Cerebellar Circuitry of Tremor
Journal
Contemporary Clinical Neuroscience
Pages
517-535
Date Issued
2021
Author(s)
Kuo S.-H.
Abstract
Tremor is the most common movement disorder; however, the pathophysiology of tremor remains unclear, which poses a major challenge for therapy development. The cerebellum is the key brain region for tremor, based on clinical observations and neuroimaging findings. In addition, postmortem human brain examinations have identified a variety of morphological changes centered around Purkinje cells in the cerebellum. To further understand how the dysfunctional cerebellum can generate tremor, several animal models have been established, which provide important insights into tremor pathophysiology. Collectively, the knowledge gained from studying the contributions of the cerebellum to tremor helps to develop therapies for patients living with this disabling neurological symptom. Moreover, tremor is a unique movement with defined phase, frequency, and amplitude, thus providing a platform to track how cerebellar neuronal activity drives rhythmic movements (i.e., tremor) to further our understanding on the function of the cerebellum.
Type
book part