Motor function involves complex physiologic processes and requires the integration of multiple systems, including neuromuscular, musculoskeletal, and cardiopulmonary, and neural motor and sensory-perceptual systems. Motor-functional status is indicative of current physical health status, burden of disease, and long-term health outcomes, and is integrally related to daily functioning and quality of life. Given its importance to overall neurologic health and function, motor function was identified as a key domain for inclusion in the NIH Toolbox for Assessment of Neurological and Behavioral Function (NIH Toolbox). We engaged in a 3-stage developmental process to: 1) identify key subdomains and candidate measures for inclusion in the NIH Toolbox, 2) pretest candidate measures for feasibility across the age span of people aged 3 to 85 years, and 3) validate candidate measures against criterion measures in a sample of healthy individuals aged 3 to 85 years (n 5 340). Based on extensive literature review and input from content experts, the 5 subdomains of dexterity, strength, balance, locomotion, and endurance were recommended for inclusion in the NIH Toolbox motor battery. Based on our validation testing, valid and reliable measures that are simultaneously low-cost and portable have been recommended to assess each subdomain, including the 9-hole peg board for dexterity, grip dynamometry for upper-extremity strength, standing balance test, 4-m walk test for gait speed, and a 2-minute walk test for endurance. Neurology Motor function, the ability to use and control muscles and movements, is integrally related to daily functioning and quality of life. Motor function is a complex physiologic process and requires the integration of multiple inputs and systems, including the neuromuscular, neurosensory, musculoskeletal, and cardiopulmonary systems. Impairments in motor function are often indicative of disorders of the central or peripheral nervous systems and can lead to increased risk of activity limitations, participation restrictions, and mortality in people across the lifespan.1,2 Accordingly, assessment of motor function was included as a major domain of the NIH Toolbox Assessment of Neurological and Behavioral Function (NIH Toolbox)-an initiative of the NIH Blueprint for Neuroscience Research that seeks to develop a brief but comprehensive set of standard measures of motor, cognitive, sensory, and emotional function across the age span from 3 to 85 years 3 for use in epidemiologic, longitudinal, and clinical research.Assessing change in motor function across the lifespan is a complex measurement task. Precise measures of motor function frequently require specialized testing environments and costly equipment. 4 Performance-based measures of motor function have demonstrated prognostic and diagnostic value at the individual and population levels 1,2,5 ; however, there is a lack of consistency in how motor function is measured across studies and across the age span that limits the generalizability of research fin...
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