title: Constraints on the Control of Physiological Tremor
Creators: name: Keogh, Justin W. L
Publisher: name: Griffith University
Year: 2006
Subjects: subject: Physiological tremor
subject: postural tremor
subject: finger-pinch force tremor
subject: tremor amplitude

description: This thesis sought to: 1) examine the effect of a number of organism and task constraints on the control of two forms of physiological tremor, namely postural and finger-pinch force tremor; and 2) determine if the expected constraint-related changes in tremor output were associated with alterations in the control strategy utilised by the performer. The organism constraints were age and resistance-training (for both forms of tremor), while the task constraints were visual feedback, target size and limb preference (postural tremor) and mean force, target shape and limb preference (force tremor). The postural (index finger) tremor amplitude of young adults was significantly greater in the augmented vision (AV) than normal vision (NV) conditions and when using the non-preferred than preferred limb. Even greater differences/changes in postural tremor amplitude were observed as a function of aging and training. Older adults had significantly more index finger tremor amplitude than young adults. Regardless, the older adults who completed a six weeks program of unilateral strength- or coordination-training were able to significantly reduce their tremor amplitude. Although the training-related reductions in tremor amplitude were of a greater magnitude for the trained than untrained limb, a significant reduction in the tremor amplitude of the untrained limb was also observed for the coordination-training group. All of these significant differences/changes in tremor amplitude were associated with significant changes in a number of other dependent variables. For example, the task- and age-related increases in tremor amplitude were primarily a result of greater 8-12 Hz tremor power and were associated with increased EMG activity/co-activation of the extensor digitorum (ED) and flexor digitorum superficialis (FDS) muscles and a significant reduction in intra-limb (index finger-hand and forearm-upper arm) coupling. The significant reductions in tremor amplitude observed for the resistance-trained older adults was a result of a significant decline in 8-12 Hz power and were associated with a significant reduction in ED and FDS co-activation. However, no significant change in intra-limb coupling was observed. The overall trends observed in the results for the finger-pinch force tremor experiments were similar to those for postural tremor. Older adults had significantly more finger-pinch force tremor (i.e. force variability and targeting error) than young adults, although older adults who performed six weeks of unilateral strength-training were able to significantly reduce the force variability and targeting error of the trained limb. No significant training-related reduction in force tremor was however observed for the untrained limb. The significant age-related increase in force tremor was a result of greater low frequency (less than 2 Hz) power and was associated with a significant loss of inter-digit force sharing and coupling as well as tactile sensitivity. Interestingly, the training-related decreases in force tremor were not associated with significant changes in any of the frequency, sharing or coupling measures. Collectively, the results of the five experiments contained in this thesis add much to our understanding of postural and force tremor. Results indicated that numerous task and organism constraints can have a substantial effect on the resulting tremor output. Furthermore, the task- and age-related differences in the power spectral, muscle activity and coupling measures suggested that the changes in tremor output were the result of the use of an altered (sub-optimal) control strategy. The age-related increase in postural and force tremor amplitude may therefore reflect not only an overall decline in neuromuscular system function, but also the relative inability of older adults to effectively coordinate the output of numerous degrees of freedom (limb segments). The effect of the aging process on tremor output was somewhat reversible, with the older adults who performed resistance-training significantly improving their control of both postural and force tremor. There was some evidence that resistance-training could produce cross-education effects in older adults, although these were only statistically significant for postural tremor amplitude in the coordination-training group and for wrist flexion strength in the strength-training group. The relative brevity of the training program (6 weeks) and the observable cross-education effects suggest that the reduction in tremor amplitude and increases in strength were primarily a result of neural adaptations. Such findings further support the prescription of resistance-training for improving physical function in older individuals.