Age-Related Attenuation of Dominant Hand Superiority
Age-Related Attenuation of Dominant Hand Superiority
复制标题
DOI：
10.1371/journal.pone.0000090
复制
发表时间：
2006-12-20
期刊：
影响因子：
3.7
通讯作者：
Dinse, Hubert R.
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Kalisch, Tobias;Wilimzig, Claudia;Dinse, Hubert R.
背景人类手臂系统的运动性能随年龄的下降是有据可查的。虽然优势手的表现是上级的非优势手在年轻的个人，很少有人知道可能与年龄有关的变化，手的优势。我们调查了20至90岁受试者的手优势的年龄相关变化。根据爱丁堡惯用手量表，所有受试者都是明确的右撇子。在实验1中，运动性能的目标，姿势震颤，手臂-手运动的精度，手臂-手运动的速度，和手腕手指速度任务进行了测试。在实验2中，加速度计传感器被用来获得在日常活动中的手使用的客观记录。主要发现。我们的数据证实了以前的研究结果，一般的任务依赖性下降的运动表现随着年龄的增长。使用偏侧性指数分析左右手之间的关系表现出随着年龄的增长，右手优势的损失。年轻时明显的右手优势在老年时变得更加平衡。这种转变是由于右手表现的年龄相关性下降更明显。加速计传感器的测量结果支持了这些发现，表明手的使用频率也从年轻人明显的右手偏好转变为老年人更平衡地使用双手。尽管这些与年龄相关的变化，在规定的运动任务的相对水平的性能和手的使用频率，老年受试者继续评价自己作为明确的右撇子。结论受控运动测试中以及日常条件下手部特定的实际表现与有关手部使用和手部优势的问卷结果之间的差异表明，大多数老年受试者并没有意识到在其一生中手部优势发生的变化，即，一种向双功能的转变。
Background. The decline of motor performance of the human hand-arm system with age is well-documented. While dominant hand performance is superior to that of the non-dominant hand in young individuals, little is known of possible age-related changes in hand dominance. We investigated age-related alterations of hand dominance in 20 to 90 year old subjects. All subjects were unambiguously right-handed according to the Edinburgh Handedness Inventory. In Experiment 1, motor performance for aiming, postural tremor, precision of arm-hand movement, speed of arm-hand movement, and wrist-finger speed tasks were tested. In Experiment 2, accelerometer-sensors were used to obtain objective records of hand use in everyday activities. Principal Findings. Our data confirm previous findings of a general task-dependent decline in motor performance with age. Analysis of the relationship between right/left-hand performances using a laterality index showed a loss of right hand dominance with advancing age. The clear right-hand advantage present at younger ages changed to a more balanced performance in advanced age. This shift was due to a more pronounced age-related decline of right hand performance. Accelerometer-sensor measurements supported these findings by demonstrating that the frequency of hand use also shifted from a clear right hand preference in young adults to a more balanced usage of both hands in old age. Despite these age-related changes in the relative level of performance in defined motor tasks and in the frequency of hand use, elderly subjects continued to rate themselves as unambiguous right-handers. Conclusion. The discrepancy between hand-specific practical performance in controlled motor tests as well as under everyday conditions and the results of questionnaires concerning hand use and hand dominance suggests that most elderly subjects are unaware of the changes in hand dominance that occur over their lifespan, i.e., a shift to ambidexterity.