The clinical term for the tiny, cramped style of handwriting that is characteristic of people who have Parkinson’s disease. Micro-graphia, which literally means “tiny writing,” is often one of the earliest symptoms of Parkinson’s, although recognition occurs in retrospect. in the early to middle stages of Parkinson’s, anti-parkinson’s medications relieve micrographia along with other symptoms. Handwriting continues to deteriorate as fine motor skills decline, however. Micrographia can be a simple yet an effective means of monitoring medication effectiveness (including fluctuating phenomenon) and disease progression. Micro-graphia is a symptom of Parkinson’s disease only when it is different from the person’s usual handwriting and becomes progressively smaller and more cramped. Many people have small handwriting, which is not in itself a symptom of Parkinson’s.
Although handwriting changes can reflect damage to specific areas of the brain, such as can occur with stroke, researchers believe micrographia in Parkinson’s disease results from the same disruptions of neuron communication that cause other neuromuscular symptoms such as bradykinesia (slowness of movement). Micrographia can make a person’s signature difficult to read and to confirm, such as for identification purposes. if this becomes a problem, the person with Parkinson’s can provide on-state and off-state signature samples for key verifiers such as banks or for important documents.
