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Results for “bimanual coordination”

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PubMed1995

Bimanual coordination in dyslexic adults.

Various types of dyslexia have been associated with tactile-motor coordination deficits and inefficient transfer of information between the two cerebral hemispheres. Twenty-one dyslexic adults were compared to 21 controls on the Bimanual Coordination Task, a test of tactile-motor coordination and interhemispheric collaboration. When compared to control subjects, dyslexics showed a consistent pattern of deficits in bimanual motor coordination, both with and without visual feedback. In particular, dyslexics had greater difficulty relative to normals when the left hand had to move faster than the right, and when the hands had to make opposite (mirror-image) movements, suggesting problems with interhemispheric modulation of visuomotor control. In addition, accuracy on this bimanual coordination task was significantly correlated with the Block Design subtest of the WAIS--R, but not with a rhyme fluency task, suggesting some contribution of right hemisphere controlled visuospatial skill to performance.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2004

Bimanual coordination deficits in attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

Although motor difficulties have been implicated in ADHD, studies investigating bimanual coordination have been few and their results inconsistent. This study examined the performance of 12 boys with ADHD combined type and their matched controls on a simple in-phase bimanual movement task (requiring symmetrical hand movements) and a complex out-of-phase bimanual movement task (requiring asymmetrical hand movements), at different designated speeds (1 and 2 Hz). Compared to controls, ADHD children were significantly more variable in both velocity and coordination, and less accurate in coordination, with the in-phase movements. For out-of-phase movements, the ADHD children were significantly more variable in velocity and coordination. These findings suggest a problem of bimanual coordination in the syndrome.

Aging↗

PubMed2004

Dynamics of learning and transfer of muscular and spatial relative phase in bimanual coordination: evidence for abstract directional codes.

The present study addressed whether the timing of muscle activation and the relative direction of limb movements are dissociable constraints that may affect learning and transfer of bimanual coordination patterns, either independently or in combination. Subjects were assigned to two experimental groups in which the to-be-learned muscular phasing (135 degrees ) was either practiced with 45 degrees (i.e., predominantly isodirectional) or 135 degrees (i.e., predominantly nonisodirectional) of spatial relative phase (RP) across 2 days of practice. Prior to, during, and following practice, probe tests were held in which various relative phasing patterns were administered to assess transfer of learning. Converging evidence was obtained that the relative direction of moving limbs prominently constrained transfer of learning rather than muscular relationships. Acquisition of a specific pattern resulted in spontaneous positive transfer of learning to a new coordination pattern having the same spatial RP but not to a pattern with a different spatial RP, irrespective of muscular phasing relationships. In summary, the present results suggest that learning and transfer of coordination patterns is mediated by abstract directional codes that become part of the memory representation for bimanual coordination.

Adult↗

PubMed1987

Bimanual stereotypes: bimanual coordination in children as a function of movements and relative velocity.

Five-, 7-, and 9-year-old children were trained and tested in a bimanual coordination task that required them to rotate two cranks (either at the same or at different velocities) using mirror (inwards or outwards) or parallel movements (clockwise or counterclockwise). The task consisted of tracing two lines of different slants, by turning the two cranks either at the same velocity (to draw the 45 degrees slanted line) or at different velocities (to draw the 22 degrees line). The same-velocity condition resulted in significantly better performance than the different-velocities condition with the age x angle interaction: the performance in the different-velocities condition improved considerably at 9 years of age. Mirror movement induced faster and more accurate performance relative to parallel movements in the same-velocity condition but not in the different-velocities condition. This difference was much greater in 5- and 7-year-olds than in 9-year-olds. The results are interpreted as reflecting a decreasing influence of motor constraints on bimanual coordination.

Journal Article↗

PubMed2004

Attending to the non-preferred hand improves bimanual coordination in children.

The effect of attentional focus in bimanual coordination was investigated from a developmental perspective by examining performance of right- and left-handed children, 5-8-years and 9-12-years old, on bimanual reciprocal tapping tasks. Attentional focus was either specified, by asking the children to attend to the preferred or to the non-preferred hand, or unspecified for the execution of the tasks. When attention was oriented to the non-preferred hand we found a reduced movement time and a lower frequency of errors. Performance differences for handedness and age-groups were observed when the children were oriented to attend to the preferred hand or when there was no instruction regarding attention. These differences in performance were eliminated when attention was oriented to the non-preferred hand.

Attention↗

PubMed2002

Practice and training in bimanual coordination tasks: strategies and constraints.

