TREMORS Flashcards
________may be defined as involuntary rhythmic oscillatory movement produced by alternating or irregularly synchronous contractions of reciprocally innervated
muscles
Tremor
embedded i n the motor system.
It is present in all contracting muscle groups and persists throughout the waking state and even in certain phases of sleep
Physiologic Trem o r
Frequency of physiologic tremor
It ranges in frequency between 8 and
13 Hz, the dominant rate being 10 Hz in adulthood and
somewhat less in childhood and old age
Action tremors can be conveniently
divided into two categories: ________action
tremor of the ataxic type related to cerebellar disorders
and ________, which are
either the enhanced physiologic variety or essential
tremor
goal directed
postural tremors
the tremor is absent when the limbs are relaxed but becomes evident when the muscles are activated
postural tremors
Most cases of __________
are characterized by relatively rhythmic bursts of grouped motor neuron discharges that occur not quite synchronously in opposing muscle groups
action tremor
This, the commonest type o f tremor, i s o f lower frequency (4 to 8 Hz) than physiologic tremor and is unassociated with other neurologic changes;
ET
Like most tremors, essential tremor is worsened by ________________
emotion, exercise, and fatigue.
Inheritance of ET
autosomal dominant pattern with high penetrance.
Essential tremor most often makes its appearance
late in the_________ but it may begin in childhood and then persist.
second decade,
in ET..
The tremor practically always begins in the ______
and is usually almost_______ in approximately
________ of patients, however, it may appear first in
the dominant hand.
arms
symmetrical;
15 percent
Most patients with essential tremor will have
identified the amplifying effects of anxiety and the ameliorating
effects of _______ on their tremor.
alcohol
A curious fact about essential tremor o f the typical
(non-alternate-beat) type is that it can be suppressed
by a small amount of alcohol in more than ______percent
of patients
75
essential tremor is
inhibited by the beta-adrenergic antagonist __________ taken orally over a long
period of time.
propranolol
(between 80 and 200 mg per day in divided doses or as
a sustained-release preparation)
The barbiturate drug ________ has also been effective
in controlling essential tremor and may be tried
in patients who do not respond to or cannot tolerate
beta-blocking medications
primidone
Most patients with essential tremor will have
identified the amplifying effects of anxiety and the ameliorating
effects of _______ on their tremor.
alcohol
A curious fact about essential tremor o f the typical
(non-alternate-beat) type is that it can be suppressed
by a small amount of alcohol in more than ______percent
of patients
75
essential tremor is
inhibited by the beta-adrenergic antagonist __________ taken orally over a long
period of time.
propranolol
(between 80 and 200 mg per day in divided doses or as
a sustained-release preparation)
The barbiturate drug ________ has also been effective
in controlling essential tremor and may be tried
in patients who do not respond to or cannot tolerate
beta-blocking medications
The alternate-beat, slow, high-amplitude, kinetic-predominant type of essential tremor is more difficult to suppress but has reportedly responded to_______
primidone
clonazepam
Injections of _________into a portion of a limb
can reduce the severity of essential tremor locally; but the accompanying weakness of arm and hand muscles often proves unacceptable to the patient
botulinum toxin
In resistant cases of essential tremor of the fast or
slow variety, stimulation by electrodes implanted in the
_________ (of the same type used to treat
Parkinson disease) has produced a durable response
over many years; d
ventral medial nucleus thalamus or the internal segment
of the globus pallidus
A coarse action tremor, sometimes combined
with myoclonus, accompanies various types of
_________
meningoencephalitis
EMG of PD Tremor
bursts of activity that alternate between opposing muscle
groups
Parkinsonian tremor is_________ in the sense
that it takes the form of flexion-extension or abductionadduction
of the fingers or the hand; pronation-supination
of the hand and forearm is also a common presentation.
“alternating”