Abstract
Background: Task specific tremor (TST) is a poorly understood entity without any standard treatments, that may subsequently develop tremor during additional tasks, later develop postural/kinetic tremor (essential tremor criteria), and later develop Parkinson’s disease. The pathophysiology is not understood as it has features of tremor, dystonia, and parkinsonism. Objectives: To assess response of TST to apomorphine and thus infer pathophysiology. Methods: We administered sublingual apomorphine to 8 patients diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease based on clinical criteria and dopamine imaging, who all initially presented with TST and later presented other parkinsonian signs and dopamine imaging deficits. Results: Apomorphine improved TST, which was refractory to oral levodopa and other tremor therapies, in 6/8 subjects. Discussion: These results offer a treatment option for TST, which is usually refractory to other pharmacologic treatments, in patients with other parkinsonian features, and infers a dopaminergic pathophysiology of TST.
Original language | English (US) |
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Article number | 20 |
Pages (from-to) | 20 |
Journal | Tremor and Other Hyperkinetic Movements |
Volume | 13 |
Issue number | 1 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - 2023 |
Keywords
- DaTscan
- Parkinson’s disease
- Task specific tremor
- apomorphine
- writing tremor
- Tremor/drug therapy
- Levodopa/therapeutic use
- Dopamine/therapeutic use
- Humans
- Parkinson Disease/complications
- Apomorphine/therapeutic use
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Cardiology and Cardiovascular Medicine
- Medicine(all)