title: Non-motor symptoms in patients with adult-onset focal dystonia: Sensory and psychiatric disturbances.
abstract: Dystonia is characterized by the presence of involuntary muscle contractions that cause abnormal movements and posture. Adult onset focal dystonia include cervical dystonia, blepharospasm, arm dystonia and laryngeal dystonia. Besides motor manifestations, patients with focal dystonia frequently also display non-motor signs and symptoms. In this paper, we review the evidence of sensory and psychiatric disturbances in adult patients with focal dystonia. Clinical studies and neurophysiological investigations consistently show that the sensory system is involved in dystonia. Several studies have also demonstrated that neuropsychiatric disorders, particularly depression and anxiety, are more frequent in patients with focal dystonia, whereas data on obsessive compulsive disorders are more contrasting.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology and Psychiatry, Sapienza University of Rome, Italy; IRCSS Neuromed Institute, Pozzilli, IS, Italy.
authors.forename: Antonella
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Conte
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology and Psychiatry, Sapienza University of Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Isabella
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Berardelli
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology and Psychiatry, Sapienza University of Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Gina
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Ferrazzano
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology and Psychiatry, Sapienza University of Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Massimo
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Pasquini
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology and Psychiatry, Sapienza University of Rome, Italy; IRCSS Neuromed Institute, Pozzilli, IS, Italy. Electronic address: Alfredo.berardelli@uniroma1.it.
authors.forename: Alfredo
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Berardelli
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology and Psychiatry, Sapienza University of Rome, Italy; IRCSS Neuromed Institute, Pozzilli, IS, Italy.
authors.forename: Giovanni
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Fabbrini
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001008:Anxiety Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology; D020821:Dystonic Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology*; D006801:Humans; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology*; D009771:Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology; D012678:Sensation Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology*
keywords: Anxiety; Depression; Dystonia; Temporal discrimination threshold