title: Sydenham's chorea is associated with decreased verbal fluency.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Sydenham's chorea (SC) is a disorder associated with rheumatic fever and related to Streptococcus-induced immune reaction cross-reactive with basal ganglia antigens. Obsessive-compulsive disorder and other behavioral abnormalities have been described in SC. There are scarce data of cognitive function in this condition.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To assess verbal fluency in patients with SC.
  
  
  METHODS
  We have compared the semantic (SVF) and phonemic verbal fluency (PVF) of 20 subjects with SC and 40 controls matched by age, gender and years of school.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The scores of the control group on the SVF and PVF tests were 26.3 +/- 5.7 and 18.0 +/- 6.4 whereas the SC patients scored 25.1 +/- 6.9 and 12.5 +/- 8.2. PVF was significantly decreased in the SC group (p < 0.01).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  SC is associated with reduction of PVF. This finding may reflect disruption of the dorsolateral prefrontal-striatal circuit caused by the auto-immune process characteristic of SC.
authors.affiliation: Setor de Neurologia, Hospital das Clínicas, UFMG, Belo Horizonte MG, Brazil.
authors.forename: Mauro César Quintão Silva
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Cunningham
authors.forename: Débora Palma
authors.initials: DP
authors.lastname: Maia
authors.forename: Antonio Lúcio
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Teixeira
authors.forename: Francisco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Cardoso
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D001479:Basal Ganglia / Q000503:physiopathology; D002819:Chorea / Q000150:complications* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010700:Phonetics; D017397:Prefrontal Cortex / Q000503:physiopathology; D012660:Semantics; D013064:Speech Disorders / Q000209:etiology* / Q000503:physiopathology*