Movement-accuracy control in tetraparetic cerebral palsy
Publication year
2005Source
Motor Control, 9, 4, (2005), pp. 372-394ISSN
Publication type
Article / Letter to editor

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Organization
SW OZ DCC CO
Former Organization
SW OZ NICI CO
Journal title
Motor Control
Volume
vol. 9
Issue
iss. 4
Page start
p. 372
Page end
p. 394
Subject
Action, intention, and motor controlAbstract
People with cerebral palsy (CP) are known to heavily rely on visual guidance when making targeted upper-limb movements. In the present study, we examined whether being able to visually monitor the moving limb forms a precondition for people with CP to make accurate upper-limb movements. Eight participants with tetraparetic CP and eight controls were asked to produce large-amplitude, straight-line drawing movements on a digitizing tablet. In half the trials, vision of the moving limb was blocked. Accuracy constraints were manipulated by varying the width of the target and by imposing a maximum width of the movement path. Surprisingly, when vision was blocked movement accuracy was comparable in the two groups. Thus, people with tetraparetic CP do not strictly need constant vision of their moving limb to make accurate upper-limb movements. However, they compensated for the lack of visual information by prolonging movement time. Using a high pen force proved a general strategic adaptation, possibly to filter out unwanted noise from the motor system or to enhance proprioceptive input.
This item appears in the following Collection(s)
- Academic publications [202802]
- Electronic publications [100870]
- Faculty of Social Sciences [27107]
- Open Access publications [69596]
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