-Background: Non-motor symptoms have been described in primary dystonia, but the results on cognitive impairment in this condition are discordant. Blepharospasm (BM) is a type of primary focal dystonia characterized by recurrent and involuntary eye blinking. Hemifacial spasm (HS), a condition with different pathophysiology, constitutes an adequate control group when investigating non-motor disturbances in BM. Objective: To compare the performance of patients with BM and HS in the Frontal Assessment Battery (FAB). Method: Twenty-two patients with BM and 29 patients with HS were submitted to the FAB and the MiniMental State Examination (MMSE). FAB scores were compared between the two groups. Correlations between FAB and sociodemographic and clinical variables were calculated. Results: BM group was not different from HS in relation to gender, age, length of symptoms, educational level and performance in the MMSE. FAB scores were also similar in both groups. FAB scores correlated negatively with age and positively with educational level and MMSE scores. Conclusion: Executive functioning as assessed by FAB is not altered in BM in comparison with HS.KEy wordS: dystonia, blefarospam, hemifacial spasm, executive function. funções executivas em pacientes com blefaroespasmo em comparação a pacientes com espasmo hemifacialResumo -Introdução: Alterações não-motoras são descritas na distonia primária, embora sejam conflitantes os resultados sobre prejuízo cognitivo nessa condição. Blefaroespasmo (BE) é um tipo de distonia primária focal caracterizada por contrações recorrentes e involuntárias das pálpebras. Espasmo hemifacial (EH), cuja fisiopatologia é distinta do BE, constitui bom grupo controle quando se investiga alterações não-motoras no BE. Objetivo: Comparar o desempenho de pacientes com BE e com EH na Bateria de Avaliação Frontal (BAF). Método: BAF e Mini-Exame do Estado Mental (MEEM) foram administrados a 22 pacientes com BE e 29 com EH. os escores da BAF foram comparados entre os dois grupos. Correlações entre resultados na BAF e variáveis sócio-demográficas e clínicas foram calculadas. Resultados: os grupos BE e EH foram semelhantes quanto a gênero, idade, duração dos sintomas, escolaridade e desempenho no MEEM. os escores dos dois grupos na BAF foram também similares, correlacionando-se negativamente com idade e positivamente com escolaridade e desempenho no MEEM. Conclusão: As funções executivas avaliadas pela BAF não estão alteradas no BE em relação ao EH.PAlAvrAS-CHAvE: distonia, blefaroespasmo, espasmo hemifacial, função executiva.

BS does not seem to have more psychiatric disorders than HS.

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.