Age-related slowing and fragmentation of a complex movement quantified by optoelectronic kinesiology

Abstract

Computer-assisted optoelectronic movement analysis has opened a new field in quantitative laboratory studies of motor function in freely moving humans. In order to establish a method for objective and quantitative documentation of age-related change of a complex movement, a lifting task composed of rising, gait and arm movements was designed. The motor performance of 44 healthy subjects in three age groups was recorded optoelectronically. The change in motor function in the age interval of 40-75 years was mainly due to slower motor performance. In a majority of the subjects aged 85, a movement fragmentation also occurred, indicating deficient co-ordination of rising, gait and arm movements in this age group. The method was found to be well suited to clinical studies of movement pattern and disturbances in elderly subjects. The design of specific tests measuring different aspects of the age-related change in motor function may be of value for sociomedical planning of care and prevention.