There are a number of structural constraints on the coordination of the two hands. Understanding bimanual coordination involves not only identification of these constraints but also how they can be overcome or modulated. The performance of polyrhythms has been used to examine these issues. In this article the constraints on coordination are outlined and research on the acquisition of polyrhythms is reviewed. It is suggested that the constraints on the production of multifrequency ratios are overcome by integrating the timing of the two hands. Oscillator models of coordination are then considered and a two-process model of motor timing is suggested.

Hand↗

PubMed2002

Age-related differences and the role of augmented visual feedback in learning a bimanual coordination pattern.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of aging and the role of augmented visual information in the acquisition of a new bimanual coordination pattern, namely a 90 degrees relative phase pattern. In a pilot study, younger and older adults received augmented visual feedback in the form of a real-time orthogonal display of both limb movements after every fifth trial. Younger adults acquired this task over three days of practice and retained the task well over periods of one week and one month of no practice while the older adults showed no improvement at all on the task. It was hypothesized that the amount of augmented information was not sufficient for the older adults to overcome the strong tendency to perform natural, intrinsically stable coordination patterns, which consequently prevented them from learning the task. The present study evaluated the age-related role of augmented visual feedback for learning the new pattern. Participants were randomly assigned within age groups to receive either concurrent or terminal visual feedback after every trial in acquisition. In contrast to the pilot study, all of the older adults learned the pattern, although not to the same level as the younger adults. Both younger and older adults benefitted from concurrent visual feedback, but the older adults gained more from the concurrent feedback than the younger adults, relative to terminal feedback conditions. The results suggest that when learning bimanual coordination patterns, older adults are more sensitive to the structure of the practice conditions, particularly the availability of concurrent visual information. This greater sensitivity to the learning environment may reflect a diminished capacity for inhibitory control and a decreased ability to focus attention on the salient aspects of learning the task.

Adult↗

PubMed2002

Attentional demands reflect learning-induced alterations of bimanual coordination dynamics.

This study aimed to investigate the effects of practice on bimanual coordination dynamics and attentional demands. Participants were asked to perform a dual-task associating a cyclic antiphase bimanual pattern and a discrete reaction time task. A pretest determined each individual critical transition frequency. In the training session, participants practised 120 trials. They were instructed to maintain the antiphase coordination pattern at the critical transition frequency. The training session was interrupted and followed by an intermediate test (after 60 trials) and a post-test (30 min after 120 trials), respectively. A retention test was performed 7 days after the end of the training session. Results showed that: (i) the number of transitions decreased as a consequence of practice; and (ii), subjects were able to maintain the antiphase pattern at a higher frequency than in the pretest. Analysis of the trade-off between relative phase variability and reaction time showed that participants were able to maintain a higher level of stability at the same (intermediate and post-test) or a lower attentional cost (retention test). These findings show that phase transition dynamics and pattern stability can be significantly modified as a result of practice. Changes in the trade-off between pattern stability and cost with learning confirm that the attentional cost incurred by the central nervous system to maintain pattern stability decreased with practice. In line with recent neurobiological studies, the present study provides new insights regarding relationships between brain processes, attentional demands and coordinated behaviour in learning bimanual patterns.

Attention↗

PubMed2003

Interaction of directional, neuromuscular and egocentric constraints on the stability of preferred bimanual coordination patterns.

We investigated how the relative direction of limb movements in external space (iso- and non-isodirectionality), muscular constraints (the relative timing of homologous muscle activation) and the egocentric frame of reference (moving simultaneously toward/away the longitudinal axis of the body) contribute to the stability of coordinated movements. In the first experiment, we attempted to determine the respective stability of isodirectional and non-isodirectional movements in between-persons coordination. In a second experiment, we determined the effect of the relative direction in external space, and of muscular constraints, on pattern stability during a within-person bimanual coordination task. In the third experiment we dissociated the effects on pattern stability of the muscular constraints, relative direction and egocentric frame of reference. The results showed that (1) simultaneous activation of homologous muscles resulted in more stable performance than simultaneous activation of non-homologous muscles during within-subject coordination, and that (2) isodirectional movements were more stable than non-isodirectional movements during between-persons coordination, confirming the role of the relative direction of the moving limbs in the stability of bimanual coordination. Moreover, the egocentric constraint was to some extent found distinguishable from the effect of the relative direction of the moving limbs in external space, and from the effect of the relative timing of muscle activation. In summary, the present study showed that relative direction of the moving limbs in external space and muscular constraints may interact either to stabilize or destabilize coordination patterns.

