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General and selective brain connectivity alterations in essential tremor: A resting state fMRI study
Karsten Mueller1, Robert Jech2, Martina Hoskovcová2
1Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig, Germany.
Neuroimage. Clinical
|September 16, 2017
Summary
Essential tremor (ET) involves altered brain connectivity, particularly in the cerebellum and sensorimotor network. These changes correlate with tremor severity, offering insights into ET
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Neurology
- Movement Disorders
Background:
- Essential tremor (ET) is the most prevalent movement disorder, yet its underlying pathophysiological mechanisms remain poorly understood.
- Investigating brain connectivity offers a potential avenue to elucidate the neural basis of ET.
Purpose of the Study:
- To explore brain connectivity patterns in essential tremor patients using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI).
- To correlate brain connectivity measures with tremor severity in essential tremor.
Main Methods:
- Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) was used to assess resting-state brain connectivity in 19 ET patients and 23 healthy controls.
- Eigenvector centrality (EC) mapping was employed for general connectivity analysis, while seed-based correlation was used for selective connectivity analysis.
- Connectivity measures were correlated with Fahn-Tolosa-Marin Tremor Rating Scale (FTMTS) scores.
Main Results:
- ET patients exhibited reduced general connectivity in cerebellar hemispheres and increased connectivity in motor and anterior cingulate cortices compared to controls.
- Tremor severity (FTMTS score) positively correlated with EC in the putamen.
- Selective connectivity analysis revealed positive correlations between tremor severity and connections involving the thalamus, basal ganglia, and pre-supplementary motor area (pre-SMA).
Conclusions:
- Essential tremor is characterized by altered general and selective brain connectivity, particularly within the sensorimotor network involving the cerebellum, basal ganglia, and thalamus.
- These connectivity alterations are associated with tremor severity, suggesting their role in ET pathophysiology.
- Findings support the concept of ET as a disorder with cerebellar involvement and highlight specific network dysfunctions relevant to tremor generation.
