Finger movements may hold the secret to Alzheimer's diagnosis, new study reveals
The research, published in the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease, examines how subtle variations in finger movement, timing, rhythm, and coordination can be indicative of changes in the brain structure characteristic of dementia. This is an important issue given that Alzheimer's, the most common form of dementia, accounts for 60–80% of the total number of cases globally.
Why are finger movements significant?
The study was carried out by Junpei Sugioka and some neurologists and neuroscientists from Japan.
They used a voxel-based analysis technique called VSRAD (Voxel-based Specific Regional Analysis System for Alzheimer's Disease) to compare brain atrophy patterns among patients with Alzheimer's disease. The software helps in detecting changes in a few regions of the brain, largely the medial temporal region, which is critical for cognition and memory.
By correlating measures of finger movement with brain scans, the scientists discovered dramatic correlations between motor control dysfunction and brain volume loss in patients.
That is, worsening fine motor skills—too commonly overlooked—may offer early biomarkers of neurodegeneration.
Implications for early detection
"Our results suggest that testing of motor function, and particularly finger movement analysis, could become a viable screening test for cognitive impairment," the authors wrote.
This is especially significant in rural or low-resource settings, where access to expensive MRI scans and neurological tests might be limited.
Finger-tapping tests, possibly integrated into mobile health software, could be scalable alternatives. Further, screening with such could be done as a regular checkup for older persons.
The wider context
Aging remains the biggest risk for dementia. As the world's population ages, early diagnostic technologies that are low-cost become increasingly important. Technologies like VSRAD and motor assessment with non-invasive devices may lead the way to community-level screening, allowing earlier treatment and improved outcomes for the patient.
They recommend additional longitudinal and cross-validated research in various populations. If true, these results have the potential to transform clinicians' screening for Alzheimer's, redirecting attention away from memory tests alone and toward subtle physical signs that can be observed years before cognitive symptoms develop fully.
Is this a more general problem?
This study's findings reveal not just a new diagnostic pathway but also signal the possibility of a greater and underestimated issue: systemic neglect of motor function as an early indication of neurological decline. In practice, cognitive symptoms like confusion or memory impairment are traditionally always given first attention, with physical signs like decelerated finger movement or small coordination issues being generally demoted to insignificance or irrelevance.
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