Adult↗

PubMed2001

Bimanual coordination in chronic schizophrenia.

Anomalies of movement are observed both clinically and experimentally in schizophrenia. While the basal ganglia have been implicated in its pathogenesis, the nature of such involvement is equivocal. The basal ganglia may be involved in bimanual coordination through their input to the supplementary motor area (SMA). While a neglected area of study in schizophrenia, a bimanual movement task may provide a means of assessing the functional integrity of the motor circuit. Twelve patients with chronic schizophrenia and 12 matched control participants performed a bimanual movement task on a set of vertically mounted cranks at different speeds (1 and 2 Hz) and phase relationships. Participants performed in-phase movements (hands separated by 0 degrees ) and out-of-phase movements (hands separated by 180 degrees ) at both speeds with an external cue on or off. All participants performed the in-phase movements well, irrespective of speed or cueing conditions. Patients with schizophrenia were unable to perform the out-of-phase movements, particularly at the faster speed, reverting instead to the in-phase movement. There was no effect of external cueing on any of the movement conditions. These results suggest a specific problem of bimanual coordination indicative of SMA dysfunction per se and/or faulty callosal integration. A disturbance in the ability to switch attention during the out-of-phase task may also be involved.

Adult↗

PubMed1996

Symmetry, broken symmetry, and handedness in bimanual coordination dynamics.

The symmetrical dynamics of 1:1 rhythmic bimanual coordination may be specified by an order parameter equation involving the relative phase between rhythmic components, and an interlimb coupling which determines the relative attractiveness of in-phase and anti-phase patterns. Symmetry breaking of these dynamics can occur via the difference in the natural frequencies, delta omega, of the left and right rhythmic components, or by the intrinsic asymmetrical dynamics of the body. The latter is captured by additional terms that render the symmetrical coupling slightly anisotropic. A major prediction resulting from this step is that although delta omega = 0, as the frequency of coordination is increased, the asymmetrical coupling will increase and the symmetrical coupling will decrease. This results in a greater left-limb bias in left-handers and right-limb bias in right-handers. This "increased handedness" prediction was confirmed in an experiment in which 20 left-handed and 20 right-handed individuals performed 1:1 coordination with hand-held rigid pendulums. Manipulations of left and right pendulum lengths controlled delta omega, and the coupled frequency was determined by a metronome. Also confirmed was the prediction that the small shift in equilibria from in-phase and anti-phase due to the intrinsic asymmetry should be amplified in left-handers when delta omega > 0 and in right-handers when delta omega < 0. Further, the bias in left-handers was more consistent than the bias in right-handers, and a subgroup of right-handers was identified who performed similarly to left-handers. The coordination dynamics of functional asymmetry provides insights into the elementary synergy between the limbs, the dynamical mechanism that modulates it, and the nature of the asymmetry in left-handed and right-handed individuals.

Adult↗

PubMed1991

The dynamics of bimanual coordination in developmental dyslexia.

The temporal organization of symmetric and asymmetric bimanual coordination tasks was compared between dyslexic adults and normally reading controls by means of a dynamical systems research strategy. Both groups demonstrated the influence of the intrinsic dynamics of rhythmic motor behavior on the performance of asymmetric bimanual tasks. In normal readers, manual asymmetries of motor control had a significant effect on the relative phasing of finger movements; no such effects were observed in dyslexic subjects. Group differences are discussed in terms of the interaction between neurological constraints and dynamic principles of spontaneous pattern formation.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2006

Handedness-related asymmetry in coupling strength in bimanual coordination: furthering theory and evidence.

The effects of handedness on bimanual isofrequency coordination (e.g., phase advance of the dominant limb) have been suggested to result from an asymmetry in interlimb coupling strength, with the non-dominant limb being more strongly influenced by the dominant limb than vice versa. A formalized version of this hypothesis was tested by examining the phase adjustments in both limbs in response to mechanical perturbation of the bimanual coordination pattern and during frequency-induced phase transitions, for both right- and left-handed participants. In both situations, the phase adaptations were made predominantly by the non-dominant limb in right-handers, whereas this effect failed to reach significance in left-handers. Thus, the asymmetry in coupling strength was less pronounced in the latter group. In addition, the degree of asymmetry depended on movement frequency. The observed asymmetry was discussed in relation to pertinent neurophysiological findings.

Adult↗

PubMed1996

Age-related differences in the integration of sensory information during the execution of a bimanual coordination task.

