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A study of subtle motor signs in early Parkinson's disease
Author(s) -
Schneider Susanne A.,
Drude Laura,
Kasten Meike,
Klein Christine,
Hagenah Johann
Publication year - 2012
Publication title -
movement disorders
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.352
H-Index - 198
eISSN - 1531-8257
pISSN - 0885-3185
DOI - 10.1002/mds.25161
Subject(s) - parkinson's disease , dystonia , rating scale , physical medicine and rehabilitation , movement disorders , finger tapping , motor symptoms , psychology , neurological disorder , medicine , movement assessment , central nervous system disease , physical therapy , motor skill , disease , audiology , neuroscience , developmental psychology
Background: The UPDRS is the most widely used rating scale for Parkinson's disease (PD). However, subtle features of early disease stages may be missed. Methods: We studied 25 early PD patients using a newly compiled battery of motor tests focusing on subtle motor features. Focal dystonia patients (n = 31) and healthy individuals (n = 26) served as controls. Specifically, asymmetric shoulder null position and delayed shoulder shrugs, reduced arm swing, subtle tremor, and timed finger taps were assessed. Spiral drawings and writing were also studied. Results: With a total mean of 9.8 ± 4.9 (possible range: 0–94), PD patients scored significantly higher than dystonia patients (2.9 ± 2.0) and healthy controls (1.9 ± 2.0) ( P < 0.001). Reduced arm swing and tremor of individual fingers best distinguished PD from the other groups. Conclusions: The battery was sensitive to detect subtle motor features missed by the UPDRS. For future revisions of an international motor score, further assessment of these items may be worthwhile. © 2012 Movement Disorder Society