Kinematic Studies of the Go/No-Go Task as a Dynamic Sensorimotor Inhibition Task for Assessment of Motor and Executive Function in Stroke Patients: An Exploratory Study in a Neurotypical Sample
Inhibition of reaching and grasping actions as an element of cognitive control and executive function is a vital component of sensorimotor behaviour that is often impaired in patients who have lost sensorimotor function following a stroke. To date, there are few kinematic studies detailing the fine spatial and temporal upper limb movements associated with the millisecond temporal trajectory of correct and incorrect responses to visually driven Go/No-Go reaching and grasping tasks. Therefore, we aimed to refine the behavioural measurement of correct and incorrect inhibitory motor responses in a Go/No-Go task for future quantification and personalized rehabilitation in older populations and those with acquired motor disorders, such as stroke. An exploratory study mapping the kinematic profiles of hand movements in neurotypical participants utilizing such a task was conducted using high-speed biological motion capture cameras, revealing both within and between subject differences in a sample of healthy participants. These kinematic profiles and differences are discussed in the context of better assessment of sensorimotor function impairment in stroke survivors.
Funding
This research was primarily funded through ARC Discovery Project DP170101035. The high-speed kinematic cameras were purchased through La Trobe Research Infrastructure Planning Grant. G.L. was funded through the La Trobe University Research Training Program Scholarship, and R.M.S.M. was funded through La Trobe University Postgraduate Research scholarship (LTU PS) and La Trobe University Full Fee Research scholarship (LTU FF).