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Published on: February 12, 2018
Measurements of Hand Function in Degenerative Cerebellar Disease: A Case-Control Pilot Study
Scott Barbuto1, Stuart Mackenzie, Sheng-Han Kuo
1From the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, New York (SB); Human Motor Recovery Laboratory, Burke Neurological Institute, White Plains, New York (SM, TK); Department of Neurology, College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, New York (S-HK); Department of Rehabilitation and Regenerative Medicine, Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, New York, New York (JS); Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, New York (JS); and New York Presbyterian Hospital, New York, New York (JS).
Objective:
The aim of the study was to determine the association of Nine Hole Peg Test, Box and Block Test, Jebsen-Taylor Hand Function Test, and kinematic measures of a simple reaching task with ataxia severity in adults with degenerative cerebellar disease.
Design:
Fourteen adults with cerebellar degeneration were recruited, and ataxia severity was determined using the Scale for the Assessment and Rating of Ataxia. The median Scale for the Assessment and Rating of Ataxia score was used to divide participants into less and more severe ataxia groups. The two groups' average scores on the hand function tests were compared, and correlation of each test with ataxia severity was determined.
Results:
The Nine Hole Peg Test, Box and Block Test, and Jebsen-Taylor Hand Function Test all differentiated between less and more severe ataxia groups, and the Nine Hole Peg Test performed with the participant's dominant hand had the highest correlation with ataxia severity (rs = 0.92, P < 0.01). Although accuracy, precision, and number of submovements were statistically different between healthy individuals and the more ataxic participant group, most kinematic measures were not significantly different between the less and more severe ataxic groups.
Conclusion:
Overall, our results indicate that all three clinical tests correlate with ataxia severity. Larger future studies should examine the reliability and validity of these hand function measures in adults with degenerative cerebellar disease.
