Classification of Tremor
and Update on Treatment
- P. DAVID CHARLES,
M.D., GREGORY J. ESPER,
B.S., THOMAS L. DAVIS,
M.D., ROBERT J. MACIUNAS,
M.D., and DAVID
ROBERTSON, M.D.
- Vanderbilt
University School of
Medicine
- Nashville, Tennessee
Tremor is a symptom of
many disorders,
including Parkinson's
disease, essential
tremor, orthostatic
tremor, cerebellar
disease, peripheral
neuropathy and alcohol
withdrawal. Tremors may
be classified as
postural, rest or action
tremors. Symptomatic
treatment is tailored to
the tremor type.
Combination therapy with
carbidopa and levodopa
remains the first-line
approach for
parkinsonian tremor.
Essential tremor may be
amenable to propranolol
or primidone.
Propranolol may be
useful in treating
alcohol withdrawal
tremor, and isoniazid
may control the
cerebellar tremor
associated with multiple
sclerosis. Clonazepam
may relieve orthostatic
tremor. Other agents are
also available for the
treatment of tremor.
When medical therapy
fails to control the
tremor, surgical options
such as thalamotomy,
pallidotomy and thalamic
stimulation should be
considered in severe
cases. Thalamic
stimulation, the most
recent of these surgical
approaches, offers the
advantage over ablative
procedures of
alleviating tremor
without the creation of
a permanent lesion.
Tremor is the
involuntary, rhythmic
oscillation of reciprocally
innervated, antagonistic
muscle groups, causing
movement of a body part
about a fixed plane in
space.1,2
Effective treatment of
tremor requires
distinguishing this type of
movement disorder from other
movement disorders.
Rhythmicity distinguishes
tremor from disorders in
which tremor may be a
component, such as
choreoathetosis and
dystonia, and its biphasic
nature distinguishes tremor
from clonus.1
The frequency and amplitude
of a tremor vary to the
degree that the tremor may
be hardly noticeable or
severely disabling.
Frequency can be divided
into three categories of
oscillations per second:
slow (3 to 5 Hz),
intermediate (5 to 8 Hz) or
rapid (9 to 12 Hz).3
Amplitude may be classified
as fine, medium or coarse,
depending on the
displacement produced by the
tremor about the fixed
plane.3
A coarse tremor has a large
displacement, whereas a fine
tremor is barely noticeable.
Tremor may be unifocal,
multifocal or generalized,
and may affect the head,
face, jaw, voice, tongue,
trunk or extremities.
 |
TABLE 1
Classification
of Tremors,
and Their
Characteristics
and
Treatment
|
Type of
tremor
|
Frequency
|
Occurrence
|
Etiology
|
Treatment*
|
|
Postural
tremor |
5 to 9 Hz |
When limb is
positioned
against
gravity
|
Physiologic
tremor,
essential
tremor,
alcohol or
drug
withdrawal,
metabolic
disturbances,
drug-induced
tremor,
psychogenic
tremor |
Beta
blockers,
primidone
(Mysoline),
acetazolamide
(Diamox),
clonazepam
(Klonopin),
botulinum
toxin, brain
gabapentin
(Neurontin),
deep
stimulation,
thalamotomy |
|
Rest tremor |
3 to 6 Hz |
When limb is
fully
supported
against
gravity and
the muscles
are not
voluntarily
activated |
Parkinson's
disease,
multiple-
systems
atrophy,
progressive
supranuclear
palsy,
drug-induced
tremor,
rubral
tremor,
psychogenic
tremor |
Levodopacarbidopa
(Sinemet),
anticholinergics
and other
antiparkinsonian
agents, deep
brain
stimulation,
pallidotomy,
thalamotomy |
|
Action
tremor† |
3 to 10 Hz |
During any
type of
movement |
Cerebellar
lesions,
rubral
tremor,
psychogenic
tremor |
Wrist
weights,
isoniazid |
*--Drugs and
other
treatments
are
generally
listed in
the order in
which they
should be
tried. An
adequate
trial of
each
medication
must be
tried before
the agent is
judged to be
ineffective.
