Graphomotor Perseveration and Wandering in Alzheimer's Disease

Perseveration, spatial orientation, and attention/concentration were assessed in 15 patients with a probable diagnosis of senile dementia of the Alzheimer's type. Subjects were divided into two groups, wanderers and nonwanderers, based on caregiver ratings using a modified version of the Caregiver Checklist. Graphic productions of wanderers on the Bender Visual Motor Gestalt Test and Clock Drawing Test displayed greater total perseveration and more recurrent and continuous perseverations than those of nonwanderers. Spatial orientation and attention/concentration were similar between groups. These preliminary results suggest that graphomotor perseverations exhibited during the mild to moderate stages may serve as a marker for wandering in Alzheimer's disease.