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Neuroimaging in Essential Tremor

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Neuroimaging of Movement Disorders

Part of the book series: Current Clinical Neurology ((CCNEU,volume 44))

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Abstract

Essential tremor (ET) is the most common movement disorder and one of the most frequent neurological disorders. The pathophysiological mechanisms responsible for generating the action tremors are poorly understood, and the diagnosis remains predominantly clinical. There is accumulating evidence that ET is central in origin, and oscillatory circuits involving the brainstem, cerebellum, subcortical, and cortical motor system are involved in generating the tremors. Imaging applications in ET are currently performed for research purposes with the notable exception of single-photon computed tomography (SPECT) with [123I]-FP-CIT that is used clinically to help differentiate patients with idiopathic Parkinson disease (iPD) from those with ET. Advances in neuroimaging techniques and sophisticated computational techniques have allowed an improved understanding of the underlying pathophysiology. This chapter will review structural and functional neuroimaging research conducted in ET and provide a preview of future applications and their potential impact on the field.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Neurology, Miller School of Medicine, University of Miami, 1150 NW 14th Street, PAC Suite 401, 33136, Miami, FL, USA

    Corneliu C. Luca MD, PhD

  2. Department of Neuroscience, University of California, San Diego, 8950 Villa La Jolla Drive, Suite C112, 92037, La Jolla, CA, USA

    Assist. Prof. Fatta B. Nahab MD

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  1. Corneliu C. Luca MD, PhD
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Correspondence to Corneliu C. Luca MD, PhD .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. , Department of Neuroscience, University of California at San Diego, Gilman Dr 9500, La Jolla, 92093, California, USA

    Fatta B. Nahab

  2. , Neurorehabilitation Research Institute, Morinomiya Hospital, Morinomiya 2-1-88, Joto-ku,Osaka-shi, 536-0025, Osaka, Japan

    Noriaki Hattori

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Luca, C., Nahab, F. (2013). Neuroimaging in Essential Tremor. In: Nahab, F., Hattori, N. (eds) Neuroimaging of Movement Disorders. Current Clinical Neurology, vol 44. Humana Press, Totowa, NJ. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-62703-471-5_12

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-62703-471-5_12

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