title: Patients with essential tremor can have manual dexterity and attention deficits with no impairments in other cognitive functions.
abstract: Essential tremor (ET) was long believed to be a monosymptomatic disorder. However, studies have evidenced structural changes and attention is now being focused on non-motor symptoms. The objective of the study is to describe and compare ET patients with control groups according to their cognitive functions, and secondarily, to compare their sociodemographic characteristics and other clinical features. All participants were assessed using the Fahn-Tolosa-Marin Tremor Rating Scale for the severity of tremor; a neuropsychological assessment battery and a screening questionnaire for mood and anxiety symptoms. There were no significant age and gender differences between all groups. As for neuropsychological assessment results, a significant difference was found only in the Pegboard test. We also found a significant negative correlation between a poorer cognitive test results and disease severity and a significant differences regarding depression or anxiety symptoms in patients with ET. The study results suggest that patients with ET have impaired manual dexterity and attention.
authors.affiliation: Unidade de Distúrbios do Movimento, Departamento de Neurologia e Neurocirurgia, Universidade Federal de São Paulo, Sao Paulo, SP, Brazil.
authors.forename: Leonardo Mariano Inácio
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: Medeiros
authors.affiliation: Unidade de Distúrbios do Movimento, Departamento de Neurologia e Neurocirurgia, Universidade Federal de São Paulo, Sao Paulo, SP, Brazil.
authors.forename: Pollyanna Celso Felipe
authors.initials: PC
authors.lastname: de Castro
authors.affiliation: Unidade de Distúrbios do Movimento, Departamento de Neurologia e Neurocirurgia, Universidade Federal de São Paulo, Sao Paulo, SP, Brazil.
authors.forename: André C
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Felício
authors.affiliation: Unidade de Distúrbios do Movimento, Departamento de Neurologia e Neurocirurgia, Universidade Federal de São Paulo, Sao Paulo, SP, Brazil.
authors.forename: Bárbara Bernardo
authors.initials: BB
authors.lastname: Queiros
authors.affiliation: Unidade de Distúrbios do Movimento, Departamento de Neurologia e Neurocirurgia, Universidade Federal de São Paulo, Sao Paulo, SP, Brazil.
authors.forename: Sonia Maria Cesar Azevedo
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Silva
authors.affiliation: Unidade de Distúrbios do Movimento, Departamento de Neurologia e Neurocirurgia, Universidade Federal de São Paulo, Sao Paulo, SP, Brazil.
authors.forename: Henrique Ballalai
authors.initials: HB
authors.lastname: Ferraz
authors.affiliation: Unidade de Distúrbios do Movimento, Departamento de Neurologia e Neurocirurgia, Universidade Federal de São Paulo, Sao Paulo, SP, Brazil.
authors.forename: Paulo Henrique Ferreira
authors.initials: PH
authors.lastname: Bertolucci
authors.affiliation: Unidade de Distúrbios do Movimento, Departamento de Neurologia e Neurocirurgia, Universidade Federal de São Paulo, Sao Paulo, SP, Brazil.
authors.forename: Vanderci
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Borges
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D001007:Anxiety / Q000209:etiology*; D001289:Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity / Q000209:etiology*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000209:etiology*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003863:Depression / Q000209:etiology*; D020329:Essential Tremor / Q000150:complications* / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors