The present application provides a method for diagnosing a neurodegenerative disease in a subject at risk of having said neurodegenerative disease, said method comprising the steps of a) having said subject at risk of having said neurodegenerative disease perform a series of fast, brief and powerful movements that recruit fast-fatigable motoneurons (ballistic movements), and b) comparing the performance in step a) of said subject at risk of having said neurodegenerative disease with a standard value obtained by assessing the performance of a normal population for the same series of fast, brief and powerful movements that recruit fast-fatigable motoneurons, wherein a significant deviation of performance by said subject at risk of having said neurodegenerative disease is indicative of the onset of said neurodegenerative disease.