Many of
these drugs
are not
specifically
labeled for
the
treatment of
tremor or
have not
undergone
extensive
studies to
support
their use in
the
treatment of
tremor.
†--Action
tremor
includes
intention
tremor
(exacerbation
toward the
end of
goal-directed
movement),
kinetic
tremor
(during any
type of
movement)
and
task-specific
tremor (only
during
performance
of highly
skilled
activities,
such as
writing or
playing a
musical
instument).
|
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|
Classification: Postural,
Rest and Action Tremors
Tremor is primarily
classified on the basis of
when it occurs, either with
a certain posture, at rest
or during action (Table
1). A resting tremor
occurs when the patient is
attempting to maintain the
position of a body part at
rest (e.g., when the
patient's hands exhibit a
tremor as they are resting
in the patient's lap).
Postural tremor is observed
when the patient tries to
maintain a posture against
gravity, such as holding the
arms out in front of the
body. An action tremor
(kinetic or intention
tremor) occurs during
movement of the affected
body part from one point to
another. A task-specific
tremor occurs only when the
patient begins to perform a
highly skilled activity,
such as writing or speaking.2
Tremor may be either
physiologic or pathologic.
Physiologic tremor is a
normal variant, occurring at
a frequency of 8 to 12 Hz in
the hands yet as slow as 6.5
Hz in other body parts
during maintenance of a
posture.2,4
It can be increased by
emotions such as anxiety,
stress or fear, by exercise
and fatigue, hypoglycemia,
hypothermia, hyperthyroidism
and alcohol withdrawal. When
such an increase occurs,
physiologic tremor is then
called enhanced or
exaggerated physiologic
tremor.1,4
Certain drugs can also
exacerbate physiologic
tremor5
(Table 2).
Pathologic tremor is either
idiopathic or occurs
secondary to some disorders
(Table 3). Essential
tremor and parkinsonian
tremor are two common types
of pathologic tremor.
Identification of the
type of tremor depends on
keen observation. The
location of the tremor or
the patient's position when
it occurs should be
identified first, and
special attention must be
paid to other signs of
illness. Careful observation
will reveal if the tremor
occurs at rest, during
posture maintenance or
during movement. The patient
should be asked what
produces or modulates the
amplitude and frequency of
the tremor.2,3
A correct diagnosis is
essential for proper
treatment of the disorder,
because different types of
tremor require different
treatments.
 |
TABLE 2
Commonly
Used Agents
That
Exacerbate
Physiologic
Tremor
|
• Caffeine
• Fluoxetine
(Prozac)
•
Haloperidol
(Haldol)
• Lithium
•
Methylphenidate
(Ritalin) |
•
Metoclopramide
(Reglan)
•
Phenylpropanolamine
•
Pseudoephedrine
•
Theophylline
• Valproic
acid |
 |
|
 |
TABLE 3
Selected
Secondary
Causes of
Tremor
|
• Alcohol or
drug
withdrawal
• Brain
abscess
• Brain
tumor
• Multiple
sclerosis |
• Peripheral
neuropathy
•
Pheochromocytoma
•
Psychogenic
disorders
•
Thyrotoxicosis |
 |
|
Tremor Types Based on
Etiology
Parkinsonian Tremor
The tremor in Parkinson's
disease occurs at rest and
is characterized by a
frequency of 4 to 6 Hz and a
medium amplitude. It is
classically referred to as a
"pill rolling" tremor of the
hands but can also affect
the head, trunk, jaw and
lips.2,3
Although rare, a rest tremor
may also be found in
patients with other
neurodegenerative diseases,
such as multiple-systems
atrophy and progressive
supranuclear palsy. The
tremor associated with these
disorders is usually
symmetric and not as
prominent as the tremor that
accompanies Parkinson's
disease.
 |
|
A
physiologic
tremor
occurs in
the hands at
a frequency
of 8 to 12
Hz during
maintenance
of a
posture.
|
 |
|
Parkinson's disease
results from a slow
degeneration of a small area
in the midbrain, called the
substantia nigra.
