Numata A1,2, Owari N3, Kakizaki C4, Sugawara K2, Terao Y5, Ugawa Y6, Furubayashi T7
1Tohoku Bunka Gakuen University, Faculty of Medical Science & Welfare, Sendai, Japan, 2Kanagawa University of Human Services, Graduate School of Health and Social Services, Yokosuka, Japan, 3Saito Hospital, Ishinomaki, Japan, 4Sendai Pain Clinic Center, Sendai, Japan, 5Kyorin University, Faculty of Medicine, Mitaka, Japan, 6Fukushima Medical University, School of Medicine, Fukushima, Japan, 7Tohoku Bunka Gakuen University, Graduate School of Health and Environmental Science, Sendai, Japan
Background: Synchronized tapping tasks involve tapping that is synchronized with tones presented at fixed interstimulus intervals (ISIs). When tapping is performed using the index finger, the difference between the timing of the tap and the presented tone (synchronizing error: SE) shows a narrow unimodal distribution. The SE is either clustered around 0 ms or is slightly negative (negative asynchrony: NA). However, as the ISI increases, this distribution gradually starts exhibiting greater variability, and eventually, responses start showing delays from tone presentation. For gait rehabilitation, it becomes important to estimate the accuracy of bilateral foot tapping, because walking involves the bilateral movement of lower extremities. However, the effects of contralateral movement on time estimation during synchronized foot tapping tasks have not been investigated.
Purpose: The purpose of the study was to investigate the temporal processing for in-phase and antiphase movements using synchronized bilateral fingers and feet tapping tasks.
Methods: Subjects included 10 normal volunteers (all right handed/footed; finger tapping task: 6 men and 4 women, age 28.1±3.5 years; foot tapping task: 3 men and 7 women, age 31.9±3.9 years). An ISI was selected from among ten different ISIs (250, 500, 600, 900, 1000, 1200, 1800, 2400, 3600, 4800 ms) in each session, which involved taps synchronized to 110 tones. Different ISIs were presented in a randomized order for all subjects; this was performed until each subject completed one session for each ISI. The subjects were instructed to tap the finger or foot button in synchrony with the presented tones using either unilateral or bilateral fingers or feet, either in-phase (move the bilateral ankles simultaneously) or antiphase (move the bilateral ankles alternately). The SE and coefficient value (CV) of the time interval between successive taps (intertap interval: ITI) were evaluated. These parameters were analyzed using a two-way repeated measures ANOVA, with phase of movement conditions and ISIs as within-subject factors.
Results: In all trials with short ISIs, SE showed a narrow distribution; it was either clustered around 0 ms or was significantly negative. Although the variability of SE gradually increased with the increase in the ISI, NA persisted even at ISIs of 1200-4800 ms, especially for antiphase movements in the foot tapping task. The CV of the ITI showed a low value at ISIs of 1000-1200 ms and increased with both an increase and decrease in the ISI. In contrast, there were no significant differences in the CV of the ITI between movement conditions in either tapping task.
Conclusion(s): Contrary to expectation, the variability in SEs was similar between the hand and feet, with NA persisting at higher ISIs. The preserved temporal processing for antiphase movements may be due to the neural mechanisms underlying foot posture and locomotion.
Implications: It is important to consider temporal processing for movement rhythms and the phase of the contralateral foot in gait rehabilitation, especially for patients with neurological disorders such as Parkinson's disease or spinocerebellar ataxia in whom time estimation is impaired.
Keywords: Temporal processing, synchronized tapping task, bilateral movement
Funding acknowledgements: This work was supported by JSPS KAKENHI Grant Number 17K01520.
Purpose: The purpose of the study was to investigate the temporal processing for in-phase and antiphase movements using synchronized bilateral fingers and feet tapping tasks.
Methods: Subjects included 10 normal volunteers (all right handed/footed; finger tapping task: 6 men and 4 women, age 28.1±3.5 years; foot tapping task: 3 men and 7 women, age 31.9±3.9 years). An ISI was selected from among ten different ISIs (250, 500, 600, 900, 1000, 1200, 1800, 2400, 3600, 4800 ms) in each session, which involved taps synchronized to 110 tones. Different ISIs were presented in a randomized order for all subjects; this was performed until each subject completed one session for each ISI. The subjects were instructed to tap the finger or foot button in synchrony with the presented tones using either unilateral or bilateral fingers or feet, either in-phase (move the bilateral ankles simultaneously) or antiphase (move the bilateral ankles alternately). The SE and coefficient value (CV) of the time interval between successive taps (intertap interval: ITI) were evaluated. These parameters were analyzed using a two-way repeated measures ANOVA, with phase of movement conditions and ISIs as within-subject factors.
Results: In all trials with short ISIs, SE showed a narrow distribution; it was either clustered around 0 ms or was significantly negative. Although the variability of SE gradually increased with the increase in the ISI, NA persisted even at ISIs of 1200-4800 ms, especially for antiphase movements in the foot tapping task. The CV of the ITI showed a low value at ISIs of 1000-1200 ms and increased with both an increase and decrease in the ISI. In contrast, there were no significant differences in the CV of the ITI between movement conditions in either tapping task.
Conclusion(s): Contrary to expectation, the variability in SEs was similar between the hand and feet, with NA persisting at higher ISIs. The preserved temporal processing for antiphase movements may be due to the neural mechanisms underlying foot posture and locomotion.
Implications: It is important to consider temporal processing for movement rhythms and the phase of the contralateral foot in gait rehabilitation, especially for patients with neurological disorders such as Parkinson's disease or spinocerebellar ataxia in whom time estimation is impaired.
Keywords: Temporal processing, synchronized tapping task, bilateral movement
Funding acknowledgements: This work was supported by JSPS KAKENHI Grant Number 17K01520.
Topic: Human movement analysis; Musculoskeletal; Neurology
Ethics approval required: Yes
Institution: Tohoku Bunka Gakuen University
Ethics committee: Ethics Committee of Tohoku Bunka Gakuen University
Ethics number: Bundairin No.16-18
All authors, affiliations and abstracts have been published as submitted.
