor abundance (VUCM) and hand path variability (VORT).
* Compared healthy young and older adults performing reaching tasks with fixed and uncertain targets.

Main Results:

* Young adults showed significantly stronger joint coordination indices than older adults.
* The dominant right arm in young adults exhibited more robust coordination than the left arm.
* Target uncertainty exacerbated differences in coordination, particularly for young adults' dominant arm.

Conclusions:

* Interjoint coordination is more refined in young adults, leading to greater hand path consistency.
* Aging is associated with reduced interjoint coordination, impacting motor control efficiency.
* Findings highlight the importance of age and arm dominance in motor control strategies and suggest potential targets for interventions.