Patients with PD present with cognitive impairment even when nondemented. Depression may exacerbate executive dysfunction, especially in subjects with lower educational level.

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The instrument can be used in the clinical evaluation of children with autism and developmental language disorder. However, further studies are needed to assess the reliability and validity of the instrument in Brazil.

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Sydenham's chorea (SC) is the neurologic manifestation of rheumatic fever. In addition to involuntary movements, SC patients show behavioral changes, such as hyperactivity, obsessions, and compulsions. Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) is related to neuronal development and differentiation. Since BDNF serum levels are altered in a series of neuropsychiatric disorders, such as schizophrenia and Huntington's disease, we investigated the serum levels of BDNF in SC patients. Eighteen patients with acute SC, 4 with persistent SC and 27 control subjects were included in this study. BDNF was determined by ELISA. There was no significant difference between BDNF serum levels of control and acute SC groups (P = 0.12). Persistent SC patients presented decreased BDNF levels when compared to both control and acute SC groups (P < 0.001). Our results suggest that the persistence of symptoms in SC may be related to structural changes in the central nervous system as expressed by altered BDNF levels.

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).Discussion: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.Conclusion:The psychiatric profile differs in movement disorders with distinct neurobiological bases.

Social anxiety disorder is characterized by overwhelming anxiety in everyday situations which are frequently avoided due to a fear of being watched and scrutinized by others or acting in an embarrassing way. Flashbacks are typical symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder, and their main features are intrusive and vivid images that occur in a waking state. We present a case study of a man diagnosed with social anxiety disorder who had reexperiencing symptoms similar to flashbacks of what he considered “shameful situations”. The differential aspects between flashbacks and obsessional imagery are discussed. Reexperiencing symptoms and imagery of social phobia as well as the sociocultural influence over the symptomatology of psychiatric disorders are then highlighted.

The Assessment of Motor Coordination andDexterity -ACOORDEM is a standardized motor assessment for Brazilian children aged 4-8 years. This study aimed to investigate the validity and reliability of the test for 4-yearold children. Eighty children of 4 years old, divided into equal groups by sex and school type (public or private), were evaluated. Parents and teachers also answered the questionnaires. The retest was applied to 10 participants. Few items showed a statistically significant difference associated with sex and school type. The test-retest reliability presented good indexes. ACOORDEM is suitable for the motor assessment of 4-year-old children; however, some items need to be revised or discarded to improve the instrument reliability and reduce the administration time.