Table 1.
Clinical data for the two groups: elderly subjects (ES) and patients with cognitive decline (CD).
| MEAN ±SD | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Cognitively intact elderly subjects (ES) | Elderly subjects with cognitive decline (CD) | Group difference* | |
| Age (years) | 78.20 ± 8.47 | 83.64 ± 6.85 | p = 0.12 |
| MMSE (0–30) | 27.25 ± 3.20 | 22.36 ± 3.59 | p = 0.007 |
| IADL (0–14) | 10.33 ± 2.90 | 11.18 ± 3.52 | p = 0.533 |
| BBT right (#blocks/ min) | 47.67 ± 14.09 | 43.36 ± 10.59 | p = 0.45 |
| BBT left (#blocks/ min) | 41.92 ± 14.5 | 42.91 ± 10.06 | p = 0.852 |
| JTHFT right (s) | 47.5 ± 13 | 49.1 ± 9.6 | p = 0.75 |
| JTHFT left (s) | 55.5 ± 17.3 | 55.6 ± 13.6 | p = 0.99 |
| Pinch right (Kg) | 8.23 ± 2.98 | 7.8 ± 2.26 | p = 0.70 |
| Pinch left (Kg) | 7.27 ± 2.37 | 6.77 ± 1.96 | p = 0.60 |
| NHPT right (s) | 29.35 ± 10.74 | 27.67 ± 2.41 | p = 0.675 |
| NHPT left (s) | 33.05 ± 10.45 | 33.21 ± 6.24 | p = 0.995 |
MMSE, Mini-Mental State Examination (min = 0, max = 30, score ≥ 24 normal, score 18-23 MCI) (44); IADL, Instrumental Activities of Daily Living Scale (45); BBT, Box and Blocks Test (34) performed with right and left hand, respectively; JTHFT, Jebsen-Taylor Hand Function Test (24) total score across six tasks; Pinch Gauge instructions for tip, key and palmer pinch strength, average reported (35); NHPT, Nine-Hole Peg Test (22) finger dexterity test.
*
Group difference tested using Mann-Whitney U-test. Significant differences are highlighted in bold.