Research suggests that changes in handwriting can be a sign of cognitive decline.
Early detection of cognitive decline due to Alzheimer's disease and other conditions brings significant advantages to subsequent diagnosis, treatment, and support. A new study targeting older adults has shown that 'handwriting' may be an indicator of cognitive decline.
Frontiers | Handwriting speed and pen motor control in older adults with and without cognitive impairment
Handwriting speed among possible signs of cognitive decline in older people | EurekAlert!
https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1127122
A Signal of Cognitive Decline May Be Hidden in The Way You Write : ScienceAlert
https://www.sciencealert.com/a-signal-of-cognitive-decline-may-be-hidden-in-the-way-you-write
In modern times, many people use smartphones and PCs, and opportunities to write by hand have decreased. However, the act of writing on paper requires both physical motor skills and mental processing skills, so it may be useful in measuring cognitive function.
In fact, past studies have shown that writing ability declines in patients with Alzheimer's disease and other conditions. Dr. Ana Rita Matias, an assistant professor in the Faculty of Sports and Health at the University of Evora in Portugal, says, 'Writing is not just an exercise; it's like a window into the brain.'
Matthias and his research team conducted an experiment with 58 elderly people aged 62 to 99 living in nursing homes, asking them to write on a tablet with a pen. Of the participants, 38 had been diagnosed with some form of cognitive impairment, while the remaining 20 were considered cognitively healthy.
The tasks assigned to the participants were broadly divided into two types: 'pen operation tasks' and 'handwriting speed tasks.' In the pen operation tasks, participants were instructed to perform tasks such as 'draw 10 horizontal lines within 20 seconds' or 'draw 10 dots within 20 seconds.' In the handwriting speed tasks, participants were instructed to perform tasks such as 'copy sentences displayed on cards' or 'write down sentences that were verbally conveyed.'
The experimental results showed that the pen manipulation task could not distinguish between cognitive states between groups. These tasks were simple and relied primarily on basic motor control abilities, which may explain why they were insufficient to reveal subtle differences in cognitive abilities.
Furthermore, in the task of 'copying text displayed on cards,' which has a higher cognitive load than pen manipulation tasks but a lower cognitive load than transcribing verbally conveyed text, no clear differences between groups were observed, although a significant trend was shown.
Furthermore, in the task of 'transcribed verbally conveyed text,' which had the highest cognitive load, a clear difference was observed between the two groups. The group diagnosed with cognitive impairment tended to take longer to write each stroke, require more strokes to transcribe the text, and have shorter strokes per stroke.
To transcribe spoken text, the brain must simultaneously perform multiple tasks: listening to the spoken text, converting the sound into text, and coordinating finger movements. Therefore, transcription tasks place a high cognitive load on working memory and executive functions, and differences in cognitive ability are likely to become clearly apparent.
Matthias stated, 'We found that older adults with cognitive impairment exhibited unique patterns in the timing and organization of their writing movements. In tasks requiring higher cognitive abilities, it became clear that cognitive decline was reflected in how efficiently and consistently the writing movements were organized over time.'
This study involved a relatively small group and did not track cognitive decline or age-related changes over time, nor did it consider the use of medications that may affect writing ability. However, in the future, it may be possible to detect cognitive decline early simply by having participants write on a tablet, without the need for expensive scans or visits to large hospitals.
Matthias stated, 'Our long-term goal is to develop a tool that is easy to manage, time-efficient, affordable, and can be integrated into everyday medical practice without requiring specialized or expensive equipment.'
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