Objectives: to assess and compare the gross and fine motor skills in people with identified cognitive impairment and in people from the control group.
Method: The research was conducted at the Center of Dementia-Related Diseases, involved participants with (n = 39) and without (n = 29) cognitive disorders. Fast, precise hand movements were measured via Vienna System Test. The up-and-go, chair-stand, 6-minute walk tests were used to assess functional fitness. The results for participants with and without cognitive disorders were compared.
Results: People from both groups do not differ significantly in terms of the level of condition-based functional fitness. Participants with cognitive disorders achieve worse results in hand coordination tests which are more complex and require both speed and accuracy of hand movements.
Discussion: The deterioration of precise hand movements with the correct functional efficiency may indicate degenerative changes in brain areas associated with complex thought processes, conceptual thinking, and may lead to dementia.