New non-invasive brain stimulation therapy hope for people with tremors

Scientists have identified a new non-invasive type of therapy that may be able to help suppress brain activity associated with tremors.

UK researchers have discovered that using electrical stimulation to target the cerebellum – an area of the brain that controls muscle co-ordination – could help suppress aberrant synchronous oscillations in the brain, which causes tremors seen in Parkinson’s disease and other brain disorders.

The researchers said their findings, published in the journal Nature Communications, are a step towards being able to develop a widely available treatment for tremors.

Study author Dr Nir Grossman, of the UK Dementia Research Institute and Imperial College London, said: “Tremor symptoms can be upsetting and get in the way of doing basic, everyday things that most of us take for granted.

“In the worst cases, they can be severely debilitating.

“Tremors are caused by abnormal synchronisation in the motor areas of the brain, but the biological processes underlying them are still not well understood.

“By targeting the temporal pattern of the brain’s abnormal synchronisation, we may be able to treat it, non-invasively, despite the limited knowledge of the precise causes.

“Our work presents an early-stage feasibility study of this approach.

“We hope to continue to develop it into a widely available treatment for tremors, as well as other symptoms that are underpinned by abnormal synchronisation in the brain.”

Synchronous oscillations in the brain are associated with attention, vigilance and many other key brain functions.

But when these oscillations go wrong, they cause some of the symptoms seen in certain neurological disorders, such as tremor movement.

A tremor is an uncontrollable shaking or trembling in different parts of the body such as arms, legs, head, and torso, and can be severely disabling.

They are often associated with Parkinson’s disease, which affects around 145,000 people in the UK.

But tremors can also affect people with Essential Tremor Syndrome and are also sometimes seen in those with Alzheimer’s disease.

Brain surgery may be an option in severe cases, but this is invasive and carries risks.

In this research, a team of scientists led by the UK Dementia Research Institute used a non-invasive form of electrical stimulation to target the cerebellum.

Electrical stimulation was given to 11 people with Essential Tremor Syndrome.

The team found they were able to lessen tremors in people with the condition.

The reduction of symptoms lasted during stimulation and for a short period afterwards, the researchers said.