高齢者における示指と足部の3分間セルフペース・タッピング運動の特性

【Introduction】 The increase rate of the elderly people population in Japan is prominent worldwide. So-called "baby-boom generation" becomes elderly people; follow it, and the elderly people population increases until 2042. Therefore, as for the medicine, the medical care, the elderly people measures in the field of care, the need will increase still more in future. However, it will be necessary for the contents of the measures to reconsider it. The recent elderly people have the report to become younger as compared with previous elderly people. It is the increase of so-called "healthy" elderly people. These elderly people occupy approximately 80% of the elderly people population in 2020. Therefore, we think that the measures of these elderly people come in a stage to reconsider it. In previous research, the gait speed of healthy elderly people increased, but there is the report that association with the fall was found in by the variability of the gait cycle. As for the gait, it is found that rhythm is formed in CPG in the spinal cord. Also, in the study of the tapping task on rhythm, a neurologic model is built. The study on these two rhythm is different in the method, but is common at the point where cerebellum plays an important role in. Examinations of the tapping task are used for the patients with cerebellar disease well. There are more studies in the variability of the movement by tapping than a gait. The movement becomes late, and, for elderly people, the variability of the movement increases to secure a large number of joints smooth movement. It is assumed that the variability of this movement is caused by a central function by the aging and regressive change of the peripheral structure (muscle, nerves, sensory receptor, joint). However, as for the variability of these movements, various tapping tasks are used, and the method is not common. Also, it is complicated and thinks these tasks that there is room to examine it to apply to elderly people. Therefore, a purpose of this study is to determine whether movement varies by a simple tapping task in elderly people. Objectives: We examined the effects of age on the speed and variability of continuous tapping movement of the hands and feet over 3 min. Methods: Tapping speed and variability of tapping interval during 3-min self-paced tapping tasks for the index finger and ankle-toe were compared between groups of 20 young people and 20 active elderly people. Results: No effect of age on tapping speed was found, but the variability of tapping interval decreased with age. Both groups showed no correlation between speed and variability, and the speed of the ankle-toe task was slower than that of the index finger task. There was a correlation between variability of the index finger task and that of the ankle-toe task in the elderly group. Movement speed was slower in the second half of the 3-min task time in both groups, but there was no difference in the degree of variability. Conclusions: Variability in self-paced single-joint tapping movement of the hands and feet may reflect regressive changes in the mechanisms of internal rhythm formation. In addition, for clinical screening, it is useful to conduct the task for a min and half or more to evaluate any changes in movement speed and variability. Key words: elderly, self-paced tapping, speed, variability, cerebellu