Systematic changes in position sense accompany normal aging across adulthood
Troy M Herter, Stephen H Scott, Sean P Dukelow1
1Hotchkiss Brain Institute, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada. sean.dukelow@albertahealthservices.ca.
Journal of Neuroengineering and Rehabilitation
|March 27, 2014
Summary
Proprioception, or position sense in the upper limb, declines with age. This study quantifies age-related changes in proprioception to help distinguish normal aging from neurological conditions.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Gerontology
- Biomechanics
Background:
- Assessing neurological function requires understanding age-related changes in basic neurological functions.
- The impact of aging on upper limb proprioception remains unclear in existing research.
- This study aims to clarify age-related proprioception changes and establish normative data.
Purpose of the Study:
- Quantify age-related changes in upper limb position sense.
- Generate normative data for upper limb proprioception across adulthood.
- Differentiate normal aging effects from potential pathology in position sense.
Main Methods:
- Utilized a robotic arm position-matching task with 209 healthy adults (18-90 years).
- Measured position sense using objective, reliable hand- and joint-based coordinates.
- Employed linear regressions to analyze age-related changes and establish normative boundaries.
Main Results:
- Significant age-related declines were observed in multiple hand-based position sense measures (Variability, Shift, Spatial Contraction, Absolute Error).
- Joint-based parameters (shoulder and elbow) also showed significant age and test-hand effects.
- Sex and test-hand influenced various measures of upper extremity position sense.
Conclusions:
- Provides robust evidence for age-related declines in upper extremity position sense.
- Establishes a normative dataset for upper limb proprioception.
- Offers a foundation for clinical assessments to distinguish normal aging from neurological pathology.
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