Specifically, excitatory and
inhibitory dopaminergic
neurons degenerate in the
substantia nigra pars
compacta. These neurons
project to the striatum and
then to the globus pallidus.
From there, multiple
connections in the basal
ganglia project to one
another, to the thalamus
and, finally, to the cortex,
which makes up the
extrapyramidal system. This
system regulates the
initiation and control of
movement, and dysfunction of
any of these connections can
lead to various types of
movement disorders.6
As a consequence of neuronal
degeneration in the
substantia nigra pars
compacta, the ventral
intermediate nucleus of the
thalamus becomes overactive,
possibly producing the
tremor of Parkinson's
disease. The neurons in the
ventral intermediate nucleus
of the thalamus fire at a
rate that matches the
tremor.7
Essential Tremor
Essential tremor is the most
common movement disorder.2,3,8
This postural tremor may
have its onset anywhere
between the second and sixth
decades of life and its
prevalence increases with
age.8
It is slowly progressive
over a period of years.3
The specific
pathophysiology of essential
tremor remains unknown.
Essential tremor occurs
sporadically or can be
inherited. While the exact
genetic defect has not been
identified, familial
transmission seems to be
autosomal dominant with
variable penetrance.4
The frequency of
essential tremor is 4 to 11
Hz, depending on which body
segment is affected.
Proximal segments are
affected at lower
frequencies, and distal
segments are affected at
higher frequencies.3
Although typically a
postural tremor, essential
tremor may occur at rest in
severe and very advanced
cases.2
It most commonly affects the
hands but can also affect
the head, voice, tongue and
legs.2,3,9
In some patients essential
tremor is alleviated by
small amounts of alcohol, an
effect not found in
Parkinson's disease.
Cerebellar Tremor
The most common type of
cerebellar tremor is
kinetic, or goal directed.
Cerebellar tremors are due
to lesions of the lateral
cerebellar nuclei or
superior cerebellar
peduncle, or its
connections. Classically, a
lesion within a cerebellar
hemisphere or nuclei leads
to an action tremor on the
ipsilateral side of the
body. Midline cerebellar
disease may cause tremor of
both arms, the head and the
trunk.2
Lesions in the location of
the red nucleus produce a
wing-beating type of tremor
(called rubral tremor),
which is also present to a
lesser degree with rest and
posture.
During examination, a
cerebellar tremor increases
in severity as the extremity
approaches its target. Other
signs of cerebellar
pathology, such as
abnormalities of gait,
speech and ocular movements,
and the ability to perform
rapidly alternating
movements, may be present
and may help to confirm the
diagnosis of cerebellar
tremor.3
 |
|
Propranolol
(Inderal)
and
primidone
(Mysoline)
are both
effective in
the
treatment of
essential
tremor.
|
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|
Another type of tremor
may also be associated with
damage to the cerebellum.
Termed "cerebellar postural
tremor," it is prominent
with both action and
posture.4
In its most severe form,
cerebellar postural tremor
has a frequency of 2.5 to 4
Hz and may wax and wane in
amplitude, increasing
progressively with prolonged
posture. It persists and
worsens with goal-directed
movement.4
The milder form of the
tremor has a more rapid
frequency, approaching 10
Hz, and appears more
distally, making it harder
to identify than the severe
type.4
Multiple sclerosis is the
most common cause of the
cerebellar postural tremor.4
Other causes of this tremor
include tumors and strokes,
as well as neural
degeneration in the
cerebellum.
