Head tremor and pain in cervical dystonia.

Background: Although head tremor (HT) and pain are prevalent in cervical dystonia (CD), their joint relationship to phenotypic features of focal dystonia remains unclear.

Objectives: We examined how severity of HT and pain are associated with age of CD onset and duration, and whether HT subtypes ("jerky" or "regular") exhibit distinct relationships between severity of HT and pain.

Methods: The severity of HT and pain were assessed with the Toronto Western Spasmodic Torticollis Rating Scale in retrospective review of 188 CD patients recruited through the Dystonia Coalition.

Postural Directionality and Head Tremor in Cervical Dystonia.

Background: Although abnormal head and neck postures are defining features of cervical dystonia (CD), head tremor (HT) is also common. However, little is known about the relationship between abnormal postures and HT in CD.

Methods: We analyzed clinical data and video recordings from 185 patients enrolled by the Dystonia Coalition.

Sensory Tricks Are Associated with Higher Sleep-Related Quality of Life in Cervical Dystonia.

Background: Sensory tricks are compensatory gestures that cervical dystonia (CD) patients use to reduce abnormal neck posture and movements. Although sensory tricks are common in CD, little is known about whether trick efficacy changes over time or has effect on quality of life.

Methods: We analyzed clinical data and video recordings from 188 patients with isolated CD.

Rohling's Interpretive Method and inherent limitations on the flexibility of "flexible batteries".

Miller and Rohling (2001) proposed a 24-step algorithm, the Rohling Interpretive Method (RIM), for quantitative interpretation of results from flexible neuropsychological test batteries. We believe that the RIM as presented in that paper has several conceptual problems, including (a) a failure to distinguish "statistically significant" from pathological differences, (b) an assumption that declines in specific abilities can be inferred when a particular test score deviates from an estimate of general premorbid ability, and (c) confusion between the standard deviation associated with individual test scores versus that of a composite of those scores. As an alternative, we suggest the value of developing and using co-normed comprehensive neuropsychological test batteries from which test users might select subsets of tests.

Is home visiting an effective strategy? A meta-analytic review of home visiting programs for families with young children.

Home visiting programs for families with young children have been in effect for many years; however, this is the first comprehensive meta-analytic effort to quantify the usefulness of home visits as a strategy for helping families across a range of outcomes. Sixty home visiting programs contributed data to analysis within 5 child and 5 parent outcome groups. Standardized effect sizes were computed for each end-of-treatment outcome measure, for each treatment versus control contrast.