Young (n = 7) and elderly (n = 7) subjects performed bimanual coordination patterns in the transverse plane according to the in-phase or antiphase mode. Sensory information was manipulated through visual (with or without vision of the limbs) and proprioceptive input (with or without vibratory stimuli on one limb). Movement patterns with vibrations showed higher deviations from the intended relative phase than did those without vibrations. This finding suggests that the proprioceptive information induced by the vibrations and the movement interfered, leading to a disruption of the coordination patterns. In addition, as compared with the elderly, the young subjects performed more stable movements under normal circumstances but were more strongly affected by vibratory stimuli during the performance of in-phase movements. During antiphase movements, both age groups experienced a decrease of pattern stability. Furthermore, the absence or presence of visual feedback influenced the performance of the young subjects more than that of the elderly. The presence of vision led to stable in-phase movements, whereas a decrease of pattern stability was observed for antiphase movements. In general, these results demonstrate that manipulation of feedback sources affects young subjects more than elderly ones, and this can be related to a reduced sensory sensitivity as a function of aging.

Journal Article↗

PubMed2006

The influence of augmented feedback and prior learning on the acquisition of a new bimanual coordination pattern.

The present research examined two variables regarding the acquisition of a new bimanual coordination pattern: the role of previous experience and the nature of augmented feedback. Two groups of participants acquired a new coordination pattern (135 degrees relative phase) following two sessions of practice of another novel pattern (90 degrees relative phase). Transfer of learning in these groups was compared to two groups that had not previously learned a new pattern, but were nevertheless influenced by coordination patterns that are intrinsic to the task of bimanual relative timing (in-phase, 0 degrees, and anti-phase, 180 degrees). The findings revealed that new learning overshadowed the influence of the intrinsic patterns. Learning was also greatly affected by augmented feedback: dynamic, on-line pursuit tracking information was more effective in transfer than static, terminal feedback. Implications of these findings regarding theoretical constructs in motor learning are discussed.

Adult↗

PubMed2000

Bimanual coordination and limb-specific parameterization in patients with Parkinson's disease.

Bimanual coordination and the capability to parameterize the individual limb movements were examined in patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) as compared to healthy control subjects. In-phase and anti-phase patterns were performed while the individual limb movements were subjected to amplitude and loading manipulations. Findings showed that PD patients produced the bimanual configurations with lower degrees of phasing accuracy and consistency than control subjects, indicating an impairment at the global (coordinative) level of simultaneously produced movements. At the local (limb-specific) level, the imposed distances with and without loading were unaffected in PD patients as compared to control subjects, whereas cycle times were prolonged and depended on the task requirements. This illustrates a disturbance at the limb-specific level in complying with the execution of the submovements. The finding that movement slowness only became evident in the more complex conditions, suggests that it did not mainly represent a deficit in the execution of coordinated movements, but rather an inability to accommodate the motor output during stringent spatiotemporal task constraints.

Aged↗

PubMed2004

Perception-action coupling during bimanual coordination: the role of visual perception in the coalition of constraints that govern bimanual action.

Constraints pertaining to interlimb coordination have been studied extensively in the past decades. In this debate, F. Mechsner (2004) has taken a provocative position by putting primary emphasis on perceptual principles that mediate coordinative stability. Whereas the present authors agree that the role of perceptual principles is of critical importance during coordination, they take issue with Mechsner's extreme position and with the evidence forwarded to support a purely perceptual-cognitive approach to bimanual coordination. More specifically, the authors emphasize that current knowledge about brain function argues against a dualism between perception and action, criticize the presented evidence that posture manipulations during coordination provide decisive evidence against motoric and muscular constraints, and report on potential pitfalls associated with the use of visual transformation procedures to support complex coordination patterns.

Hand↗

PubMed1998

Primary motor cortex is involved in bimanual coordination.

Many voluntary movements involve coordination between the limbs. However, there have been very few attempts to study the neuronal mechanisms that mediate this coordination. Here we have studied the activity of cortical neurons while monkeys performed tasks that required coordination between the two arms. We found that most neurons in the primary motor cortex (MI) show activity specific to bimanual movements (bimanual-related activity), which is strikingly different from the activity of the same neurons during unimanual movements. Moreover, units in the supplementary motor area (SMA; the area of cortex most often associated with bimanual coordination) showed no more bimanual-related activity than units in MI. Our results challenge the classic view that MI controls the contralateral (opposite) side of the body and that SMA is responsible for the coordination of the arms. Rather, our data suggest that both cortical areas share the control of bilateral coordination.

Animals↗