Legal medical consideration of Alzheimer’s disease patients’ dysgraphia and cognitive dysfunction: a 6 month follow up

Figures & data

Table 1 Clinical and neuropsychological characteristics of AD patient groups in this study

	Male (n=13)	Female (n=14)
Mean age (years)	77.22± SD 1.78	82.22± SD 2.04
Educational (years)	11.11± SD 2.5	12.77± SD 3.8
Apraxia (%)	88.8	77.7
Aphasia (%)	88.8	88.8
Agnosia (%)	22.2	33.3
MMSEa (mean)	M 14.11± SD 1.74	M 13.4± SD 2.27
ADLb	4.22± SD 0.44	3.88± SD 0.92
IADLc	4± SD 0	2.66± SD 1
Beginning of the disease (years)	4.11± SD 0.92	4.55± SD 1.13

Notes:

a MMSE¹⁴ (normal level score =30 points), modified by age and education.

b ADLs¹⁵ (normal level =6/6 for both males and females).

c IADLs¹⁶ (normal level =8/8 for both males and females).

Abbreviations: AD, Alzheimer’s disease; ADLs, activities of daily living; IADLs, instrumental activities of daily living; MMSE, mini-mental state examination; SD, standard deviation; M, mean.

Table 2 The performance of AD patients on the tests of cognition, PQ1B and PQ1A, the difference between PQ1 before and PQ2 before (DΔ before), and the difference between PQ1 after and PQ2 after (DΔ after) and on the writing test before and after

Days of testing	PQ1Ba	PQ1Ab	DΔB	DΔA	XFBc	XFAd	Number of patients
Day 1	12.18±4.9	6.07±5.9	8.11±4.9	3.74±4.7	9.25±6.7	2.77±3.8	27
Day 3	10.37±4.4	8.77±4.3	6.25±3.1	4.59±3.8	8.07±5.1	4.11±4.4	27
Day 5	9.51±5.2	7.51±4.6	5.1±4.0	3.77±3.9	7.74±7.0	3.18±3.9	27
Day 7	9.29±4.8	5.96±3.8	4.18±3.1	2.29±3.3	5.74±5.5	1.40±2.7	27
Day 9	11.96±3.1	6.07±4.4	6.44±2.7	2.59±3.8	8.11±6.0	2.0±3.8	27
Mean days 1–9	10.66±4.6	6.73±4.8	6.03±3.8	3.06±3.9	7.78±6.1	2.69±3.8	27
Day 11	8.48±4.4	6.18±3.1	3.59±2.5	1.96±3.0	4.74±5.15	1.55±3.5	27
Day 13	8.81±4.3	6.88±3.8	3.44±3.0	2.88±3.1	5.11±5.8	1.74±2.8	27
Day 15	8.62±4.5	6.29±3.4	3.8±2.9	2.59±3.0	5.11±5.5	1.77±3.1	27
Day 17	9.29±4.2	6.92±3.8	4.1±2.6	2.74±3.5	6.44±5.5	1.81±2.7	27
Day 19	9.55±5.2	6.11±4.1	5.07±2.8	2.77±3.2	6.96±7.1	2.18±3.6	27
Mean days 11–19	8.95±4.5	6.34±3.7	4.02±2.8	2.33±3.1	5.67±5.8	1.81±3.1	27

Notes: The performance comparisons of the mean of test days 1–9 with that of days 11–19 using Scheffé’s test (days 1–9 vs days 11–19):

a F (9, 260) =29.70;

b F (9, 260) =1.97;

c F (9, 260) =36.07; and

d F (9, 260) =18.61.

Abbreviations: AD, Alzheimer’s disease; DΔA, DΔ after; DΔB, DΔ before; PQ1A, PQ1 after; PQ1B, PQ1 before; XFA, XF after; XFB, XF before; XF, sentences/minutes.

Figure 1 An example of an eldest aged patient.

Note: The peaks represent the moments of skills and good cognitive performance and handwriting.
Abbreviation: XF, sentences/minutes.

Figure 2 Comparisons of PQ1 before and PQ1 after of group 1 (aged).

Figure 3 Comparisons of PQ1 before and PQ1 after of group 2 (elder aged).

Figure 4 Comparisons of PQ1 before and PQ1 after of group 3 (eldest aged).

Figure 5 XF by AD patients and healthy controls expressed as mean ± SD in the graphia test, summated over all 12 days of testing.

Abbreviations: AD, Alzheimer’s disease; SD, standard deviation; XF, sentences/minutes.

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