We intended to evaluate whether non-demented Parkinsons’s disease (PD) patients, with or without subjective cognitive complaint, demonstrate differences between them and in comparison to controls concerning cognitive performance and mood. We evaluated 77 subjects between 30 and 70 years, divided as follows: PD without cognitive complaints (n = 31), PD with cognitive complaints (n = 21) and controls (n = 25). We applied the following tests: SCOPA-Cog, Trail Making Test-B, Phonemic Fluency, Clock Drawing Test, Boston Naming Test, Neuropsychiatric Inventory, Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) and Beck Depression Inventory. PD without complaints presented lower total score on Scales for outcome of Parkinson’s disease-cognition as compared to controls (p = 0.048). PD with complaints group showed higher scores on HADS (p = 0.011). PD without complaints group showed poorer cognitive performance compared to controls, but was similar to the PD with complaints group. Moreover, this group was different from the PD without complaints and control groups concerning mood.

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.

Objetivo. Comparar os aspectos clínicos e funcionais dos pacientes com Doença de Parkinson (DP) com e sem camptocormia e Síndro­me de Pisa. Método. Trata-se de estudo transversal constituído de 16 pacientes com DP, Hoehn & Yahr entre 1 e 4, os quais foram divididos em grupo com alterações posturais (GAP) e grupo controle (GC). Foram avaliadas as variáveis epidemiológicas e clínicas por meio de Questionário, parte III da Unified Parkinson’s Disease Rating Sca­le (UPDRS-III), Escala de Schwab & England e Dynamic Gait Index (DGI). Resultados. O tempo de diagnóstico da DP foi menor no GC em comparação ao GAP (GAP 13,75±3 anos; GC: 5,67±2 anos; p=0,0001). GAP obteve maior pontuação no item postura (p=0,029) e bradicinesia (p=0,050) da UPDRS e no item “Marcha em Superfície Plana” do DGI (p=0,028), além de maior incidência de queda. Não houve diferença na pontuação da Escala de Schwab & England entre os grupos. Ambos os grupos apresentaram pontuação média no DGI inferior a 19 (GAP= 15,00±6; GC= 19,33±2) indicando maior risco de queda. Conclusão. GAP apresenta maior prejuízo motor e his­tórico de queda, porém são funcionalmente independentes ou semi­-independentes. Todos os pacientes com DP mostraram instabilidade postural dinâmica e maior risco de quedas.