Quantitative assessment of finger tapping characteristics in mild cognitive impairment, Alzheimer’s disease, and Parkinson’s disease

Background Fine motor impairments are common in neurodegenerative disorders, yet standardized, quantitative measurements of motor abilities are uncommonly used in neurological practice. Thus, understanding and comparing fine motor abilities across disorders have been limited. Objectives The current...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of neurology 2018-06, Vol.265 (6), p.1365-1375
Main Authors: Roalf, David R., Rupert, Petra, Mechanic-Hamilton, Dawn, Brennan, Laura, Duda, John E., Weintraub, Daniel, Trojanowski, John Q., Wolk, David, Moberg, Paul J.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Aged
Alzheimer Disease - diagnosis
Alzheimer Disease - physiopathology
Alzheimer's disease
Biomechanical Phenomena
Cognitive ability
Cognitive Dysfunction - diagnosis
Cognitive Dysfunction - physiopathology
Disease
Female
Finger
Fingers - physiopathology
Humans
Logistic Models
Male
Medicine
Medicine & Public Health
Motor Skills - physiology
Motor task performance
Movement disorders
Neurodegenerative diseases
Neurology
Neuropsychological Tests
Neuroradiology
Neurosciences
Original Communication
Parkinson Disease - diagnosis
Parkinson Disease - physiopathology
Parkinson's disease
Sensitivity and Specificity
Time Factors
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Summary:Background Fine motor impairments are common in neurodegenerative disorders, yet standardized, quantitative measurements of motor abilities are uncommonly used in neurological practice. Thus, understanding and comparing fine motor abilities across disorders have been limited. Objectives The current study compared differences in finger tapping, inter-tap interval, and variability in Alzheimer’s disease (AD), Parkinson’s disease (PD), mild cognitive impairment (MCI), and healthy older adults (HOA). Methods Finger tapping was measured using a highly sensitive light-diode finger tapper. Total number of finger taps, inter-tap interval, and intra-individual variability (IIV) of finger tapping was measured and compared in AD ( n  = 131), PD ( n  = 63), MCI ( n  = 46), and HOA ( n  = 62), controlling for age and sex. Results All patient groups had fine motor impairments relative to HOA. AD and MCI groups produced fewer taps with longer inter-tap interval and higher IIV compared to HOA. The PD group, however, produced more taps with shorter inter-tap interval and higher IIV compared to HOA. Conclusions Disease-specific changes in fine motor function occur in the most common neurodegenerative diseases. The findings suggest that alterations in finger tapping patterns are common in AD, MCI, and PD. In addition, the present results underscore the importance of motor dysfunction even in neurodegenerative disorders without primary motor symptoms.
ISSN:0340-5354
1432-1459
DOI:10.1007/s00415-018-8841-8