Objective: Twenty-six patients with Parkinson’s disease (PD) (68.0 ± 8.0 years old; mean ±SD) underwent finger tapping (FT) on the symptom-predominant side during pronation-supination movement on the other side (dual task). Acceleration and coefficient of variation of the index finger movement were calculated using two-dimensional moving image measurement software and the results were compared with those in healthy group (CONT; 20 cases, 63.9 ± 13.3 years old).

Background: It is well known that PD patients can not smoothly perform two different movements at the same time. However, the influence of age, motor severity and duration of disease on finger tapping movement under dual task has not been elucidated.

Methods: To investigate the influence of dual task, “acceleration 0 point” was calculated from the obtained acceleration graph, and the number, period, and coefficient of variation of the acceleration zero point were calculated without and with dual task. The correlation between acceleration zero points and age was examined in PD and CONT. Correlation with UPDRS part 3 score, or duration of disease were also examined in PD.

Results: Dual task increased the number of acceleration 0 points and decreased the period of acceleration 0 points in PD, and not in CONT. In PD patients, there was no correlation between the number of acceleration zero points and age, UPDRS part 3 score, or disease duration under single-task. There was no correlation under dual task in PD.

Conclusions: The number of acceleration 0 points were able to detect dual task impairment in PD without influences by age, motor severity, or duration of illness.

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MDS Abstracts - https://www.mdsabstracts.org/abstract/effects-of-age-motor-severity-and-disease-duration-on-finger-tapping-movement-under-dual-task-in-parkinsons-disease-patients/