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Updated: Jun 18, 2025
Handwriting Analysis Indicates Spontaneous Dyskinesias in Neuroleptic Naïve Adolescents at High Risk for Psychosis
Published on: November 21, 2013
Computerized assessment of handwriting in de novo Parkinson's disease: A kinematic study
Lola Diaz-Feliz1, Pilar Sanz-Cartagena2, Marcos Faundez-Zanuy3
1Neurology Department. Jiménez Díaz Foundation University Hospital, Spain; Neurology Department. University Hospital San Roque. Fernando Pessoa University, Spain.
Introduction:
Dysgraphia, a recognized PD motor symptom, lacks effective clinical assessment. Current evaluation relies on motor assessment scales. Computational methods introduced over the past decade offer an objective dysgraphia assessment, considering size, duration, speed, and handwriting fluency. Objective evaluation of dysgraphia may be of help for early diagnosis of PD.
Objective:
Computerized assessment of dysgraphia in de novo PD patients and its correlation with clinical scales.
Methods:
We evaluated 38 recently diagnosed, premedication PD patients and age-matched controls without neurological disorders. Participants wrote "La casa de Pamplona es bonita" three times on paper and once on a Wacom tablet under the paper, totaling four phrases. Writing segments of 5-10 s were analyzed. The Wacom tablet captured kinematic data, including mean velocity, mean acceleration, and pen pressure. Data were saved in.svc format and analyzed using specialized software developed by Tecnocampus Mataró. Standard clinical practice data, Hoehn & Yahr staging, and UPDRS scales were used for evaluation.
Results:
Significant kinematic differences existed; patients had lower mean speed (27 ± 12 vs. 48 ± 18, p < 0.0001) and mean acceleration (7.2 ± 3.9 vs. 15.01 ± 7, p < 0.0001) than controls. Mean speed and mean acceleration correlated significantly with UPDRS III scores (speed: r = -0.52, p < 0.0007; acceleration: r = 0.60, p < 0.0001), indicating kinematic parameters' potential in PD evaluation.
Conclusions:
Dysgraphia is identifiable in PD patients, even de novo, indicating an early symptom and correlates with clinical scales, offering potential for objective PD patient evaluation.
