Introduction: Finding low-cost methods to detect early-stage Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a research priority for neuroprotective drug development. Presymptomatic Alzheimer's is associated with gait impairment but hand motor tests, which are more accessible, have hardly been investigated. This study evaluated how home-based Tasmanian (TAS) Test keyboard tapping tests predict episodic memory performance.
Methods: 1169 community participants (65.8 ± 7.4 years old; 73% female) without cognitive symptoms completed online single-key and alternate-key tapping tests and episodic memory, working memory, and executive function cognitive tests.
Results: All single-key (R2 adj = 8.8%, ΔAIC = 5.2) and alternate-key (R2 adj = 9.1%, ΔAIC = 8.8) motor features predicted episodic memory performance relative to demographic and mood confounders only (R2 adj = 8.1%). No tapping features improved estimation of working memory.
Discussion: Brief self-administered online hand movement tests predict asymptomatic episodic memory impairment. This provides a potential low-cost home-based method for stratification of enriched cohorts.
Highlights: We devised two brief online keyboard tapping tests to assess hand motor function. 1169 cognitively asymptomatic adults completed motor- and cognitive tests online. Impaired hand motor function predicted reduced episodic memory performance. This brief self-administered test may aid stratification of community cohorts.
Keywords: TAS Test; asymptomatic older adults; early Alzheimer's disease; episodic memory; hand motor function; keyboard tapping tests; motor-cognitive.
© 2023 The Authors. Alzheimer's & Dementia published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of Alzheimer's Association.