Evaluation of speed-accuracy trade-off in a computer task to identify motor difficulties in individuals with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy - A cross-sectional study.

INTRODUCTION: Individuals with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD) present with progressive loss of motor function which can impair both control of speed and accuracy of movement. AIM: to evaluate movement time during a task at various levels of difficulty and to verify whether the level of difficulty affects the speed and/ or accuracy during the task. METHODS: the DMD group comprised of 17 individuals age matched with 17 individuals with typical development (TD group). The task evaluates the relationship between speed and accuracy, consisting of the execution of manual movements (using the mouse of the computer) aimed at a target at three different levels of difficulty (ID). RESULTS: A MANOVA demonstrated statistically significant differences in dispersion data and intercept values between the groups with greater movement time in the DMD group. An ANOVA indicated differences between groups for ID, except for when there was a higher accuracy demand (higher ID). In the other IDs that required lower accuracy demand, individuals in the DMD group had significantly longer movement time when compared to the TD group. CONCLUSION: These results show that the TD and DMD did not differ in the higher ID, therefore it can be concluded that for those with DMD, motor performance is more affected by speed than accuracy of movement.

Computer task performance by subjects with Duchenne muscular dystrophy.

AIMS: Two specific objectives were established to quantify computer task performance among people with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD). First, we compared simple computational task performance between subjects with DMD and age-matched typically developing (TD) subjects. Second, we examined correlations between the ability of subjects with DMD to learn the computational task and their motor functionality, age, and initial task performance. METHOD: The study included 84 individuals (42 with DMD, mean age of 18±5.5 years, and 42 age-matched controls). They executed a computer maze task; all participants performed the acquisition (20 attempts) and retention (five attempts) phases, repeating the same maze. A different maze was used to verify transfer performance (five attempts). The Motor Function Measure Scale was applied, and the results were compared with maze task performance. RESULTS: In the acquisition phase, a significant decrease was found in movement time (MT) between the first and last acquisition block, but only for the DMD group. For the DMD group, MT during transfer was shorter than during the first acquisition block, indicating improvement from the first acquisition block to transfer. In addition, the TD group showed shorter MT than the DMD group across the study. CONCLUSION: DMD participants improved their performance after practicing a computational task; however, the difference in MT was present in all attempts among DMD and control subjects. Computational task improvement was positively influenced by the initial performance of individuals with DMD. In turn, the initial performance was influenced by their distal functionality but not their age or overall functionality.

Desempenho em uma tarefa de labirinto no computador na síndrome de Down / Maze computer performance in Down syndrome

INTRODUCTION: These changes are the main causes of deficits in perceptual-motor skills responsible for motor skill acquisition and performance of functional activities. : The current study aimed at verifying the quantitative performance of people with DS in undertaking a computer task to compare the performances of typical development (TD). METHODS: 60 subjects participated in the study, 30 with Down's syndrome and 30 with typical development, matched by sex. Individuals were aged from 10-36. The groups were divided into three subgroups by age: Group 1 (G1) 10-18; Group 2 (G2) 18-25; Group 3 (G3) 25-36. They performed a computer maze task. During the acquisition phase all groups attempted the maze 30 times, and then after 5 minutes they performed 5 repetitions of Maze 1 for the retention phase. Finally, for the transfer phase, they performed five repetitions in Maze 2. The dependent variables were submitted to a group, age group, gender and block ANOVA with repeated measures on the last factor. RESULTS: In acquisition phase there was a significant decrease in movement time (MT) between the first and last acquisition block, but only for the DS-group. In retention, there was a significant effect of Group, and an interaction between Block and Group, indicating that MTs increased from retention to transfer, but only for the DS-group. : It was found that participants with DS improved performance during acquisition and retention, but they had difficulty in performing the transfer of the computational task for a similar situation. The age and gender were not significant in any of the stages of the study.

INTRODUÇÃO: A síndrome de Down (SD) apresenta atrasos nas habilidades motoras básicas provavelmente devido a déficits perceptuais-motores, responsáveis pela aquisição de habilidade motora e desempenho em atividades funcionais. OBJETIVO: O presente estudo teve por objetivo verificar o desempenho quantitativo de pessoas com SD na realização de uma tarefa de computador para comparar o desempenho com pessoas com desenvolvimento típico (DT). MÉTODO: 60 pessoas participaram do estudo, 30 com síndrome de Down e 30 com desenvolvimento típico, pareados por idade e sexo. Os participantes tinham idade entre 10-36. Os grupos foram divididos em três subgrupos por idade que realizaram uma tarefa de labirinto no computador Grupo 1 (G1) 10-18 anos, Grupo 2 (G2) 18-25 anos e Grupo 3 (G3) 25-36 anos. Durante a fase de aquisição todos os grupos realizaram 30 vezes o labirinto, e após 5 minutos, realizaram mais 5 repetições do Labirinto 1 para a fase de retenção. Finalmente, para a fase de transferência, 5 repetições foram realizadas no Labirinto 2. As variáveis dependentes foram submetidas a ANOVA para grupo, idade, gênero e bloco com medidas repetidas para o último fator. RESULTADOS: Na fase de aquisição, houve uma redução significativa no tempo de movimento (TM) entre o primeiro e último bloco da aquisição, mas somente para o grupo SD. Na retenção, houve um efeito significativo para Grupo, e uma interação entre Bloco e Grupo, indicando que o TM aumentou da retenção para transferência, mas somente para o Grupo SD. CONCLUSÃO: Verificou-se que os participantes com SD melhoraram o desempenho durante a aquisição e retenção, mas mostraram dificuldade em realizar a transferência da tarefa computacional para um situação similar. Idade e gênero não foram significativas em nenhuma das etapas do estudo.