Reduction in manual asymmetry and decline in fine manual dexterity in right-handed older adults with mild cognitive impairment

ABSTRACT

Research in Parkinson’s or Alzheimer’s disease suggests that hand function is affected by neurodegenerative diseases. However, little is known about the relationship between hand function and mild cognitive impairment (MCI). Therefore, we conducted a kinematic analysis of unimanual hand movements in MCI patients to answer whether manual asymmetries and manual dexterity are affected or preserved in this condition. Forty-one MCI patients and fifty healthy controls were tested with the Purdue Pegboard test. All participants were right-handed. Kinematic analyses (by hand) were calculated for path length, angle, and linear and angular velocities during reaching, grasping, transport and inserting. Group differences were tested by with factorial MANOVAs and laterality indexes (LI) were assessed. Groups were compared on “Right–Left” hand correlations to identify kinematics that best single-out patients. Kinematics from grasping and inserting were significantly more deteriorated in the MCI group, while outcomes for reaching and transport denoted superior performance. LIs data showed symmetry of movements in the MCI group, during reaching and transport. Comparisons of “Right–Left” hand correlations revealed that kinematics in reaching and transport were more symmetrical in patients. This study showed a deterioration of fine manual dexterity, an enhancement in gross dexterity of upper-limbs, and symmetrical movements in MCI patients.

KEYWORDS:

• Hand dexterity
• manual asymmetry
• mild cognitive impairment
• fine motor function
• Purdue Pegboard Test

Acknowledgments

We thank the Departments of Geriatrics and Neurology at the University Hospital of North Norway for help with the recruitment of the patients. Special thanks to chief geriatricians Elena Kamycheva and Gunhild Ag for their support in this research. We also thank Maja Bergman, Heidi Almhaug, Amie-Christine Evjen and Barbro Abrahamsen for help with data collection and data processing.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Data availability statement

The datasets for this article cannot be made publicly available due to restrictions of the Norwegian Research Ethics Committee. However, upon reasonable request, summary statistics can be obtained from the corresponding author (CRA).

Author contributions

PI, conception, design of the study and analyses: CRA; design, processing and analyses: OV; recruitment and logistics: CRA, MMG, KW; interpretation of data: OV, CRA; drafting the article: OV, CRA; critical revision of the article: OV, CRA, MMG, KW.

Correction Statement

This article has been republished with minor changes. These changes do not impact the academic content of the article.

Additional information

Funding

Financial support was given by a grant from the Norwegian Health Association (Nasjonalforeningen for Folkehelsen, 2018/A68412), and from the Faculty of Health Sciences, UiT-The Arctic University of Norway (2016/5455).