Greg Gdowski - Current Research
3-D motion and EMG analysis of planning-related changes in upper limb kinematics resulting from normal aging and Parkinson's disease
Comparison of variability the timing of movement onset for one study participant with Parkinson’s Disease (top) and their age-matched control (bottom). Both plots show the velocity profiles for 4 movements (each movement sequence is shown in a different color) performed by each subject. The purple box highlights the total variability in timing for a set of 4 cued movements for each subject.
By the year 2010, approximately 40 million people will be older than 65 12. Advancing age often entails failing health and loss of independence, both of which contribute to deteriorating quality of life. One factor that compromises independent living is impaired voluntary movement. Voluntary movements consist of planning and execution phases, which require cognitive and motor influences that can both be adversely affected by age. Movement execution slows as a function of age , yet the specific mechanisms by which this occurs and the progression of which these changes occur during life remain unclear.
We will therefore use 3-D motion analysis and surface electromyography (EMG) to characterize how aging affects voluntary arm movement during a set of button pressing tasks. We will use tasks in which the duration of movement planning and memory demands are manipulated in order to identify stereotyped changes in voluntary, targeted arm movement that can serve as hallmarks of age-group specific performance In a parallel assessment, we will quantify the impact of Parkinson’s disease (PD), a disorder associated with aging, upon voluntary arm movement . The data obtained in aims 1 and 2 will be compared in order to dissociate the pathology attributable to PD from that which occurs as a consequence of normal aging.