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Visuomotor performance in patients with essential tremor.
M Schwartz1, S Badarny, S Gofman
1Department of Neurology, Bnai Zion Medical Center, Haifa, Israel.
Movement Disorders : Official Journal of the Movement Disorder Society
|December 10, 1999
Summary
Essential tremor (ET) diagnosis is complex. Most ET patients show normal visuomotor skills, but some have significant impairments, potentially indicating preclinical parkinsonism.
Area of Science:
- Neurology
- Movement Disorders
Background:
- Essential tremor (ET) is the most common extrapyramidal disorder, but its diagnosis remains challenging.
- Current diagnostic criteria for ET may not fully capture the spectrum of the condition.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate visuomotor performance in patients with essential tremor.
- To differentiate between subtypes of essential tremor based on visuomotor capabilities.
- To explore potential links between complex essential tremor and early parkinsonism.
Main Methods:
- Twenty-three patients with essential tremor (ET) and 25 healthy controls were studied.
- Visuomotor tests assessed tracking and tracing abilities using various metrics (speed, error, duration, interruptions).
- Patients with parkinsonism or other neurological conditions were excluded.
Main Results:
- 15 out of 23 ET patients (ETs) showed normal visuomotor performance, similar to controls.
- Eight ET patients (ETc) exhibited significant visuomotor impairments (e.g., slower speed, more errors, interruptions).
- ETc patients demonstrated marked deficits compared to ETs patients and controls.
Conclusions:
- Essential tremor may present with distinct subtypes: simple (ETs) with normal visuomotor function and complex (ETc) with significant impairments.
- The visuomotor deficits in ETc raise the possibility of preclinical parkinsonism.
- Further longitudinal studies are needed to confirm the link between ETc and parkinsonism.