The Minnesota Haptic Function Test

Audio-visual multisensory integration and haptic perception are altered in adults with developmental coordination disorder

Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD) is a movement disorder in which atypical sensory processing may underly movement atypicality. However, whether altered sensory processing is domain-specific or global in nature, are unanswered questions. Here, we measured for the first time, different aspects of sensory processing and spatiotemporal integration in the same cohort of adult participants with DCD (N = 16), possible DCD (pDCD, N = 12) and neurotypical adults (NT, N = 28). Haptic perception was reduced in both DCD and the extended DCD + pDCD groups when compared to NT adults. Audio-visual integration, measured using the sound-induced double flash illusion, was reduced only in DCD participants, and not the DCD + pDCD extended group. While low-level sensory processing was altered in DCD, the more cognitive, higher-level ability to infer temporal dimensions from spatial information, and vice-versa, as assessed with Tau-Kappa effects, was intact in DCD (and extended DCD + pDCD) participants. Both audio-visual integration and haptic perception difficulties correlated with the degree of self-reported DCD symptoms and were most apparent when comparing DCD and NT groups directly, instead of the expanded DCD + pDCD group. The association of sensory difficulties with DCD symptoms suggests that perceptual differences play a role in motor difficulties in DCD via an underlying internal modelling mechanism.

Assessment of sensorimotor and strength related function of breast cancer patients during systemic drug therapy: a prospective observational study

BACKGROUND

Chemotherapy is a well-known risk factor for sensorial and motor disturbances. Chemotherapy induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN) which predominantly affects sensory nerves might cause a diminished fine motor function. This prospective observational study aimed to assess the sensorimotor functions of breast cancer patients before, during, and after chemotherapy.

METHODS

A total of 56 breast cancer patients were evaluated at three different times as follows: T1 (before chemotherapy), T2 (middle chemotherapy), and T3 (completion of chemotherapy). Motor function was assessed with handgrip strength (HGS), peripheral muscle strength (PMS), and the Minnesota Manual Dexterity Test (MMDT). Semmes Weinstein Monofilament Test (SWMT) was performed to assess the sensory function. Fatigue was evaluated with the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Module Cancer Related Fatigue (EORTC-QLQ-FA12), respectively.

RESULTS

HGS and MMDT were found significant (χ2: 11.279, p = 0.004 and χ2: 9.893, p = 0.007, respectively) whereas PMS was not found significant (F (2,110) = 1.914, p = 0.152). Pairwise comparisons with Bonferroni adjustments revealed that HGS was found significant between T1 and T3, while significant results were obtained between T1 and T2 as well as T2 and T3 in MMDT (p = 0.01 and p = 0.042). There were significant results in some reference points of SWMT, though they were not found after pairwise comparisons with Bonferroni adjustment (p > 0.05). Fatigue was found significantly increased from T1 through T3 (Median: 19.44 vs 27.77, z: -2.347, p = 0.019, Wilcoxon test).

CONCLUSION

Our study showed that decreased handgrip strength and fine motor function, as well as increased fatigue, are evident during the chemotherapy. SWMT can be an optional assessment in the context of tracking changes in cutaneous sensation during chemotherapy due to its non-invasive, cheap, and easily repeatable features among cancer patients. To preserve functional capacity as well as independence in daily living, precautions and follow up assessments during the systemic therapy process should be integrated as early as possible to prevent future deteriorations in daily life for patients who undergo chemotherapy.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

NCT04799080.

Tools measuring high haptic fidelity of procedural skills trainers in physician training and education: a scoping review protocol

OBJECTIVE

The objective of this scoping review is to identify instruments that measure the physical haptic fidelity of procedural skills trainers.

INTRODUCTION

Procedural skills trainers have demonstrated beneficial outcomes for clinicians when used to practice and rehearse procedures. Despite this, several design flaws currently limit the widespread implementation of such trainers. One notable deficit in current trainer designs is haptic fidelity. Identifying measurements of haptic fidelity may maximize the benefit of using certain training devices as well as guiding future design.

INCLUSION CRITERIA

This review will consider studies that assess the high fidelity haptics of procedural skills training devices in adult physicians above the level of an intern physician. Studies that do not include physicians will be excluded.

