Alternating Current Stimulation for Essential Tremor
Date
2024-09-18
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Abstract
Essential tremor is the most common movement disorder, characterized by involuntary rhythmic shaking of the hands, head, trunk, vocal cords, or legs. While the pathophysiological mechanisms of essential tremor are not fully understood, research suggests the involvement of a complex network called the cerebello-thalamo-cortical network. This network includes the inferior olive nuclei, cerebellum, red nucleus, thalamus, and cerebral cortex. Tremor generation in essential tremor is believed to be linked to neurodegeneration, abnormalities in a central oscillatory network, or dysfunction of the inhibitory neurotransmitter gamma-aminobutyric acid. Current treatments for essential tremor are largely unappealing to patients due to either being invasive (surgical), ineffective, and/or causing severe side effects. Previous studies on the impact of ACS in tremor are limited in number and lack a standardized protocol. The aim of this thesis was to investigate the effects of open-loop transcranial and transcutaneous alternating current stimulation on tremor in essential tremor, when delivered over the primary motor cortex and arm at a patient’s dominant tremor frequency. Our results revealed that both transcranial and transcutaneous open-loop alternating current stimulation, delivered to the primary motor cortex and upper arm at a patient’s dominant tremor frequency did not reduce tremor amplitude nor increase tremor ratio. Our study, being the first of its kind, informs on the need for more proof of principle studies in this field that will narrow down the most effective stimulation parameters, and structural targets.
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Keywords
Essential Tremor, Alternating Current Stimulation, Movement Disorder, Tremor, Non-invasive Neurostimulation
Citation
Adeoti, A. J. (2024). Alternating current stimulation for essential tremor (Master's thesis, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada). Retrieved from https://prism.ucalgary.ca.