Research was carried out on motor function in man in relation to aging and disease. With the use of a patient activity monitor worn on the non-dominant wrist in 14 healthy men for a period of 10 days, it was demonstrated that average wrist motor activity was lower in older individuals, primarily as a result of low activity during daytime hours. Sleep duration could be estimated from the analysis, and was not correlated with age. A quantitative neurological examination was standardized in healthy men between 20 and 80 years of age, and established curves for age related declines in coordination, speed and accuracy of movement. A dementia clinic was established to evaluate dementia patients for in-patient and out-patient protocols. At present, 225 patients have been screened, 32 of which have been diagnosed as having dementia of the Alzheimer type. The subjects were studied with positron emission tomography (PET). In patients with DAT, studies of central auditory function using the staggered spondaic word (SSW) test indicated that a unilateral deficit was associated with temporal lobe atrophy on the contralateral cerebral hemisphere, as measured with CT scans, but not with asymmetry of cerebral glucose utilization.
