Keywords
cognitive impairments
muscular dystonia
botulinum therapy
cervical dystonia
Abstract
Introduction. Modern scientific literature frequently reports impairments in cognitive abilities in patients with muscle dystonia. However, there is still no consensus regarding their pharmacological correction. To find a potential solution to this problem, the authors of this study evaluated the effect of botulinum therapy on cognitive changes in patients with muscle dystonia.
The aim of the study was to assess cognitive abilities in patients with muscle dystonia before and after botulinum therapy.
Materials and methods. The study involved 28 patients of both sexes diagnosed with muscle dystonia, who received two injections of botulinum toxin at a 4-month interval. A comparative analysis was conducted of the muscle dystonia severity scores on the TWSTRS scale and cognitive abilities on the MoCA scale, obtained before and after botulinum therapy. Statistical data processing was performed using an application software package with standard algorithms of variation statistics. The Student’s t-test was used for comparing variables. Differences were considered statistically significant at p < 0.010.
Results and discussion. The study revealed a statistically significant positive effect of botulinum therapy on both assessed parameters: the severity of muscle dystonia decreased by an average of nearly 30.0 %, and the patients’ cognitive abilities improved by an average of 14.5 %. The obtained data suggest a direct link between motor and cognitive functions. Thus, the use of botulinum toxin drugs in the therapy of muscle dystonia with concomitant cognitive impairments may be clinically justified and promising.
Conclusions. The potential for using botulinum toxin not only as a muscle relaxant but also for the targeted correction of cognitive impairments in patients with muscle dystonia has been identified. These results open new prospects for the comprehensive rehabilitation of such patients and require further investigation within the framework of long-term follow-up observation.
For citation
Gusev VV, Bogomolova AB. Cognitive impairments and the possibility of their correction in patients with muscular dystonia. USMU Medical Bulletin. 2025;10(4):e00195. (In Russ.). DOI: https://doi.org/10.52420/usmumb.10.4.e00195. EDN: https://elibrary.ru/YRLKDL.
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