Essential tremor (ET) is commonly associated with kinetic tremor. However, other forms of tremor, such as force and postural tremor, may occur in ET with less severity. This study objectively assessed force and postural tremor characteristics in ET with the purpose of identifying the relationships between these tremors. Ten individuals with ET (age 71 ± 5 years) and ten healthy controls (age 70 ± 5 years) participated in the study. Force tremor was quantified as fluctuations in index finger abduction force during isometric contractions at 10 % maximum voluntary contraction (MVC) and 60 % MVC. Postural tremor was quantified as index finger acceleration when the subjects held their entire arm unsupported, and when their arm was supported so that only the index finger could move. Time- and frequency-domain parameters were extracted from tremor data, and then correlations within, and between, tremor subtypes were examined. ET force tremor was dependent on contraction intensity whereas postural tremor was unaffected by the level of limb support. Significant correlations existed between frequency components of postural tremor and force tremor amplitude. Force tremor amplitude normalised to the level of contraction intensity correlated to the proportion of power for postural tremor. These correlations were observed for both contraction intensities and both levels of postural support. The proportion of power represents the output of central oscillators in ET patients and therefore correlated well to force tremor. Given that significant relationships existed between spectral features of postural tremor and the overall force tremor amplitude, it is clear that these tremor modalities are not completely independent in older adults with ET.
Download full-text PDF |
Source |
|---|---|
| http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s12311-015-0732-2 | DOI Listing |
Publication Analysis
Top Keywords
Similar Publications
Tongue tremor suggesting tick-borne encephalitis.
Pract Neurol
January 2025
Clinical Department of Medical, Surgical, and Health Sciences, University of Trieste, Trieste, Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Italy
Protocol for recording physiological signals from the human cerebellum using electroencephalography.
STAR Protoc
January 2025
Department of Neurology, College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University, New York, NY 10032, USA; Initiative for Columbia Ataxia and Tremor, Columbia University, New York, NY 10032, USA. Electronic address:
As Purkinje cells of the cerebellum have a very fast firing rate, techniques with high temporal resolution are required to capture cerebellar physiology. Here, we present a protocol to record physiological signals in humans using cerebellar electroencephalography (cEEG). We describe steps for electrode placement and recording.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFEmerging Deep Brain Stimulation Targets in the Cerebellum for Tremor.
Cerebellum
January 2025
Department of Neurology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
Deep brain stimulation (DBS) for essential tremor is remarkably effective, leading to over 80% reduction in standardized tremor ratings. However, for certain types of tremor, such as those accompanied by ataxia or dystonia, conventional DBS targets have shown poor efficacy. Various rationales for using cerebellar DBS stimulation to treat tremor have been advanced, but the varied approaches leave many questions unanswered: which anatomic target, stimulation settings, and indications seem most promising for this emerging approach.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Christianson syndrome (CS) is an x-linked recessive neurodevelopmental and neurodegenerative condition characterized by severe intellectual disability, cerebellar degeneration, ataxia, and epilepsy. Mutations to the gene encoding NHE6 are responsible for CS, and we recently demonstrated that a mutation to the rat gene causes a similar phenotype in the spontaneous rat model, which exhibits cerebellar degeneration with motor dysfunction. In previous work, we used the PhP.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFOcular Telangiectasia and Cerebellar Atrophy in Ataxia-Telangiectasia (Louis-Bar Syndrome).
Tremor Other Hyperkinet Mov (N Y)
January 2025
Department of Neurology, Medical University of Graz, Graz, Austria.
Background: Ataxia-telangiectasia (Louis-Bar syndrome) is a rare genetic disorder characterized by progressive ataxia, ocular telangiectasias, immunodeficiency and increased cancer risk due to impaired DNA repair.
Phenomenology Shown: Thorough clinical and subsequently radiological examination in a 19-year-old woman with a history of previously undiagnosed, progressive gait ataxia since early childhood, diffuse large B-cell lymphoma and severe combined immunodeficiency revealed the eponymous features of the disease, ocular telangiectasias and cerebellar atrophy, enabling targeted genetic testing.
Educational Value: Ocular telangiectasias represent an important clue for a diagnosis of ataxia-telangiectasia in young patients with progressive ataxia, implicating awareness of increased malignancy risk and treatment of immunodeficiency.
Want AI Summaries of new PubMed Abstracts delivered to your In-box?
Enter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!