Arbitrary sensory-motor mapping during object manipulation in Parkinson's disease

Introduction: We tested the ability of patient with Parkinson's disease to learn associations between visual sensory cues and the weight of an object to be lifted using a precision grip between the index finger and thumb. Methods: 14 right handed subjects (six female, mean age: 63±6 years, mean disease duration: 5±4) with Parkinson's disease performed a series of grip-lift tasks of an instrumented object with the right and left hand. The object incorporated a force sensor for grip force registration and linear acceleration sensors for registration of acceleration signals in three dimensions. In a „no cue“ experi…