Neural and Kinematic Metrics of Handwriting in Neurotypical Adults

Detailed Assessment of Speed of Handwriting (DASH 17+) assessment provides information about the speed and legibility of handwriting. Handwriting difficulties in general and DASH17+ performance, in particular, are signs of neuromotor difficulties. Individualized interventions can be developed with a better understanding of both the biomechanical and neurological underpinnings of the task. We used a multimodal assessment strategy to deconstruct the product and process of handwriting measures in adults. A total of 23 neurotypical college age adults took part in the study. We combined the standardized norm-referenced test DASH17+ and explored the online process of handwriting using the MovAlyzeR software, and simultaneously explored prefrontal cortex activity, using functional near infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS), during the task execution. Our research indicated that underlying neural and kinematic mechanisms changed between tasks, within tasks, and even from one trial block to another that are not reflected in the DASH17+ performance assessment alone. Therefore, this multi-modal approach provides a promising method in clinical populations to further investigate any subtle change in handwriting.