Cerebello-thalamo-cortical Coupling in Essential Tremor
Cerebello-thalamo-cortical Coupling in Essential Tremor
Essential tremor (ET) is a frequent and disabling disorder with progressive worsening of
 postural tremor of the upper limbs that impairs most of the manual activities of every day
 life (feeding, drinking, etc.). Although the pathophysiology of essential tremor (ET) is not
 fully elucidated, tremor is associated with abnormal activity within different brain regions,
 in particular the thalamus and the cerebellum. Deep brain stimulation (DBS) of the ventral
 intermediate nucleus of the thalamus (VIM-Thal) reverses the symptoms of tremor but is an
 invasive procedure. Transcranial stimulation of the cerebellum may represent a non-invasive
 therapeutic option for ET patients. Here, the investigators propose to test the efficacy of
 cerebellar stimulation in 15 ET patients previously operated for DBS of the thalamus. To
 further understand how this treatment provokes tremor reduction, the investigators will
 analyse the brain neuronal activity in 13 others ET patients candidate to thalamic DBS by
 using combined electrophysiological recordings of the thalamus (with the electrodes
 implanted), the cerebellum and the cortex with magnetoencephalography.
Inclusion Criteria:

 -  age below 75 years

 -  diagnosis of essential tremor according to the criteria of the Tremor Investigation
 Group and the Consensus statement of the Movement Disorder Society Group (ref)

 -  health insurance

 -  signed informed written consent

 Exclusion Criteria:

 -  other neurological disorders

 -  medications that interact with or influence brain excitability

 -  significant brain lesions detected in MRI