title: Standardization of the face-hand test in a Brazilian multicultural population: prevalence of sensory extinction and implications for neurological diagnosis.
abstract: The face-hand test is a simple, practical, and rapid test to detect neurological syndromes. However, it has not previously been assessed in a Brazilian sample; therefore, the objective of the present study was to standardize the face-hand test for use in the multi-cultural population of Brazil and identify the sociodemographic factors affecting the results.
  This was a cross sectional study of 150 individuals. The sociodemographic variables that were collected included age, gender, race, body mass index and years of education. Standardization of the face-hand test occurred in 2 rounds of 10 sensory stimuli, with the participant seated to support the trunk and their vision obstructed in a sound-controlled environment. The face-hand test was conducted by applying 2 rounds of 10 sensory stimuli that were applied to the face and hand simultaneously. The associations between the face-hand test and sociodemographic variables were analyzed using Mann-Whitney tests and Spearman correlations. Binomial models were adjusted for the number of face-hand test variations, and ROC curves evaluated sensitivity and specificity of sensory extinction.
  There was no significant relationship between the sociodemographic variables and the number of stimuli perceived for the face-hand test. There was a high relative frequency of detection, 8 out of 10 stimuli, in this population. Sensory extinction was 25.3%, which increased with increasing age (OR=1.4[1:01-1:07]; p=0.006) and decreased significantly with increasing education (OR=0.82[0.71-0.94]; p=0.005).
  In the Brazilian population, a normal face-hand test score ranges between 8-10 stimuli, and the results indicate that sensory extinction is associated with increased age and lower levels of education.
authors.affiliation: Universidade Estadual Paulista - UNESP, Faculdade de Medicina de Botucatu, Neuro reabilitação, Botucatu/SP, Brazil.
authors.forename: Gustavo José
authors.initials: GJ
authors.lastname: Luvizutto
authors.affiliation: Universidade Estadual Paulista - UNESP, Faculdade de Medicina de Botucatu, Estudante de Medicina, Botucatu/SP, Brazil.
authors.forename: Marcelo Ortolani
authors.initials: MO
authors.lastname: Fogaroli
authors.affiliation: Universidade Estadual Paulista - UNESP, Faculdade de Medicina de Botucatu, Estudante de Medicina, Botucatu/SP, Brazil.
authors.forename: Rodolfo Mazeto
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Theotonio
authors.affiliation: Universidade Estadual Paulista - UNESP, Faculdade de Medicina de Botucatu, Departamento de Saúde Pública, Botucatu/SP, Brazil.
authors.forename: Hélio Rubens de Carvalho
authors.initials: HR
authors.lastname: Nunes
authors.affiliation: Universidade Estadual Paulista - UNESP, Faculdade de Medicina de Botucatu, Departamento Neurologia, Psicologia e Psiquiatria, Botucatu/SP, Brazil.
authors.forename: Luiz Antônio de Lima
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Resende
authors.affiliation: Universidade Estadual Paulista - UNESP, Faculdade de Medicina de Botucatu, Departamento Neurologia, Psicologia e Psiquiatria, Botucatu/SP, Brazil.
authors.forename: Rodrigo
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Bazan
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001938:Brazil / Q000208:ethnology; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003466:Cultural Characteristics; D004522:Educational Status; D005108:Extinction, Psychological / Q000502:physiology*; D005145:Face / Q000502:physiology; D005260:Female; D006225:Hand / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests / Q000592:standards*; D010468:Perceptual Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000208:ethnology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D010812:Physical Stimulation; D012015:Reference Standards; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D012737:Sex Factors; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D055698:Touch Perception / Q000502:physiology; D055815:Young Adult