METHODS

The review will follow the JBI methodology for scoping reviews and will be reported in line with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR). Both published and unpublished studies will be searched for in MEDLINE (PubMed), Scopus, Web of Science Core Collection, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), Embase (Ovid), CINAHL (EBSCOhost), ProQuest Dissertations and Theses (ProQuest), and Google Scholar. There will be no date, setting, or geographical limits, but only studies in English will be included.

REVIEW REGISTRATION

Open Science Framework osf.io/pvazu/.

Not only motor skill performance but also haptic function is impaired in children with developmental language disorder

BACKGROUND

Previous studies have found an association between motor immaturity and developmental language impairment in children. However, systematic investigations of somatosensory dysfunctions that might be linked to motor deficits in children with developmental language disorder (DLD) are lacking.

AIMS

Examined haptic perception and motor skills in school-age children with DLD and typically-developing (TD) children.

METHODS

Sixteen children with DLD and sixteen age-matched TD children performed a curvature detection task measuring haptic sensitivity and a curvature discrimination task measuring haptic acuity. The Movement Assessment Battery for Children, 2nd edition (MABC-2) was also conducted to evaluate children's motor ability.

RESULTS

The results revealed elevated thresholds of both haptic detection (67.5%) and haptic discrimination (67.9%) in the DLD group when compared to the TD group. In addition, the children with DLD performed significantly less well on the manual dexterity of MABC-2. Finally, a lower haptic acuity was associated with poorer manual dexterity scores of MABC-2.

CONCLUSIONS

This study demonstrates for the first time that not only motor skills, but also haptic function is altered in children with DLD. The observed association between manual dexterity and haptic acuity suggests a close relationship between haptic and motor skills in school-age children.

Table Tennis, as a Method of Sensorimotor Training, Induces Haptic and Motor Gains in Children With a Probable Developmental Coordination Disorder

This study examined whether table tennis as a method of sensorimotor training improves haptic and motor function and to what extent haptic function gain correlates with changes in motor ability in children with probable developmental coordination disorder (pDCD). Children with pDCD were randomly assigned to the table tennis and nontraining control groups. The children in the table tennis group received 36 sessions of table tennis training, including ball balancing, hitting the ball against the wall, strokes, and serving. Haptic sensitivity, acuity, and motor function domains were measured. The results showed a 41.5% improvement in haptic sensitivity in children exposed to table tennis training compared with 2.8% in those without training. This improved haptic sensitivity significantly correlated with motor function gain, suggesting that somatosensory gains occur simultaneously with changes in motor function in children with pDCD. This novel upper limb motor training approach may be an interesting method of sensorimotor training in neurological rehabilitation in children with pDCD.

The evaluation of tactile dysfunction in the hand in type 1 diabetes: a novel method based on haptics

AIMS

We present an innovative method based on haptics for the evaluation of the sense of touch in the hand, in people affected by type 1 diabetes.

METHODS

Forty individuals affected by diabetes and 20 healthy controls took part in the study; the diabetes group was further divided into two subgroups based on vibration sensitivity in the lower limb. By means of a novel haptic device, tactile sensitivity in the fingertip was measured as the ability of the participants to discriminate slip motion speed.

RESULTS

Tactile sensitivity was significantly lower in individuals affected by diabetes as compared to controls. Depending on the subgroup, the difference from the controls was equal to 0.11 (95% CI from 0.029 to 0.186) and to 0.267 (95% CI from 0.198 to 0.336). Within the diabetes group, tactile sensitivity correlated with vibration sensitivity in the upper (p = 0.001) and lower limb (p = 0.003). A significant relationship between nerve conduction parameters and tactile sensitivity was found (p = 0.03). Finally, we combined the different predictors (clinical, vibratory and electroneurography data) by using cluster analysis; tactile sensitivity was found to be significantly different between different clusters (p = 0.004).

CONCLUSIONS

Early signs of tactile dysfunction in the hand were found in individuals affected by diabetes, even in absence of diabetic neuropathy. The protocol presented in this study is a promising tool for the assessment of tactile dysfunction in the hand in people affected by type 1 diabetes.

