Average power spectral density of physiological tremor in normal subjects

The measurement technologies currently available to quantitatively evaluate neurological tremors have several limitations. For this reason the assessment of disorders involving tremor is largely based on subjective clinical evaluation of the patient. The availability of a high-sensitivity, portable and easy to use instrument based on force plate technology, coupled with a customized data analysis protocol could represent a useful tool for the clinician. To verify such a hypothesis, baseline physiological tremor information in a standing posture was collected from normal subjects. A lightweight portable force plate was built and used in collecting vertical ground reaction force data, which was subsequently analyzed for frequency content and power spectral distribution. Repeatability of results in a group of subjects without any diagnosed neurological disorders, and intra-subject repeatability, as well as influence of footwear were investigated.