Personality traits associated with blepharospasm: A comparison with healthy subjects, patients with facial hemispasm and patients with hyperhidrosis

• Published in: Journal of clinical neuroscience Vol. 74; pp. 130 - 134
• Main Authors: Santangelo, Gabriella, D'Iorio, Alfonsina, Peluso, Silvio, Mautone, Giusi, Vitale, Carmine, Manganelli, Fiore, Ruggiero, Lucia, Esposito, Marcello
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Scotland Elsevier Ltd 01.04.2020
• Subjects: Blepharospasm; Dystonia; Non-motor symptoms; Personality; Non-motor symptoms; Personality; Dystonia; Blepharospasm
• ISSN: 0967-5868; 1532-2653; 1532-2653
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jocn.2020.02.018

•Blepharospasm (BSP) is characterized by non-motor manifestations.•Depression and obsessive–compulsive symptoms (OCS) typically occur in BSP.•High level of Persistence (PS) is a distinctive trait of BSP patients.•High PS and OCS might represent harbingers of psychopathological disorders in BSP. The aim of this study is to explore the existence of specific personality traits related to patients with blepharospasm (BSP), treated with injections of botulinum neurotoxin (BTX). Sixteen patients with BSP, 22 with facial hemispasm (HFS), 20 with essential hyperhidrosis (EH) and 20 healthy controls (HCs) completed the Temperament and Character Inventory-Revised to explore personality traits based on Cloninger's Psychobiological Model. The results revealed that the four groups differed on the Harm Avoidance (HA) scale and fear of uncertainty subscale, as well as on Persistence (PS). On HA, BSP group did not differ from HCs, but had higher scores than HFS and EH groups. On PS scales, BSP and HFS patients did not differ between them but showed higher score than HCs and EH patients. Our findings suggested that a high level of Harm Avoidance and Persistence seem to be associated with BSP, when compared with any disorders treated with BTX. An evaluation of the personality traits might help the clinicians to early identify BSP patients at greater risk of developing psychopathological disturbances.