Nonmotor Symptoms in Dystonia

Abstract

With the emergence of quality of life measures as an indicator for the impact of medical and surgical interventions in dystonia, focus has shifted toward unraveling the pathophysiology and neuroanatomical basis of the "nonmotor symptoms" (NMS). To date, the NMS are now recognized as the greater determinant of quality of life in dystonia, going above and beyond the motor symptomatology. This chapter highlights what is currently known in available literature on the NMS among patients with early-onset dystonia, adult-onset focal dystonia, and dystonia-plus syndromes with particular focus on the NMS involving cognition, mood, behavior (even suicide), sleep, and pain.

Keywords: Anxiety; Cognition; Depression; Dystonia; Nonmotor symptoms; Pain.