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Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 22, 2026

A Fine Motor Task to Study Joint Kinematics in a Preclinical Model of Neurodegenerative Disease

A Fine Motor Task to Study Joint Kinematics in a Preclinical Model of Neurodegenerative Disease

Published on: June 13, 2025

Terminal decline in motor function.

Robert S Wilson¹, Eisuke Segawa, Aron S Buchman

¹Rush Alzheimer's Disease Center, Chicago, IL 60612, USA. rwilson@rush.edu

Psychology and Aging

|May 23, 2012

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Motor and cognitive functions experience accelerated decline in the final years of life. This study observed a significant increase in the rate of decline for both motor skills and cognitive abilities preceding death in older adults.

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Area of Science:

Gerontology
Neurology
Clinical Pathophysiology

Background:

Understanding the trajectory of functional decline in aging is crucial for predicting health outcomes.
Previous research suggests a potential terminal decline phase preceding death, but its specific characteristics require further elucidation.

Purpose of the Study:

To test the hypothesis that motor function accelerates its decline proximate to death.
To investigate the relationship between the onset and rate of terminal decline in motor and cognitive functions.

Main Methods:

A longitudinal clinical-pathologic study involving 124 older adults (nuns, priests, monks).
Annual clinical evaluations including 11 motor and 19 cognitive tests over at least 7 years.
Brain autopsy and neuropathologic examination post-mortem.

Main Results:

Both global motor and cognitive function measures showed an accelerated rate of decline in the final years of life (approximately 2.5-2.8 years before death).
The onset of terminal motor decline was highly correlated with the onset of terminal cognitive decline (r = .94).
Higher levels of plaques and tangles were associated with an earlier onset of terminal motor decline.

Conclusions:

Motor and cognitive functions exhibit a distinct period of accelerated decline in the terminal phase of life.
The onset of terminal decline in motor and cognitive functions is closely linked.
Neuropathologic markers like plaques and tangles may influence the timing of functional decline proximate to death.