It’s a life skill that everyone cherishes, the ability to jot thoughts, shopping lists or ideas down quickly onto a piece of paper.
But now, a new study warns that starting to write slowly could be an early warning sign of dementia.
Researchers in Portugal measured the handwriting speed of 58 adults in their 80s, including 38 individuals who had mild cognitive impairment, a potential precursor to dementia.
They found that all participants had the same writing speed when they were asked to draw 10 horizontal lines or at least 10 dots within 20 seconds. They also had similar results when they were asked to copy written sentences.
However, the difference came when the participants were asked to listen to a spoken sentence and write it down. People with cognitive impairment wrote significantly slower than individuals who did not have the condition.
Dr Ana Rita Matias, assistant professor at the University of Evora and who led the research, said: ‘Writing is not just a motor activity, it’s a window into the brain.
‘Dictation tasks are more sensitive because they require the brain to do multiple things at once: Listen, process language, convert sounds into written form, and coordinate movement.
‘Even within dictation tasks, differences can emerge. A longer, less predictable, or linguistically demanding sentence places greater strain on cognitive resources.’
Scientists tracked participants’ writing speed using a digital pen and pad. The above image shows a participant in the study taking part in the test
Handwriting is a complex task that requires both fine motor skills and mental skills to select, organize and interpret information.
The researchers said there was no difference in speed between ‘simple’ tasks – such as drawing horizontal lines – because these only relied on basic motor control.
But copying down spoken sentences triggered a difference because the task placed more demands on working memory and executive functioning, revealing differences between the groups.
Researchers did not say specify how many seconds it took both participants with and without cognitive impairment to complete each task, but said the results suggested that handwriting tests could be used as a low-cost way to monitor cognitive decline.
In the dictation tasks, researchers found that those with cognitive impairment were slower to start writing and had an altered stroke pattern, suggesting more fragmented and less continuous handwriting, compared to those who did not have the condition.
After hearing the more complex sentence, researchers also found differences in vertical size, or the size of the written text.
Matias added: ‘Timing and stroke organization are closely linked to how the brain plans and executes actions, which depend on working memory and executive control.
Join the discussion
Should regular handwriting tests become part of check-ups for seniors to spot early cognitive decline?
Scientists found that participants who had cognitive impairment wrote more slowly than those with no impairment when they were asked to note down a sentence that they heard. Shown above is a participant taking part in the study
‘As these cognitive systems decline, writing becomes slower, more fragmented, and less coordinated.’
Currently, the gold-standard test for diagnosing early signs of dementia is the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA), a 10-minute questionnaire that asks users to name animals, write lists and copy down what someone tells them.
However, this writing trait could be an easy marker for people to watch out for if they are concerned for older loved ones.
Experts are increasingly warning about the rising number of dementia patients in the US.
About half a million people are diagnosed with the condition nationwide every year, but estimates suggest that, by 2060, that number could double to a million cases annually.
Estimates also suggest that the number of Americans suffering from the condition could rise from six million to nearly 14 million over the same period.
Researchers say the uptick is being driven by a growing population of older people and high life expectancy, which is leading to more individuals suffering from the condition.
The study was published in the journal Frontiers in Human Neuroscience.
