Executive functioning in patients with blepharospasm in comparison with patients with hemifacial spasm

Non-motor symptoms have been described in primary dystonia, but the results on cognitive impairment in this condition are discordant. Blepharospasm (BM) is a type of primary focal dystonia characterized by recurrent and involuntary eye blinking. Hemifacial spasm (HS), a condition with different path...

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Published in:Arquivos de neuro-psiquiatria 2009-03, Vol.67 (1), p.12-15
Main Authors: Dias, Fernando Machado Vilhena, Doyle, Flávia C P, Kummer, Arthur, Cardoso, Francisco, Caramelli, Paulo, Teixeira, Antônio Lúcio
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Blepharospasm - physiopathology
Blepharospasm - psychology
Dementia - physiopathology
Dystonia - physiopathology
Dystonia - psychology
Executive Function
Female
Frontal Lobe - physiopathology
Hemifacial Spasm - physiopathology
Hemifacial Spasm - psychology
Humans
Male
Middle Aged
Neuropsychological Tests
NEUROSCIENCES
PSYCHIATRY
Statistics, Nonparametric
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Summary:Non-motor symptoms have been described in primary dystonia, but the results on cognitive impairment in this condition are discordant. Blepharospasm (BM) is a type of primary focal dystonia characterized by recurrent and involuntary eye blinking. Hemifacial spasm (HS), a condition with different pathophysiology, constitutes an adequate control group when investigating non-motor disturbances in BM. To compare the performance of patients with BM and HS in the Frontal Assessment Battery (FAB). Twenty-two patients with BM and 29 patients with HS were submitted to the FAB and the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE). FAB scores were compared between the two groups. Correlations between FAB and sociodemographic and clinical variables were calculated. BM group was not different from HS in relation to gender, age, length of symptoms, educational level and performance in the MMSE. FAB scores were also similar in both groups. FAB scores correlated negatively with age and positively with educational level and MMSE scores. Executive functioning as assessed by FAB is not altered in BM in comparison with HS.
ISSN:0004-282X
1678-4227
1678-4227
0004-282X
DOI:10.1590/S0004-282X2009000100004