Age effects in proprioceptive feedback performance.

Age effects in performance on a proprioceptive feedback task were examined in neurologically intact hospitalized patients. Decline in precision of motor control was evident in older subjects under conditions of low or minimal feedback intensity. However, age was not related to performance under a condition of stronger feedback. The results, which are consistent with other gerontological studies of somatosensory function, suggest that intensification of proprioceptive cues may enhance the precision of motor control by older subjects.