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Updated: Jul 31, 2026
Behavioral Assessment of Manual Dexterity in Non-Human Primates
Published on: November 11, 2011
Investigation of factors affecting manual dexterity in ataxic individuals
Gülşah Sütçü Uçmak1, Muhammed Kılınç2
1Department of Physiotherapy and Rehabilitation, Faculty of Health Science, Akdeniz University, Antalya, Turkey.
Background:
Manual dexterity is negatively affected in ataxic individuals and determining the determinants of manual dexterity is very important for maintaining functional independence, especially in activities of daily living related to the upper extremities.
Purpose:
The aim of this study was to evaluate manual dexterity in ataxic individuals, to examine the factors affecting manual dexterity and the effects of these factors on each other.
Study Design:
This is a clinical measurement study.
Methods:
The study included 26 ataxic individuals (16 female, 10 male). Manual dexterity was assessed with the Minnesota Manual Dexterity Test, hand functions with ABILHAND, balance with the Berg Balance Scale, disease severity with the International Cooperative Ataxia Rating Scale and trunk position sense with a digital inclinometer. Hierarchical multiple linear regression analyses were conducted to examine the effect of the independent variables of hand functions (model 1-2-3), balance (model 2-3) and disease severity and trunk position sense (model 3) on the dependent variable of manual dexterity.
Results:
The mean age of the individuals was 45.7 ± 11.7 years. Hand functions in model 1 (unstandardized beta coefficient [B] = -2.14, p = 0.029), balance in model 2 (B = -2.53, p = 0.001) and ataxia severity in model 3 (B = 2.04, p = 0.010) were the factors affecting manual dexterity. Trunk position sense was not found to be a factor affecting manual dexterity (p > 0.05).
Conclusions:
Disease severity has a predominantly negative impact on manual dexterity when evaluated together with hand function, balance and trunk position sense. To alleviate accompanying symptoms such as lack of coordination, tremor, dysmetria and instability, rehabilitation programs planned to prevent the increase in ataxia severity from the early stages of ataxia may ensure the maintenance of manual dexterity. Integrating task-oriented rehabilitation for clinical settings and individualized strategies that can be implemented in the home environment into ataxia rehabilitation may improve hand functionality in activities of daily living.
