Load dependence of simulated central tremor
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Updated: Oct 22, 2026

Simulation of Human-induced Vibrations Based on the Characterized In-field Pedestrian Behavior
Published on: April 13, 2016
1Department of Physiology, German Sport University, Cologne, Germany. wenderoth@hrz.dshs-koeln.de
Abstract:
Previous studies have argued that tremors of central versus peripheral origin can be distinguished based on their load dependence: the frequency of peripheral tremor decreases when a weight is added to the tremulous limb, while the frequency of central tremors remains unchanged. The present study scrutinizes the latter statement. We simulated central tremor using a simple network of coupled neural oscillators, which receives proprioceptive feedback from the motor periphery. The network produced a self-sustained, stable oscillation. When the gain of proprioceptive feedback was high, oscillation frequency decreased in the presence of an inertial load. When the gain was low, the oscillation frequency was load independent. We conclude that load dependence is not an exclusive property of peripheral tremors but may be found in tremors of central origin as well. Therefore, the load test is not sufficient to reject a central tremor origin.
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