Pre-motor and motor activities in early handwriting

Abstract

Behavioural studies make use of handwritten letters’ characteristics like strokes, roundedness, etcetera. In consequence, Fisher et al. (2010) studying brain activation during rejected love, noticed typical pre-motor activity patterns, as suggested by irregular writing patterns as well, due to basal ganglia dysfunction (Mergl et al., 2004). A short historical text written in a presumably depressed mood was checked on such characteristics in the light of hypothesised finger-, and hand movements possibly related to pre-motor activities in e.g. unrequited love. Down-strokes in particular require coordination of extrinsic, but especially intrinsic hand- and finger- muscles. Rounded forms ask for well-coordinated interphalangeal joint motion. We conclude that no basal ganglia dysfunction was present.