title: Psychiatric disorders in primary focal dystonia and in Parkinson's disease.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Primary focal dystonia and Parkinson's disease are movement disorders that have contrasting motor phenotypes. The aim of this study was to compare the frequency and the severity of psychiatric disorders in primary focal dystonia and Parkinson's disease.
  
  
  METHODS
  Two groups of 30 patients matched by gender and age underwent a neurological and psychiatric assessment.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Parkinson's disease patients were diagnosed with higher rates of major depression (P = 0.02) and generalized anxiety disorder (P = 0.02), and greater severity of depressive symptoms (P = 0.04), while patients with primary focal dystonia exhibited increased severity of obsessive-compulsive symptoms (P = 0.02).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The difference in pathophysiology of primary focal dystonia and Parkinson's disease may explain the different psychiatric profiles of these two diseases. The increased frequency of affective symptoms in Parkinson's disease may be related to the fact that Parkinson's disease is a neurodegenerative disease marked by the loss of monoaminergic neurons which does not happen in primary focal dystonia.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The psychiatric profile differs in movement disorders with distinct neurobiological bases.
authors.affiliation: Neuropsychiatric Branch.
authors.forename: Fernando Mv
authors.initials: FM
authors.lastname: Dias
authors.forename: Arthur
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kummer
authors.forename: Flávia Cp
authors.initials: FC
authors.lastname: Doyle
authors.forename: Estefânia
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Harsányi
authors.forename: Francisco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Cardoso
authors.forename: Leonardo F
authors.initials: LF
authors.lastname: Fontenelle
authors.forename: Antônio Lúcio
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Teixeira