Authors:
Francesca Campoli
1
;
Vincenzo Bonaiuto
1
;
Lucio Caprioli
1
;
Saeid Edriss
1
;
Emilio Panichi
1
;
Michele Panzarino
2
;
Cristian Romagnoli
2
;
Giuseppe Annino
3
and
Elvira Padua
2
Affiliations:
1
Sports Engineering Lab, Dept. Industrial Eng., Univ. Rome Tor Vergata, Rome, Italy
;
2
Dept. of Human Science & Prom. of Quality of Life, San Raffaele Rome Univ., Rome, Italy
;
3
Dept. of Medicine Systems, Univ. Rome Tor Vergata, Rome, Italy
Keyword(s):
Elderly Men, Reaction Time, Dominance Limb.
Abstract:
The study analyses reaction times in elderly subjects and investigates the reactivity of the dominant and non-dominant hand and foot. 20 men (73.3 ± 3.1 years), healthy, free from injury and without any physical problem that could affect the test results. The tests are the baseline reaction times, the plate tapping test and foot tapping test. Descriptive statistical procedures are presented as mean ± SD and the percentage changes (Δ%) were calculated for each test. The significance level was P<0.05. In baseline reaction time test, the non-dominant hand showed a shorter reaction time than the dominant hand of about 28 msec (p = 0.05). In the plate tapping test, on the other hand, the dominant hand was more reactive than the non-dominant hand (7%, p = 0.002). In the foot test, the difference between the dominant and non-dominant feet was 3% (p = 0.1). The difference in performance between the tests performed could be due to the difficulty of the required motor task. The study lays the
foundation for developing a motor work protocol focused on reactivity, a motor ability that physiologically degenerates with age and is of fundamental importance for the individual's physical and cognitive well-being.
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