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Modified Box and Block Test to Assess the Roles of Vision and Somatosensation
1School of Kinesiology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, USA.
Journal of Motor Behavior
|January 5, 2026
Summary
Removing vision reduced Box and Block Test performance by 27% in younger and older adults, with similar effects observed in individuals with chronic stroke. This study highlights vision
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Rehabilitation Medicine
- Human Motor Control
Background:
- Reaching and grasping rely on integrated visual and somatosensory feedback.
- Neurologic conditions, such as stroke, can impair these sensory systems.
- Understanding visual reliance is crucial for rehabilitation strategies.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the impact of vision removal on the Box and Block Test performance.
- To compare the effect of vision occlusion across different age groups (younger adults, older adults) and a pilot group with chronic hemiparetic stroke.
- To evaluate the feasibility of a modified Box and Block Test for assessing visual reliance in clinical populations.
Main Methods:
- Participants (young adults, older adults, individuals with stroke) performed the Box and Block Test with and without vision.
- Performance metrics were analyzed to quantify the reduction in task completion when vision was occluded.
- Data were compared between age groups and affected/unaffected hands in the stroke cohort.
Main Results:
- Both younger and older adults experienced an approximate 27% reduction in performance when vision was removed, with no significant age or hand differences.
- Individuals with chronic stroke showed variable performance reductions, with greater decrements in the more affected hand (42.9%-73.2%) compared to the less affected hand (22%-44.4%).
- No age-related differences in visual reliance were detected in this study.
Conclusions:
- Vision plays a significant role in Box and Block Test performance across different age groups.
- The modified Box and Block Test is a feasible clinical tool for assessing visual reliance in neurological conditions like stroke.
- This assessment method can help tailor rehabilitation strategies by quantifying sensory feedback reliance.
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