Souza CO
Brazil
Research Article
Extensive Training Promotes Performance Improvement but not
Automaticity in Patients with Parkinson's disease
Author(s): Piemonte MEP, Oliveira TP, Miranda CS, Guelfi ETN, Souza CO, Okamoto E and Xavier GFPiemonte MEP, Oliveira TP, Miranda CS, Guelfi ETN, Souza CO, Okamoto E and Xavier GF
Objective: This study evaluated the effects of extensive motor training in a finger-to-thumb opposition sequence task on performance and automaticity of patients at early and intermediate stages of Parkinson’s disease (PD).
Methods: Fifteen PD patients in stage 1 of Hoehn and Yahr classification, 15 patients in stages 2 and 3, and 20 healthy matched control individuals, were extensively exposed to a 5-element finger-to-thumb opposition sequence task, 2 sessions per week, along 5 weeks. On session 1 the participants performed a specified sequence of movements along 60 seconds in a single-task condition; the number of sequences completed correctly was recorded. On sessions 2 to 9 the subjects were exposed to 600 repetitions per session of the same sequence of movements. On session 10 the participants performed 4 different 60-second-duration.. View More»
