Age-related differences in control of a visuomotor coordination task: a preliminary study

[Purpose] The purpose of the current study was to examine age-related differences in control of a perception-action coordination skill. We adapted a visuomotor tracking experiment requiring various coordination patterns between a limb's motion and an external signal. [Subjects and Methods] A total of 12 subjects ( 6 elderly and 6 young) voluntarily participated in the study. The experimental session consisted of 3 trials for 3 different relative phase patterns: 0 degrees, 90 degrees, and 180 degrees, defined by the relationship between the online visual feedback of the joystick motion and the white dot signal. [Results] The 0 degrees and 180 degrees tracking patterns were stable compared with the 90 degrees tracking pattern for both age groups. The present results also showed that the elderly subjects were less stable than were young subjects for all tracking patterns. [Conclusion] The intrinsic coordination dynamics predicted by the Haken-Kelso-Bunz (HKB) mathematical model did not change with age, whereas utilization of visual feedback information declined overall. Further research is needed regarding methods for increasing utilization of visual feedback information from the perspective of rehabilitation.