Fastame Maria Chiara, Mulas Ilaria, Putzu Valeria, Asoni Gesuina, Viale Daniela, Mameli Irene, Pau Massimiliano
Department of Pedagogy, Psychology, Philosophy, University of Cagliari, Cagliari, Italy.
Department of Mechanical, Chemical and Materials Engineering, University of Cagliari, Cagliari, Italy.
Appl Neuropsychol Adult. 2023 May-Jun;30(3):360-367. doi: 10.1080/23279095.2021.1944863. Epub 2021 Jul 9.
In clinical practice, different drawing tests are used for the assessment of cognitive efficiency in the geriatric population. However, so far, the contribution of motor skills to drawing performance has not been sufficiently examined in the late adult life span. This study was aimed at disentangling the role played by motor functioning in three well-known drawing tests that in the clinical field are commonly used to detect some signs of cognitive impairment of older individuals. One hundred and forty-nine community dwellers ( = 77.4 years, = 5.9 years) completed a battery of tests assessing global cognitive efficiency, drawing skills (i.e., Clock Drawing, Visuo-spatial Drawing ACE-R, Copy Figures Tests), handgrip muscular strength (HGS), and functional mobility (assessed through the Timed-Up-and-Go test). Significant relationships were found among those measures. Moreover, handgrip strength and functional mobility explained 12-19% of the variance in each drawing condition. Finally, participants exhibiting poorer HGS performed worse the drawing tasks and were successively recognized as cognitively deteriorated. In conclusion, these findings highlight that motor skills can significantly impact the assessment of cognitive efficiency in late adulthood. Therefore, in clinical practice, the concurrent assessment of basic motor functions (in terms of muscular strength and functional mobility) and cognitive efficiency of the geriatric population at risk for cognitive decline should be encouraged.
在临床实践中，不同的绘图测试被用于评估老年人群的认知效率。然而，到目前为止，运动技能对绘图表现的贡献在成年后期尚未得到充分研究。本研究旨在厘清运动功能在临床领域常用的三种著名绘图测试中所起的作用，这些测试用于检测老年人认知障碍的一些迹象。149名社区居民（年龄=77.4岁，标准差=5.9岁）完成了一系列测试，评估整体认知效率、绘图技能（即画钟测试、视觉空间绘图ACE-R、临摹图形测试）、握力肌肉力量（HGS）和功能 mobility（通过定时起立行走测试评估）。在这些测量之间发现了显著的关系。此外，握力和功能 mobility 在每种绘图条件下解释了12%-19%的方差。最后，HGS 较差的参与者在绘图任务中表现更差，随后被认定为认知能力下降。总之，这些发现突出表明，运动技能可显著影响成年后期认知效率的评估。因此，在临床实践中，应鼓励对有认知衰退风险的老年人群同时评估基本运动功能（就肌肉力量和功能 mobility 而言）和认知效率。
