title: Differences in cerebral perfusion according to phenotypes of essential tremor: brain perfusion SPECT study using SPM analysis.
abstract: Essential tremor (ET) is one of the most common movement disorders. However, few studies regarding the differences of pathophysiology according to phenotypes of ET have been reported. We investigated whether a functional difference occurs between ET with only a limb tremor (L-ET) and ET with only a head tremor (H-ET). We recruited 13 patients with L-ET, 10 patients with H-ET, and 33 healthy subjects. We compared the severity of tremor symptoms using the Fahn-Tolosa-Marin rating scale (FTM) to compare L-ET with H-ET. All subjects underwent magnetic resonance imaging and perfusion SPECT of the brain. The total score of FTM was significantly higher in the L-ET than in the H-ET. However, Part A in FTM did not show significant differences between the two ET groups. A brain perfusion SPECT analysis demonstrated no significant difference between L-ET and H-ET, but a regional perfusion of subjects with ET compared with healthy subjects showed hypoperfusion in the insular, cingulate gyrus, frontal lobe, and cerebellum. In conclusion, we suggested that cerebellar dysfunction might be involved in the pathogenesis of ET. In addition, we assumed that ET has the same pathogenesis in the origin of the disease, regardless of the clinical difference of ET.
authors: Department of Neurology, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul, South Korea, siuy@catholic.ac.kr.
authors: In-Uk
authors: IU
authors: Song
authors: Jeong-Wook
authors: JW
authors: Park
authors: Sung-Woo
authors: SW
authors: Chung
authors: Yong-An
authors: YA
authors: Chung
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D001921:Brain / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D002560:Cerebrovascular Circulation / Q000502:physiology*; D020329:Essential Tremor / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D005121:Extremities / Q000503:physiopathology; D005260:Female; D006257:Head / Q000503:physiopathology; D006801:Humans; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010641:Phenotype; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D015899:Tomography, Emission-Computed, Single-Photon / Q000379:methods