PC-based system for an objective quantification of manual movement disability for clinical and scientific purposes

In clinical management and research of movement disorders exact knowledge about the extent of motor impairment is essential. This paper presents a computer program which allows for an objective measurement of manual movement disability. The program was developed for standard hardware and can easily be used in a variety of clinical and research environments. The program runs on MS-DOS computers and uses a Microsoft computer mouse as the only input device. The temporal resolution is 100 Hz, the spatial resolution 400 dots per inch. The user may choose between standard test sets or he may design sets according to his individual needs from a pool of available protocols which includes tracking tasks, ballistic tasks, complex sequential tasks, and finger tapping. All tasks are implemented in a similar way in order to keep the test environment as consistent as possible for the patient. The patient must usually carry out movements which correspond to the movements of a target symbol on the computer screen. This entails the manipulation of a follower symbol, also visible on the computer screen, via the computer mouse. The program itself and the theoretical background of the protocols are described in the paper. Additionally, preliminary results from pilot experiments are presented.