Alcohol Withdrawal
Tremor
Alcohol withdrawal tremor is
similar to essential tremor
on examination but with
subtle differences. Alcohol
withdrawal tremor has a
frequency between 6 and 10.5
Hz. In one study,10
74 percent of the patients
with alcohol withdrawal
tremors had tremors at a
frequency above 8 Hz. In
this same series, tremors in
all of the patients who had
essential tremor were at a
frequency below 8 Hz. Thus,
the tremor of alcohol
withdrawal tends to be more
rapid than essential tremor.
A family history of
tremor was found in only 1
percent of the patients with
alcohol withdrawal tremor,
as compared with almost one
half of the patients with
essential tremor.10
In addition, severity and
degree of functional
disability were less with
alcohol withdrawal tremor.
Only the hands are
affected in patients with
alcohol withdrawal tremor,
but multiple sites of
involvement are possible in
patients with essential
tremor. Overactivity of the
sympathetic nervous system
is thought to be responsible
for alcohol withdrawal
tremor, and prolonged
alcohol abuse can result in
a chronic tremor disorder.10
Psychogenic Tremor
Psychogenic tremor is a
complex tremor that can
occur at rest, during
postural movement and during
kinetic movement. The
etiology and pathophysiology
of psychogenic tremor are
likely to differ from
patient to patient, and the
main focus of treatment
should be psychotherapy, not
medication.
Clinical features of
psychogenic tremor include
an abrupt onset, a static
course, spontaneous
remission and unclassifiable
tremors.11
Unresponsiveness to
antitremor drugs, an
increase in frequency and
amplitude with attention and
a decrease in frequency and
amplitude with distraction,
responsiveness to placebo,
absence of other neurologic
signs and remission with
psychotherapy are also signs
of psychogenic tremor.11
Clinical inconsistencies,
such as being able to write
words yet not being able to
draw a spiral, and changing
characteristics, such as
direction and affected body
part, are also
representative of
psychogenic tremor.11
Other Tremors
Other types of tremor occur
much less commonly than the
previously described
tremors. Orthostatic tremor
is defined as a postural
tremor of the legs,
occurring at a frequency of
13 to 18 Hz, initiated on
standing and alleviated by
walking or sitting.12
It is more readily
noticeable during palpation
than by sight and is not
influenced by peripheral
feedback.13
Unsteadiness, feelings of
imbalance or weakness, and
trembling and shaking in the
lower limbs are associated
features of orthostatic
tremor.14
The etiology of orthostatic
tremor is unknown, but it is
currently regarded as an
entity separate from
essential tremor.12-14
Tremor associated with
peripheral neuropathy is
clinically similar to
essential tremor. Its
etiology is diverse. Not
only can it be idiopathic,
it can also be caused by
demyelination from
immunoglobulin M
paraproteinemic
neuropathies.2
Tremor in association with
peripheral neuropathy can
also result from
Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease,
diabetes mellitus, uremia
and porphyria.2
Drug Treatment of Tremor
Parkinsonian Tremor
Treatment of Parkinson's
disease includes both
medical and surgical
intervention. Dopamine
replacement therapy by means
of levodopa clearly
revolutionized the treatment
of Parkinson's disease.
Levodopa is almost
exclusively given in
combination with the
peripheral decarboxylase
inhibitor carbidopa
(Sinemet). Carbidopa blocks
the peripheral metabolism of
levodopa to dopamine,
decreasing the peripheral
adverse effects of levodopa,
such as nausea and vomiting,
while increasing levodopa's
availability in the brain.15,16
In addition to modulating
the tremor associated with
Parkinson's disease,
levodopa improves
bradykinesia, rigidity and
other commonly associated
symptoms. Carbidopalevodopa
is available in formulations
of 10/100 mg, 25/100 mg and
25/250 mg. It is
advantageous to begin
treatment of mild disease
with the 25/100-mg dosage,
one tablet three times a
day, and then increase the
dosage as symptoms become
less manageable.
