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Underlying Tremor Improvement with Consistent Use of Transcutaneous Afferent Patterned Stimulation in Patients with
Stuart H Isaacson1, Elizabeth Peckham2, Winona Tse3
1Parkinson's Disease and Movement Disorders Center of Boca Raton, Boca Raton, FL, USA.
Tremor and Other Hyperkinetic Movements (New York, N.Y.)
|January 12, 2026
Summary
Consistent use of transcutaneous afferent patterned stimulation (TAPS) significantly improves essential tremor (ET) severity over three months. This non-invasive therapy offers sustained benefits for ET patients, even with less frequent application.
Area of Science:
- Neurology
- Biomedical Engineering
Background:
- Transcutaneous afferent patterned stimulation (TAPS) is a non-invasive therapy for essential tremor (ET).
- TAPS has shown acute and short-term tremor reduction.
- Longer-term effects of consistent TAPS use on underlying tremor severity require further investigation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the long-term efficacy of TAPS in improving underlying tremor severity in ET patients.
- To assess tremor improvement after consistent TAPS use over three months.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective analysis of the multicenter PROSPECT trial data.
- Evaluated twice-daily TAPS use over three months in ET patients.
- Compared pre-stimulation tremor severity at baseline with 1- and 3-month follow-ups using BF-ADL and TETRAS scales.
Main Results:
- Significant improvements in pre-stimulation BF-ADL scores (2.0 points at 1 month, 2.7 points at 3 months) and TETRAS scores (p < 0.001).
- Over 80% of patients met responder criteria for tremor improvement on both scales at 1 and 3 months.
- Improvements were noted even with approximately once-daily TAPS use.
Conclusions:
- Consistent TAPS use is associated with significant, sustained improvement in underlying tremor severity in ET patients.
- Regular TAPS application may provide lasting therapeutic benefits for essential tremor management.
