Spiral Tracing in Alzheimer’s Disease: Less Precise but not Slower

In the search for novel Alzheimer’s disease (AD) biomarkers, motor functional outcome measures are potential candidates, as motor impairments can precede cognitive dysfunction. Whereas most motor behavioral research in Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) and AD has focused on gait function, fine motor skill is affected as well. Here, we use a digitized version of the Archimedes spiral test to assess a variety of speed and accuracy metrics of fine motor function in MCI and AD compared to cognitively normal (CN) individuals.