The spiral axis: A comparison of unaffected first-degree relatives of essential tremor cases vs. controls

We previously observed that during a spiral drawing task, in essential tremor (ET) cases, the tremor wave forms align along a single predominant axis. This interesting clinical feature can distinguish ET from dystonia cases. We now investigate whether the unaffected relatives of ET cases also express this trait, albeit perhaps in a milder form. To address our aim, we assessed the spiral axis in 237 unaffected first-degree relatives of ET cases (FD-ET), comparing them to 105 controls (Co). A movement disorder neurologist assessed four hand drawn spirals for the presence of a single identifiable tremor orientation axis.

Source: Journal of the Neurological Sciences - January 27, 2021 Category: Neurology Authors: ElanD. Louis, Hollie N. Dowd, Mazen Elkurd Source Type: research