['Rubral' tremor after vascular thalamic lesions]

The appearance of tremor after thalamic lesions is well-known but infrequent. Amongst the semiological varieties of thalamic tremors, a particularly uncommon type--which is extremely incapacitating owing to its great amplitude, appearance during action and poor therapeutic response--is the so-called rubric or mesencephalic tremor.

We present four cases, of tremor with the semiological characteristics of rubric tremors after thalamic lesions of ischaemic or haemorrhagic origin. We review the relevant literature.

The rubric tremor has been said to have its physiopathological origin in a lesion of the nigro-striate via and the efferent cerebellar vias at some point of the mesencephalic or subthalamic path, often without direct involvement of the red nucleus.

The presentation of this type of tremor due to lesions which do not effect the red nucleus and the mesencephalum show the unsuitability of the name.