Background & Aims: Cognitive decline can influence task performance and motor execution during neuropsychological assessments; data on pen-tip movement characteristics during the digital trail-making test-A (TMT-A) remain limited. This pilot study aimed to investigate the relationship between cognitive function and spatiotemporal parameters of pen-tip movements during digital TMT-A in older adults.
Methods: Twenty-one adults (mean age: 80.4 ± 4.8 years) completed a digital TMT-A task using a stylus on a tablet and were classified as cognitively declined (≤ 23, n=16) or unimpaired (≥ 24, n=5) based on mini-mental state examination scores. Pen-tip velocity, acceleration, and jerk were recorded (sampling rate ≥ 100 Hz), and group differences and task-related changes from a low-cognitive-load practice trial were analyzed.
Results: Compared with those in the unimpaired group, the cognitively declined participants showed significantly slower mean pen-tip velocity, lower velocity variability, and smaller increases in velocity from practice to test. In contrast, no significant inter-group differences in acceleration and jerk task time, errors, or pen lifts were observed.
Conclusion: A lower and more stable pen-tip velocity in cognitively declined individuals may reflect greater attentional demands, suggesting pen-motion metrics as indicators of cognitive status in adults.
抄録全体を表示