Cognitive load results in motor overflow in essential tremor
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Updated: May 11, 2026

A Modified Lean and Release Technique to Emphasize Response Inhibition and Action Selection in Reactive Balance
Published on: March 19, 2020
S Lee Hong1, Robert W Isenhower, Jorge V José
1a Department of Biomedical Sciences , Ohio University , Athens , OH , USA.
Abstract:
SK is an 84-year-old woman diagnosed with essential tremor (ET) but no cognitive deficits. In this experiment, we tested the effects of mental rotation (a form of additional cognitive load) during reaching behavior (with the right hand) on the tremor profile of the non-moving left hand. We observed a marked increase in tremor and its variability, as well as the "freezing" of the movement pattern as effects of the cognitive load. These findings imply cognitive-motor overlaps in patients with ET, raising the possibility that the deficits reflect the loss of a common pool of neural resources, despite the heterogeneity of the symptoms of the disorder.
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