When tremor is the
predominant presenting
symptom of Parkinson's
disease or when tremor
persists despite adequate
control of other
parkinsonian symptoms with
low dosages of levodopa, an
anticholinergic agent such
as trihexyphenidyl (Artane)
or benztropine (Cogentin)
may be the treatment of
choice. In most patients,
however, anticholinergics do
not significantly improve
bradykinesia and rigidity.
Trihexyphenidyl dosages
necessary to improve tremor
are between 4 and 10 mg per
day (maximum: 32 mg), and
useful benztropine dosages
range from 1 to 4 mg per
day. The side effects of
these agents are their
limiting factor,
particularly in the elderly.
Side effects include memory
impairment, hallucinations,
dry mouth, urinary
difficulties and blurred
vision.15
Other antiparkinsonian
drugs--for example,
amantadine (Symmetrel),
tolcapone (Tasmar) and
dopamine agonists such as
pergolide (Permax),
bromocriptine (Parlodel),
ropinirole (Requip) and
pramipexole (Mirapex)--are
most helpful in patients
whose tremor responds poorly
to levodopa alone.
Essential Tremor
As with other tremors,
effective treatment of
essential tremor is not
found in a single, universal
agent. Some therapies may be
satisfactory in some
patients and ineffective in
others. The most widely used
drugs for essential tremor
are the beta-adrenergic
blocker propranolol
(Inderal) and the
anticonvulsant primidone
(Mysoline). The typical
dosage range for propranolol
is 80 to 320 mg per day and
for primidone, 25 to 750 mg
per day.3
Other beta-adrenergic
receptor antagonists used in
the treatment of essential
tremor include metoprolol
(Lopressor) and nadolol
(Corgard).2
Alcohol is also effective in
relieving essential tremor,
but abuse may be an adverse
consequence.3
In our experience,
propranolol and primidone
are equally effective in the
treatment of essential
tremor. Patients who do not
respond to one medication
after a few weeks of therapy
should be tried on the other
one. Primidone may be
preferred, because of the
exercise intolerance
associated with high-dose
beta blockade. Patients who
have a very-low-amplitude
rapid tremor are generally
more responsive to these
agents than those who have a
slower tremor with greater
amplitude. Patients who have
tremor of the head and voice
may also be more resistant
to treatment than patients
with essential tremor of the
hands.
Other Tremors
There is no established
treatment for cerebellar
tremor.2
In patients with multiple
sclerosis, severe cerebellar
tremor may be improved with
isoniazid, in a dosage of
600 to 1,200 mg per day,
given together with
pyridoxine.4
Propranolol in a dosage
of 160 mg per day is very
effective in reducing the
tremor associated with
alcohol withdrawal.10
 |
|
Thalamic
stimulation
by means of
an implanted
electrode
may
effectively
control
tremor in
patients
with
essential
tremor or
Parkinson's
disease.
|
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|
Treatment of orthostatic
tremor should first be
attempted with clonazepam
(Klonopin). In one small
study,14
eight of nine patients
responded to clonazepam in
dosages ranging from 0.5 to
2.0 mg per day. The patient
who did not respond to
clonazepam responded to
chlordiazepoxide (Librium),
in a dosage of 30 mg twice a
day. In another study,12
10 of 18 patients had
sustained improvement with
clonazepam, and valproic
acid was effective in the
remaining eight patients.
However, propranolol in
daily dosages of up to 320
mg had no effect on
controlling orthostatic
tremor.
Tremor due to peripheral
neuropathy may be
ameliorated with
propranolol, primidone,
benzodiazepines or baclofen
(Lioresal), but the
underlying cause of the
neuropathy itself should be
treated as well.2
Other medications have
been shown to be helpful in
the management of tremor but
should probably only be
tried in consultation with a
neurologist, when the
previously mentioned drugs
have failed to control the
tremor.
Surgical Treatment of Tremor
Thalamotomy
Surgical therapy for tremor
should only be considered if
drug therapy fails to
produce adequate relief.
