Journal article
Measuring Change in Somatosensation Across the Lifespan
Winnie Dunn, James W Griffith, Dory Sabata, Mary T Morrison, Joy C MacDermid, Amy Darragh, Roseann Schaaf, Brian Dudgeon, Lisa Tabor Connor, Leeanne Carey, Jennifer Tanquary
American Journal of Occupational Therapy | AMER OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY ASSOC, INC | Published : 2015
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: The study aim was to determine natural variability in somatosensation across age groups using brief measures. We validated measures in a community-dwelling population as part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Toolbox for Assessment of Neurological and Behavioral Function (NIH Toolbox; http://www.nihtoolbox.org). METHOD: Participants included community-dwelling children and adults (N=367, ages 3-85 yr) across seven sites. We tested haptic recognition, touch detection-discrimination, and proprioception using brief affordable measures as required by the NIH Toolbox. RESULTS: Accuracy improved from young children to young adults; from young to older adults, the pattern revers..
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Funding Acknowledgements
We are grateful to the families who participated in this study. We also want to acknowledge the graduate students who collected, entered, and cleaned data on the project. This study was part of the NIH Toolbox project, which is where we received our funding.