Fax +41 61 306 12 34 E-Mail karger@karger.ch www.karger.com Behavioural Science Section / Mini-Review Gerontology 2011;57:217–227 DOI: 10.1159/000295921 Finger Force Coordination Underlying Object Manipulation in the Elderly – A Mini-Review Gudrun Diermayr Tara L. McIsaac Andrew M. Gordon  Department of Biobehavioral Sciences, Teachers College, Columbia University, New York, N.Y., USA duction in tactile information. In contrast, anticipatory grip force control (planning) remains relatively intact. Age-relat- ed changes in anticipatory control seem to emerge only dur- ing more complex tasks. Conclusion: The relationship be- tween task complexity and degree of age-related changes suggests that results from simple, laboratory-based tasks may only partially explain impairments observed during the performance of activities of daily living, since the latter ones are typically more complex. A better understanding of im- paired manual dexterity experienced by elderly individuals could be achieved by expanding experimental paradigms so that they more closely resemble the complexities encoun- tered in functional daily tasks. Subsequently, these findings could be used in clinical settings to develop treatment ap- proaches that consider grasp control in the context of be- haviorally meaningful tasks. Copyright © 2010 S. Karger AG, Basel Introduction A decline in manual dexterity is a common phenom- enon in elderly individuals [1, 2]. Often, daily activities such as handling coins and preparing meals are impaired [1, 3]. Functional assessment of manual dexterity used in the clinic confirms the reported impairments in daily Key Words Aging  Fingertip force  Precision grip  Hand motor control  Grasp control Abstract Background: A decline in manual dexterity is a common phenomenon in elderly individuals. Often, simple daily ac- tivities such as handling coins and preparing meals become challenging. A substantial decline in manual dexterity may impact one’s ability to live independently. Thus, understand- ing the underlying causes of these impairments is essential. Considerable attention has been given to the regulation of fingertip forces during object grasp, lift and transport in the elderly. Objective: Here we review studies on fingertip force coordination in the elderly, with an emphasis on the relation- ship between the degree of change in elderly grip force con- trol and the nature of the tasks performed. Methods: A lit- erature search was performed using Medline, Pubmed, and Web of Science electronic databases covering studies from 1985 to 2009, inputting combinations of the following key words: grip force, grasp force, fingertip forces, precision grip, aging, elderly, and hand motor control. Results: Studies show a consistent elevation in grip force magnitudes that may easily lead to fatigue. These force increases may repre- sent a compensation for increased skin slipperiness or a re- Received: November 2, 2009 Accepted: January 15, 2010 Published online: March 11, 2010 Andrew M. Gordon, PhD Department of Biobehavioral Sciences, Box 199 Teachers College, Columbia University, 525 West 120th Street New York, NY 10027 (USA) Tel. +1 212 678 3326, Fax +1 212 678 3322, E-Mail ag275  @  columbia.edu © 2010 S. Karger AG, Basel 0304–324X/11/0573–0217$38.00/0 Accessible online at: www.karger.com/ger