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Eye movements in people with essential tremor

Since the first case reports, there has been evidence that people with essential tremor (ET) have additional symptoms in addition to the various manifestations of motor symptoms. More recent studies have found coordination disorders, but also disorders of ocular motor function. These are disorders of smooth eye movements and, in particular, disorders of the vestibulo-ocular reflex, which are to be expected in the context of a cerebellar disorder. Given the cerebellar pathology observed at the cellular level in ET and the associated impairment of the cerebello-thalamo-cortical network, it is not surprising that affected individuals have impaired oculomotor function. The direct link to the altered functional coupling of cortical, subcortical and cerebellar structures in ET has not yet been investigated. The use of high-resolution electroencephalography (EEG) to record neural signals during oculomotor dysfunction may help to elucidate the pathophysiology of ET.

Contact

Dr. Josefine Waldthaler and
Dr. Kenan Steidel
Telephone: 06421/58 - 65299
Telefax: 06421/58 - 67055
steidel@staff.

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