INTRODUCTION Healthy subjects scale grip force to match the load defined by physical object properties such as weight, or dynamic properties such as inertia. Patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) show an elevated grip force in dynamic object handling, but temporal aspects of anticipatory grip force control are relatively preserved. In PD patients, beta frequency oscillatory activity in the bas...

INTRODUCTION To evaluate the impact of needle driver design on laparoscopic suturing skills by experts and novices. METHODS Three experienced laparoscopic surgeons and 3 novice junior residents were asked to perform a fixed set of suturing tasks in a laparoscopic pelvic-trainer. The laparoscopic needle drivers compared were (1) the Ethicon driver (E 705R), (2) Karl Storz (KS) pistol grip (261...

While task-dependent changes in motor cortical outputs have been previously reported, the issue of whether such changes are specific for complex hand tasks remains unresolved. The aim of the present study was to determine whether cortical inhibitory tone and cortical output were greater during precision grip and power grip. Motor cortex excitability was undertaken by using the transcranial magn...

Musculoskeletal Disorders (MSDs), especially those of the upper limb are a common concern in modern industry, and physical risk factors such as force and posture are linked to their causation. The effects of the combination of forceful gripping or grasping (especially pinch grips) and awkward postures should be considered in the causation of MSDs. Current guidelines recommend that wherever poss...

Most manual grips can be divided in precision and power grips on the basis of phylogenetic and functional considerations. We used functional magnetic resonance imaging to compare human brain activity during force production by the right hand when subjects used a precision grip and a power grip. During the precision-grip task, subjects applied fine grip forces between the tips of the index finge...