The FTT and similar tests have been used for assessment of movement slowing related to aging in general ( Godefroy, Roussel, Despretz, Quaglino, & Boucart, 2010 Jimenez-Jimenez et al., 2011 Kaye et al., 1994) as well as to a number of medical conditions, including stroke ( Godefroy, Spagnolo, Roussel, & Boucart, 2010), essential tremor ( Jimenez-Jimenez et al., 2010), and Alzheimer’s disease ( Ott, Ellias, & Lannon, 1995 Wefel, Hoyt, & Massma, 1999). Under this procedure, extra trials are administered only if the first condition is not met, although there are many other variants described in the literature. The test nominally consists of 5 tapping trials, subject to the constraints that either the counts on all trials are within five of each other or no more than 10 trials are administered ( Strauss, Sherman, & Spreen, 2006). This test is typically scored as the average number of times a patient can depress a key with his or her index finger (each hand is tested separately) on a manual finger-tapping device in 10 s. The FTT is frequently used as part of a neuropsychological examination to detect both motor and cognitive impairments ( Strauss, Sherman, & Spreen, 2006). One common assessment of motor speed is the finger tapping test (FTT). For example, motor slowing, as indicated by finger tapping speed and walking speed measurements, have been shown to precede cognitive impairment in the elderly ( Camicioli, Howieson, Oken, Sexton, & Kaye, 1998), and slow motor speed has been shown to be a risk factor for fractures during falls ( Shigematsu et al., 2006). Sensory-motor speed is an important predictor of cognitive and physical functionality, which are some of the key determinants of individual well-being. Finally, we discuss how the proposed method for measuring motor speed fits well into the framework of unobtrusive and continuous in-home assessment. We show significant correlations between the mean tapping speed from the FTT and the median IKIs of the non-dominant ( r=0.77) and dominant ( r=0.70) hands, respectively, in an elderly cohort of subjects living independently. ![]() In this article, we propose an alternative method of measuring motor speed, with face validity to the FTT, that addresses these limitations by measuring the interkeystroke interval (IKI) of familiar and repeated login data collected in the home during a subject’s regular computer use. ![]() ![]() However, the FTT suffers from several limitations including infrequent in-person administration, the need for a trained assessor and dedicated equipment, and potential short term sensory-motor fatigue. One common assessment of motor speed is the finger tapping test (FTT), which is typically administered as part of a neurological or neuropsychological assessment. Motor speed is an important indicator and predictor of both cognitive and physical function.
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