Heterogeneity in Vison, Hand Function, Cognition, and Health Literacy Among Older Veterans: Impacts, Outcomes, and Clinical Recommendations for First-Time Hearing Aid Users

BACKGROUND

 Age-related changes (both normal and pathological), and health literacy are relevant to audiological practice. Changes associated with the musculoskeletal, vascular, and nervous systems drive manual, visual, and cognitive function. These in turn affect the capabilities required for effective hearing aid (HA) skill acquisition, use, and management. Meanwhile, health literacy influences the ability to gain access to, understand, and use information, which is important for promoting and maintaining HA use and management. Understanding the interindividual variability of these variables can help audiologists characterize those individuals who might have suboptimal HA outcomes. This knowledge can then inform better clinical practices and guide implementation of processes to improve care quality and outcomes.

PURPOSE

 The aim of the study is to assess the variation in manual, visual, and cognitive function, and health literacy, among community-dwelling older individuals, and to determine whether and which of these variables are associated with reported HA outcome and/or the knowledge and skill to manage HAs.

RESEARCH DESIGN

 Data presented here were collected as part of an efficacy trial of four variants of HA orientation. The data were collected at baseline (prior to HA fitting) and after 4 to 8 weeks of HA use.

STUDY SAMPLE

 The study sample consists of 265 U.S. Veterans aged 51 to 87 years with no previous HA experience who were scheduled to receive their first pair of HAs from the Veterans Administration.

DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS

 We assessed baseline measures of hand function, vision, cognition, and health literacy just prior to participants receiving their first pair of HAs. HA management skills and knowledge, and HA outcome were measured after 4 to 8 weeks of HA use using the Hearing Aid Skills and Knowledge (HASK) and International Outcomes Inventory for Hearing Aids (IOI-HA), respectively. Data collected here was compared with published norms to assess variation in baseline measures. Associations between baseline performance and outcomes data were examined using t-tests comparing participants who performed at or above age-based norms with those who performed below age-based norms.

RESULTS

 Participants' performance on the baseline measures was highly variable, with the proportions of individuals performing below norms varying by test measure. When combining data across the nine baseline measures, approximately 10% of participants performed below published norms on five or more measures, and 85% performed below norms on at least one measure. Poor manual dexterity, ability to learn a new task, and ability to draw inferences from spoken information negatively impacted HA management and outcome.

CONCLUSION

 There was a considerable heterogeneity among a community-dwelling sample of first time HA users in terms of sensory, cognitive, and motor function. Clinicians should consider modifying their clinical practice to account for such heterogeneity and best support their patients in adapting to new HAs.

Tactile information counteracts the attenuation of rubber hand illusion attributable to increased visuo-proprioceptive divergence

Sense of body ownership is an immediate and distinct experience of one's body as belonging to oneself. While it is well-recognized that ownership feelings emerge from the integration of visual and somatosensory signals, the principles upon which they are integrated are still intensely debated. Here, we used the rubber hand illusion (RHI) to examine how the interplay of visual, tactile, and proprioceptive signals is governed depending on their spatiotemporal properties. For this purpose, the RHI was elicited in different conditions varying with respect to the extent of visuo-proprioceptive divergence (i.e., the distance between the real and fake hands) and differing in terms of the availability and spatiotemporal complexity of tactile stimulation (none, simple, or complex). We expected that the attenuating effect of distance on illusion strength will be more pronounced in the absence of touch (when proprioception gains relatively higher importance) and absent in the presence of complex tactile signals. Additionally, we hypothesized that participants with greater proprioceptive acuity-assessed using an elbow joint position discrimination task-will be less susceptible to the illusion, but only under the conditions of limited tactile stimulation. In line with our prediction, RHI was attenuated at the farthest distance only when tactile information was absent or simplified, but the attenuation was effectively prevented by the use of complex tactile stimulation-in this case, RHI was comparably vivid at both distances. However, passive proprioceptive acuity was not related to RHI strength in either of the conditions. The results indicate that complex-structured tactile signals can override the influence of proprioceptive signals in body attribution processes. These findings extend our understanding of body ownership by showing that it is primarily determined by informative cues from the most relevant sensory domains, rather than mere accumulation of multisensory evidence.