Biological motion perception in post-stroke patients

Abstract Introduction: The perception of biological motion refers to the ability to perceive the moving shape of a human figure from points of light. This ability may be altered under various conditions that compromise human perceptual and visual capabilities, such as following a stroke, impairing the acquisition of motor skills. Objective: To evaluate whether biological motion perception in post-stroke patients is compromised. Methods: This article is characterized as a cross-sectional and analytical study with a quantitative approach. Two groups were formed: one consisting of 10 post-stroke patients and the other of 10 healthy elderly individuals. Study participants were clinically characterized using instruments assessing muscle tone, sensorimotor function, laterality, and cognitive status. Subsequently, they judged tasks involving presentations of natural-shaped light point stimuli divided into three categories: movements without objects, movements with objects, and social interactions. To analyze participants' biological motion perception, we calculated each participant's number of correct judgments and response times. Results: The control group had higher correct judgments in most tasks (70 - 90%) compared to the post-stroke group (40 - 60%). No significant statistical differences were found, but response times were shorter in controls. For the waving task, the mean time was 1.2 seconds for controls and 2.5 seconds for the post-stroke group (p = 0.0022). In walking (anterior-posterior view), it was 1.5 versus 3.0 seconds (p = 0.0006). Conclusion: Biological motion perception in post-stroke participants appears to be slower, however, there seems to be no compromise in judgment capability.