title: Associations Between Fine Motor Performance in Activities of Daily Living and Cognitive Ability in a Nondemented Sample of Older Adults: Implications for Geriatric Physical Rehabilitation.
abstract: Fine motor ability (FMA) is essential in certain activities of daily living (ADL) and is considered mostly as a component of physical function. We hypothesize that cognitive ability explains significant variance in ADL-related FMA, above and beyond what is explained by physical ability (grip strength).
  
  
  
  Origins of Variance in the Old Old Study (OCTO)-Twin participants ( n = 218), aged 80+ (dementia, stroke, Parkinson's disease excluded) were assessed on depressive symptoms (Center for Epidemiologic Studies-Depression Scale [CES-D]), a cognitive battery, grip strength, and FMA.
  
  
  
  In a series of ordinary least squares regression models, FMA was not associated with gender or depressive symptoms, but was associated with age (marginally; β = -.164, p = .051), grip strength (β = -.381, p < .01), and one cognitive measure, perceptual speed (β = -.249, p < .01).
  
  
  
  In nondemented older adults, cognitive speed predicts ADL-related FMA after controlling for age and physical ability. Physical rehabilitation of FMA in ADL tasks should consider the importance of cognitive ability, even in nondemented older adults.
authors.affiliation: 1 Utah State University, Logan, Logan, UT, USA.
authors.forename: Elizabeth B
authors.initials: EB
authors.lastname: Fauth
authors.affiliation: 1 Utah State University, Logan, Logan, UT, USA.
authors.forename: Sydney Y
authors.initials: SY
authors.lastname: Schaefer
authors.affiliation: 2 Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA.
authors.forename: Steven H
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Zarit
authors.affiliation: 3 Jönköping University, Sweden.
authors.forename: Marie
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ernsth-Bravell
authors.affiliation: 4 University of Gothenburg, Sweden.
authors.forename: Boo
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Johansson
mesh_terms: D000203:Activities of Daily Living / Q000523:psychology; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D003071:Cognition; D003863:Depression / Q000503:physiopathology; D005260:Female; D015577:Geriatric Assessment / Q000379:methods; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010300:Parkinson Disease; D000076604:Physical Functional Performance; D012042:Registries; D012046:Rehabilitation; D013548:Sweden
keywords: cognitive ability; disablement; fine motor ability; functional ability; grip strength