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Updated: Aug 17, 2026

Handwriting Analysis Indicates Spontaneous Dyskinesias in Neuroleptic Naïve Adolescents at High Risk for Psychosis
Published on: November 21, 2013
Neuromotor abnormalities and risk for psychosis in Alzheimer's disease
M P Caligiuri1, G Peavy, D P Salmon
1Department of Psychiatry, University of California, San Diego, and the UCSD Alzheimer's Disease Research Center, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA. mcaligiuri@ucsd.edu
Background:
Cross-sectional studies in Alzheimer's disease (AD) show a strong relationship between extrapyramidal motor signs and presence of psychosis, yet it remains unclear whether neuromotor abnormalities precede and therefore can predict development of psychosis in AD.
Objective:
To identify cognitive and motor risk factors for the development of psychosis in patients with AD.
Methods:
Baseline clinical motor ratings and instrumental measures of neuromuscular function were obtained from 54 nonpsychotic patients with AD who were evaluated annually for 2 years for the development of psychosis. Survival analyses were performed to identify incidence and risks associated with psychosis.
Results:
The incidence of new onset psychosis in our sample was 32.5% in 2 years. Patients with abnormal agonist muscle burst amplitudes during rapid alternating movements of the hand were more likely to develop psychosis than those without (OR = 4.31; p = 0.007). Women with AD also had a higher risk of developing psychosis within 2 years than men (OR = 1.33; p = 0.01).
Conclusions:
Using simple noninvasive instrumental procedures for assessing neuromotor function, it may be possible to identify an individual's level of risk for developing psychosis during the course of AD.
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