Patients with Cervical Dystonia Demonstrated Decreased Cognitive Abilities and Visual Planning Compared to Controls.

Abstract

Cervical dystonia (CD) involves clinical and motor manifestations, and visual and cognitive dysfunctions may also be frequent. To evaluate functional vision, visual attention, and cognitive aspects in patients with CD compared with a control group. Fifty patients with CD were assessed using the Useful Field of View Test (UFOV), the Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE), and the Trail Making Tests (TMT-A and TMT-B), and compared with an identical number of health controls matched by sex, age, and educational level. No differences were seen between the groups in terms of MMSE score (P= 0.481), but the CD patient group had poorer scores for the TMA-A (P= 0.004) and TMT-B (P= 0.004). For the UFOV subtests, a decrease was found for visual processing speed (P< 0.001), divided attention (P< 0.001), and selective attention (P= 0.001), as well as higher frequency in the categories with higher risk index in the UFOV test (P< 0.001). Patients with CD may exhibit decreased functional vision and visual attention, as well as higher risk in performing complex activities.