Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 25, 2026

Histological Examination of Mitochondrial Morphology in a Parkinson's Disease Model
Published on: June 23, 2023
Morphological differences in Parkinson's disease with and without rest tremor
David H Benninger1, Sebastian Thees, Spyros S Kollias
1Human Motor Control Section, Medical Neurology Branch, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, National Institutes of Health, Building 10 Room 5N240 (MSC1428), Center Drive, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA. benningerd@ninds.nih.gov
Parkinson's disease rest tremor is linked to reduced grey matter volume in specific cerebellar regions. This finding implicates the cerebellum and its connections in the development of parkinsonian tremor.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Neurology
- Radiology
Background:
- Rest tremor is a key symptom of Parkinson's disease (PD), but its underlying causes are not fully understood.
- Dopamine deficiency in the nigro-striatal pathway is linked to bradykinesia, not tremor.
- Cerebellar and cerebello-thalamo-cortical circuit involvement in rest tremor has been proposed.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate structural differences in grey matter volume between Parkinson's disease patients with and without rest tremor.
- To identify specific brain regions associated with the presence of rest tremor in Parkinson's disease.
Main Methods:
- Voxel-based morphometry (VBM) analysis of high-resolution 3 Tesla T1-weighted MRI scans.
- Comparison of local grey matter volume in 24 mild to moderate Parkinson's disease patients (14 with tremor, 10 without).
- Data pre-processing using an optimized SPM2 protocol.
Main Results:
- A significant decrease in grey matter volume was observed in the right quadrangular lobe and declive of the cerebellum in Parkinson's disease patients with tremor compared to those without (PFDR < 0.05).
Conclusions:
- This study provides the first evidence of cerebellar morphological changes in Parkinson's disease patients experiencing rest tremor.
- The findings underscore the role of the cerebellum and the cerebello-thalamo-cortical circuit in the pathophysiology of parkinsonian rest tremor.
More Related Videos
10:28Dynamic Digital Biomarkers of Motor and Cognitive Function in Parkinson's Disease
Published on: July 24, 2019
07:26Characterizing the Relationship Between Eye Movement Parameters and Cognitive Functions in Non-demented Parkinson's Disease Patients with Eye Tracking
Published on: September 26, 2019
Related Concept Videos
Parkinson Disease ll: Pathophysiology
Parkinson Disease l: Introduction
Alterations in Muscle Tone lll
Parkinson's Disease: Overview
Parkinson's Disease: Treatment
Parkinson's Disease is primarily a result of the loss of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra pars compacta. The cornerstone of its...
Alterations in Muscle Tone ll