Stereotactic thalamotomy is
the surgical procedure most
often used to quell
essential tremor. Before the
introduction of levodopa,
thalamotomy was an
often-selected option in the
treatment of Parkinson's
disease. Because the
benefits of levodopa wane
after four to seven years of
therapy, this procedure
remains an option in some
patients with severe
parkinsonian tremor
refractory to drug therapy.
However, problems associated
with bilateral thalamotomy,
such as dysphagia and
dysarthria, limit its use.
Thalamotomy is usually only
considered in patients with
severe, drug-resistant
essential tremor and in a
very small subset of
patients with Parkinson's
disease who have severe,
disabling, predominantly
unilateral tremor.
In one study of the use
of stereotactic thalamotomy
in the treatment of tremor,17
86 percent of the 42
patients with parkinsonian
tremor and 83 percent of the
six patients with essential
tremor had cessation of
tremor or moderate to marked
improvement in tremor after
the procedure. Follow-up in
some patients was as long as
13 years (mean follow-up:
53.4 months). The
investigators used three
criteria for patient
selection: (1) predominantly
unilateral, severe and
incapacitating tremor, (2) a
poor response to or
intolerance of optimal
medical therapy and (3) no
potentially serious risk
factors for surgery.
Postoperative complications
included weakness,
dysarthria and confusion,
but these problems subsided
with time.
Catastrophic
complications in the
perioperative period include
bleeding in the thalamus or
the subdural or epidural
area, which can lead to
death, paralysis, aphasia or
significant cognifive
deficits.
Pallidotomy
Producing lesions in the
globus pallidus by means of
pallidotomy is an
alternative to thalamotomy
in the treatment of
parkinsonian tremor.
Pallidotomy also improves
other symptoms of
Parkinson's disease, such as
bradykinesia and
levodopa-induced
dyskinesias.18
As with thalamotomy,
pallidotomy should only be
considered in cases of
severe tremor unresponsive
to medical treatment.
In a series of 259
patients who underwent
pallidotomy for parkinsonian
tremor,18
complete relief of all
symptoms on the side
contralateral to the
procedure occurred in 212
patients (81.9 percent). Of
the remaining 47 patients,
36 experienced substantial
improvement and 11 had only
minor or no improvement. In
many of the patients,
pallidotomy also produced a
significant reduction in
bradykinesia, rigidity and
levodopa-induced
dyskinesias. The side
effects associated with the
procedure were similar to
those of thalamotomy and
included visual field
defects, such as lower
central visual field
scotomas, and hemiparesis.
Cognitive deficits,
dysarthria and foot apraxia
occurred in less than 1
percent.
If the pallidal lesion is
large enough and placed at
the posteroventral margin of
the lateral pallidum, it
abolishes the tremor as
often as thalamotomy.
However, because of
theoretic concerns that
bilateral pallidotomy may
cause cognitive deficits,
this approach must be
explored before it is
comonly used in the
treatment of tremor.
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FIGURE 1.
Thalamic
stimulation,
showing
position of
the
electrode
within the
thalamus and
path of the
wire to the
pulse
generator in
the
subclavicular
pouch. |
|
Thalamic Stimulation
During physiologic
localization in preparation
for thalamotomy, the
observation that
high-frequency stimulation
of the ventral intermediate
nucleus of the thalamus
abolished tremor led to
investigation of thalamic
stimulation as a treatment
for tremor. The first study
of this technique as a
long-term therapy for tremor
was reported in 1993.19
Thalamic stimulation
involves implanting an
electrode in the thalamic
area found to be responsible
for the tremor. After the
wire of the electrode leaves
the skull, it is tunneled
under the scalp and down the
neck to a purse generator
located in the subclavicular
pouch (Figure 1). The
implanted stimulating device
is much like a modified
pacemaker, and its
electrical impulses can
suppress tremor
indefinitely. The stimulator
can be reprogrammed by using
a small portable computer
that communicates with the
device by radio frequency.
Moreover, the patient can
turn the device on and off
with a magnet. Patients
usually turn the device on
in the morning, leave it on
during waking hours and turn
it off at bedtime, since
most tremors cease during
sleep.
