Tremor Types: Seeing the Difference in the Brain

Essential Tremor (ET) is a common condition where people experience shakiness, especially during movement. Some people with ET also have tremors when they're resting, which is known as resting ET or rET. While we know ET changes the brain's white matter, we don't know much about the differences between ET and rET. To find out, scientists used a method called differential tractography to study the brain's white matter in healthy people, people with ET, and people with rET. They found that both ET and rET showed similar changes in certain brain areas, like the basal ganglia and brainstem projections. However, ET showed more changes in the left side of the brain and cerebellum, while rET showed more changes in the right side. Also, ET and rET differed in their involvement of a specific brain tract called the dentato-rubro-thalamic tract. These findings suggest that ET and rET might be different forms of the same condition.