Table 1.
Comparison of demographic, clinical, and cognitive domains of essential tremor patients versus healthy controls
| patients (N = 23) | Healthy controls (N = 23) | p value | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Age in years | 63.3 (68.0) ± 13.4 | 61.1 (62.0) ± 13.1 | .409a |
| Sex (female) | 12 (52.2%) | 13 (56.5%) | .767 |
| Educational level | .162 | ||
| Can read and write | 8 (34.8%) | 4 (17.4%) | |
| Primary studies | 8 (34.8%) | 5 (21.7%) | |
| Secondary studies | 5 (21.7%) | 7 (30.4%) | |
| University studies | 2 (8.7%) | 7 (30.4%) | |
| Dominant hand | .368 | ||
| Right handedness | 22 (50%) | 22 (50%) | |
| Left handedness | 1 (100%) | 0 (0%) | |
| Mixed handedness | 0 (0%) | 1 (100%) | |
| Tremor duration, years | 22.9 (20.0) ± 16.5 | – | |
| Fahn–Tolosa–Marin tremor rating scale score | 30.3 (30.5) ± 15.3 | – | |
| Cognitive domains | |||
| Attention | |||
| Direct Digit Span test from the WAIS‐III | 5.6 (5.0) ± 1.4 | 5.9 (6.0) ± 1.3 | .425a |
| WAIS‐III Digit Symbol—Coding subtest | 33.0 (27.0) ± 17.4 | 53.3 (50.0) ± 19.4 | .010b |
| Executive functions | |||
| Stroop Color–Word Trial | 26.4 (27.5) ± 13.3 | 33.4 (38.0) ± 12.1 | .070b |
| Frontal Assessment Battery | 15.4 (16.0) ± 2.9 | 16.8 (17.0) ± 1.0 | .040a |
| WAIS‐III Similarities subtest | 16.2 (16.0) ± 6.3 | 18.2 (18.0) ± 5.6 | .264b |
| Indirect Digit Span test from the WAIS‐III | 3.8 (4.0) ± 1.2 | 4.3 (4.0) ± 1.1 | .094a |
| Visuospatial and visual functions | |||
| Brief Visuospatial Memory Test‐Revised | |||
| Learning total | 23.0 (22.0) ± 9.6 | 27.6 (28.0) ± 6.7 | .080b |
| Delayed free recall trial | 8.5 (10.5) ± 3.6 | 10.1 (11.0) ± 2.4 | .181a |
| Hooper Visual Organization Test | 35.8 (36.0) ± 9.4 | 40.9 (39.0) ± 8.7 | .060b |
| Recognition | |||
| Recognition trial (BVMT‐R) | 11.4 (12.0) ± 0.9 | 11.8 (12.0) ± 0.5 | .114a |
| Recognition (WMS‐III) | 21.7 (22.0) ± 2.1 | 22.3 (22.0) ± 1.4 | .395a |
| Verbal memory | |||
| WMS‐III Word List | |||
| Learning list | 28.3 (28.0) ± 5.6 | 29.0 (28.0) ± 6.4 | .698b |
| Immediate recall | 6.3 (6.0) ± 2.4 | 6.9 (7.0) ± 2.3 | .386b |
| Delayed recall | 5.5 (6.0) ± 2.6 | 6.8 ± (7.0) 2.3 | .080b |
| Language | |||
| Boston Naming Test | 44.7 (44.0) ± 11.7 | 52.6 (53.0) ± 5.2 | .006b |
| Total number of animals as possible in 1 min | 18.7 (17.0) ± 8.4 | 21.5 (21.0) ± 6.8 | .090a |
| Controlled Oral Word Association Test | 26.8 (28.0) ± 13.6 | 37.0 (39.0) ± 13.1 | .010b |
| Depressive symptoms | |||
| 17‐Item Hamilton Depression Rating Scale total score | 6.8 (7.0) ± 5.0 | 5.8 (5.0) ± 5.0 | .541b |
Note. Mean (median) ± SD and frequency (%) are reported.
Abbreviations: ET, essential tremor; WAIS‐III, Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale‐Third Edition; WMS‐III, Wechsler Memory Scale‐Third Edition.
a
Mann–Whitney U test.
b
Student's t test were used for comparisons of continuous data, and chi‐square test for proportions.