In the first study of
this technique,19
as many as 88 percent of the
patients with Parkinson's
disease had either good or
excellent relief of tremor.
The operative risk of
implanting the device is
proving to be similar to
that of thalamotomy; death,
paralysis, aphasia and
significant cognitive
deficits are possible
complications.
Tremor recurrence after
placement of the electrode
can be controlled by
adjusting the stimulation
parameter rather than by
reoperation.20
The U.S. Food and Drug
Administration has approved
thalamic stimulation as an
accepted therapy for
unilateral suppression of
uncontrolled essential
tremor or parkinsonian
tremor in an upper
extremity. As with the other
surgical techniques,
thalamic stimulation is an
option that should be chosen
only after medical therapy
has failed.
Promising Surgical
Approaches
At the forefront of new
surgical therapies for
tremor are pallidal
stimulation and subthalamic
nucleus stimulation.21-23
With new advances in deep
brain stimulation,
procedures can be performed
bilaterally to relieve
tremor in patients with
bilateral involvement.
Either a combination of
thalamotomy and stimulation
or bilateral stimulation
without ablation is now a
possibility.23
Targets in the brain that
are too dangerous to
approach for producing a
lesion by means of
thalamotomy may be treated
with stimulation instead,
and electrical stimulation
can be modified to alleviate
tremor as it progresses.22
Thus, deep brain stimulation
has become a promising
option for abolishing
tremors that cannot be
controlled by medical
therapy.
The authors have
received honoraria from
Allergen, Inc.,
Medtronic, Inc., Roche
Laboratories, SmithKline
and Beecham
Pharmaceuticals, and
Upjohn Company, and
research support for
clinical trials from
Allergen, Inc., Roche
Laboratories and
Medtronic, Inc.
The authors thank
Dominick Doyle, Medical
Arts Group, Vanderbilt
University, Nashville,
Tenn., for providing the
drawing in Figure 1.
The Authors
P. DAVID CHARLES, M.D.,
is assistant professor of
neurology and director of
the movement disorders
clinic at Vanderbilt
University School of
Medicine, Nashville, Tenn.
Dr. Charles received a
medical degree from
Vanderbilt University School
of Medicine, where he also
completed a residency in
neurology and a fellowship
in movement disorders and
neurophysiology.
GREGORY J. ESPER, B.S.,
is currently a fourth-year
medical student at
Vanderbilt University School
of Medicine. He completed a
bachelor's degree in
neuroscience at the
University of Pittsburgh,
Pittsburgh, Pa.
THOMAS L. DAVIS, M.D.,
is associate professor of
neurology at Vanderbilt
University School of
Medicine. Dr. Davis
graduated from the
University of Mississippi
School of Medicine,
Jacksonville, and completed
a residency in neurology at
Vanderbilt University and a
postdoctoral fellowship in
neuropharmacology at the
National Institutes of
Health, Bethesda, Md.
ROBERT J. MACIUNAS, M.D.,
is professor of neurosurgery
at Vanderbilt University
School of Medicine. Dr.
Maciunas graduated from the
University of Illinois,
Abraham Lincoln School of
Medicine, Chicago, and
completed an internship in
general surgery and a
residency in neurosurgery at
the Mayo Graduate School of
Medicine, Rochester, Minn.
DAVID ROBERTSON, M.D.,
is professor of medicine,
neurology and pharmacology,
and director of the General
Clinical Research Center at
Vanderbilt University School
of Medicine. Dr. Robertson
graduated from Vanderbilt
University and completed a
residency in internal
medicine at Johns Hopkins
Hospital, Baltimore.
Address correspondence
to P. David Charles,
M.D., Director, Movement
Disorders Clinic,
Vanderbilt University
Medical Center, 2100
Pierce Ave., Suite 352,
Nashville, TN 37212.
Reprints are not
available from the
authors.
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