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Interlocking finger test: a bedside screen for parietal lobe dysfunction
  1. L R Moo1,
  2. S D Slotnick2,
  3. M A Tesoro1,
  4. D S Zee1,
  5. J Hart3
  1. 1Department of Neurology, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, USA
  2. 2Department of Psychology, Harvard University, USA
  3. 3Departments of Geriatrics, Neurology, and Radiology, University of Arkansas Medical School, USA
  1. Correspondence to:
 Dr L R Moo†, Department of Neurology, Johns Hopkins University, 600 N Wolfe Street, Meyer 100, Baltimore, MD, USA; 
 lmoo{at}jhmi.edu

Abstract

This study sought to determine the utility of an interlocking finger task in screening for parietal lobe dysfunction. The ability of 69 patients to imitate a standardised set of four interlocking finger figures was compared with concurrent performance on formal neurocognitive tests. Poor interlocking finger test scores correlated most highly with standard measures of parietal lobe dysfunction. In addition, an analytical model of parietal dysfunction indicated the interlocking finger test was similar to, if not better than, standard tests of parietal lobe dysfunction. Attempts to imitate these figures should serve as a fast and simple screen of parietal lobe dysfunction.

  • clinical examination
  • finger
  • imitation
  • neuropsychology

https://doi.org/10.1136/jnnp.74.4.530

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    Footnotes

    • Competing interests: none declared.

    • ↵† Currently visiting scholar at Harvard University: c/o Harvard University, 33 Kirkland Street, Room 918, William James Hall, Cambridge MA 02138, USA