TY - JOUR
T1 - Left-right differences on timed motor examination in children
AU - Roeder, Megan B.
AU - Mahone, E. Mark
AU - Gidley Larson, J.
AU - Mostofsky, S. H.
AU - Cutting, Laurie E.
AU - Goldberg, Melissa C.
AU - Denckla, Martha B.
N1 - Funding Information:
A portion of this paper was presented at the 34th annual meeting of the International Neuropsychological Society in Boston, Massachusetts, on February 3, 2006. This work was supported by NS-25806 (Neurodevelop-mental Pathways to Learning Disabilities); HD-24061 (Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities Research Center); U.S. Congressionally Directed Materiel and Medical Command (DAMD17-00-1-0548); K08 NS02039, K01 MH 01824, MH 52432R29, P01 HD35468, K02 NS04485, R01 NS047781, R01 NS047781 and the Rita Rudel Foundation. The authors also wish to thank Rebecca Landa, Ph.D., for her assistance in obtaining some of the data.
PY - 2008/3
Y1 - 2008/3
N2 - Age-related change in the difference between left- and right-side speed on motor examination may be an important indicator of maturation. Cortical maturation and myelination of the corpus callosum are considered to be related to increased bilateral skill and speed on timed motor tasks. We compared left minus right foot, hand, and finger speed differences using the Revised Physical and Neurological Assessment for Subtle Signs (PANESS; Denckla, 1985); examining 130 typically developing right-handed children (65 boys, 65 girls) ages 7-14. Timed tasks included right and left sets of 20 toe taps, 10 toe-heel alternation sequences, 20 hand pats, 10 hand pronate-supinate sets, 20 finger taps, and 5 sequences of each finger-to-thumb apposition. For each individual, six difference scores between left- and right-sided speeded performances of timed motor tasks were analyzed. Left-right differences decreased significantly with age on toe tapping, heel-toe alternations, hand pronation-supination, finger repetition, and finger sequencing. There were significant gender effects for heel-toe sequences (boys showing a greater left-right difference than girls), and a significant interaction between age and gender for hand pronation-supination, such that the magnitude of the left-right difference was similar for younger, compared with older girls, while the difference was significantly larger for younger, compared to older boys. Speed of performing right and left timed motor tasks equalizes with development; for some tasks, the equalization occurs earlier in girls than in boys.
AB - Age-related change in the difference between left- and right-side speed on motor examination may be an important indicator of maturation. Cortical maturation and myelination of the corpus callosum are considered to be related to increased bilateral skill and speed on timed motor tasks. We compared left minus right foot, hand, and finger speed differences using the Revised Physical and Neurological Assessment for Subtle Signs (PANESS; Denckla, 1985); examining 130 typically developing right-handed children (65 boys, 65 girls) ages 7-14. Timed tasks included right and left sets of 20 toe taps, 10 toe-heel alternation sequences, 20 hand pats, 10 hand pronate-supinate sets, 20 finger taps, and 5 sequences of each finger-to-thumb apposition. For each individual, six difference scores between left- and right-sided speeded performances of timed motor tasks were analyzed. Left-right differences decreased significantly with age on toe tapping, heel-toe alternations, hand pronation-supination, finger repetition, and finger sequencing. There were significant gender effects for heel-toe sequences (boys showing a greater left-right difference than girls), and a significant interaction between age and gender for hand pronation-supination, such that the magnitude of the left-right difference was similar for younger, compared with older girls, while the difference was significantly larger for younger, compared to older boys. Speed of performing right and left timed motor tasks equalizes with development; for some tasks, the equalization occurs earlier in girls than in boys.
KW - Corpus callosum
KW - Gender
KW - Laterality
KW - Motor
KW - PANESS
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=45949087378&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=45949087378&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1080/09297040701370016
DO - 10.1080/09297040701370016
M3 - Article
C2 - 17852124
AN - SCOPUS:45949087378
SN - 0929-7049
VL - 14
SP - 249
EP - 262
JO - Child Neuropsychology
JF - Child Neuropsychology
IS - 3
ER -