[The levels of recognition and hand functions of patients with Alzheimer's disease: a pilot study based on the simple...

The purpose of this study was to analyze the levels of recognition and hand functions of the patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD) based on the Simple Test for Evaluating Hand Function (STEF).

Forty subjects with AD (AD group) and 20 without AD (control group) in a facility for elderly health care services participated in this study. The AD group consisted of 20 subjects with Clinical Dementia Rating (CDR) 1 and 20 other subjects with CDR2.

The results were as follows: Time required for full motion of right hand dexterity was significantly longer in both the CDR1 and CDR2 groups compared to the control group (p < 0.05, p < 0.01). Time required for the control group and CDR1 group were significantly shorter for motion of right hand dexterity compared to the left hand. No significant difference was observed between the times of right and left hand dexterity among subjects of CDR2. The disparity of right-left hand dexterity decreased in the order of control, CDR1 and CDR2. The correlations between the sub-items for CDR scale and the right-left hand disparity were significant in "memory" and "judgment". The right-left hand disparity decreased with the shortened time for left hand motion, as the "memory" or "judgment" scores increased.

These findings suggest that right hand dexterity speed in patients in the mild AD stage was low when their dominant hand superiority declined. Moreover the decline of dominant hand superiority correlated with the recognition of memory and judgment.