Richmond Times Dispatch
Early Results of Essential Tremor Study Promising
By Lifestyles reporter Tammie Smith
An update on the Focused UltraSound Foundation-funded essential tremor trial at the University of Virginia and its first participant, Billy R. Williams. The story was prompted by a reader's inquiry about how Mr. Williams is doing. Williams, who has completed the three-month study period, reports he is doing well. His UVA neurosurgeon, W. Jeffrey Elias, MD, says Williams has demonstrated excellent tremor control.
http://www2.timesdispatch.com/lifestyles/2011/jun/13/TDMET05-early-results-of-essential-tremor-study-pr-ar-1103913/
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| Essential Tremor in the News Recent News Stories Watercolor Artist with ET, Fred Ekman, Profiled in Style Magazine, February 2012  (Click image to pull up image with full article.) To learn more about Fred Ekman's artwork, please visit http://fredekman.com/ Patients' Tremors Stopped After New Non-Invasive, Pain-Free Brain Surgery as Part of Study ABC World News with Diane Sawyer Dot Highberg, 56, is able to eat using a fork for the first time immediately after undergoing a procedure called MRI-guided Focused Ultrasound Surgery, a non-invasive, pain-free brain surgery she had to treat her debilitating essential tremors. http://abcnews.go.com/Health/patients-tremors-stopped-invasive-pain-free-brain-surgery/story?id=15406244#.Tx7KtYEkJ8E 15 volunteers were treated in this recently completed FUS Foundation-funded study at the University of Virginia. Focused Ultrasound Surgery is not an approved treatment for essential tremor currently. This procedure is in the first phase of a study. For more information on the study mentioned in the story, visit http://essentialtremor.xportcms9.com/thalatomy-study Focused Ultrasound Surgery Foundation: http://www.fusfoundation.org/Blog/et-patients-featured-on-abc-world-news Wiring the Brain, Literally, to Treat Stubborn Disorders Wall Street Journal Deep brain stimulation, sometimes called a pacemaker for the brain, has helped halt tremors in more than 100,000 patients with Parkinson's disease, essential tremor and other movement disorders since 1997. Now, researchers are reporting encouraging results using the procedure for psychiatric conditions as well. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970204555904577164813955136748.html Deep Brain Stimulation - Published December 2011 A New Life for People with Parkinson's, Dystonia and Essential Tremor Kelvin Chou, MD, Susan Grube, RN, MSN, Parag Patil, MD, PhD http://www.demoshealth.com/prod.aspx?prod_id=9781936303113 About the book DBS is a revolutionary technology using an implanted device to deliver electrical stimulation to the brain to help symptoms, alleviate suffering, and improve quality of life. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved DBS as a treatment for essential tremor in 1997, for Parkinson's disease in 2002, and dystonia in 2003. Read more: http://www.essentialtremor.org/DBS-Book-by-Dr-Kelvin-Chou Rumors of Kodac Harrison's retirement have been greatly exaggerated. Thankfully. Atlanta poet/musician with ET marks career transition with album and performance Kodac Harrison, 62, has what's called an Essential Tremor, which causes his right hand to tremble uncontrollably, and hinders his ability to play guitar. "I can still play a bit, but I can't do all the things I could do 15 years ago," he says. "My right hand is my shaking hand, and it's my picking hand. So I can't do picking, but I can do strumming." http://clatl.com/atlanta/rumors-of-kodac-harrisons-retirement-have-been-greatly-exaggerated-thankfully/Content?oid=4517140 Enrollment in Magnetic Resonance Focused Ultrasound Feasibility Study Completed InSightec Ltd, the global leader in MR guided Focused Ultrasound (MRgFUS) therapy, announced today that it has completed enrollment in the world's first feasibility study evaluating the use of MRgFUS for treatment of Essential Tremor, using ExAblate® Neuro at University of Virginia , Charlottesville, Virginia. Fifteen patients underwent a non-invasive ExAblate treatment to evaluate safety and initial effectiveness of this investigational device. Most patients, who suffered for at least 10 years, experienced tremor improvement and no severe adverse events. They are being followed up for three months. Patient videos can be viewed here: http://bit.ly/sRpXno http://bit.ly/tWaOl3 Read more here: www.sacbee.com/2012/01/03/4158964/enrollment-in-first-mrgfus-essential.html#storylink=cpy Book Inspired by 7-year-old It was last summer when Kirk Hall’s grandson asked a perfectly normal question for a 7-year-old. Carson had noticed his grandpa’s hands shaking uncontrollably, and rather than explaining the complexities of his body not producing enough dopamine, Hall simply told the boy he had “shaky paws.” That innocent encounter inspired a children’s book that helps little ones understand a condition that affects an estimated 10 million people in the U.S. alone. http://www.ourcoloradonews.com/highlandsranch/news/book-inspired-by--year-old/article_5cb28cb5-b016-5792-b4eb-2355dfb8762c.html Parkinson’s treatment allowed patient to draw a (straight) line in the sand Man with brain implant pushes back Parkinson’s symptoms and writes children’s book helping kids understand those who have ‘shaky paws’ More: http://www.aurorasentinel.com/hp_metro/article_0341bce8-274d-11e1-9c67-0019bb2963f4.html Radio Interview: http://shakypawsgrampa.blogspot.com/2012/01/koa-radio-interview_09.html DBS surgery puts tasks within woman's grasp again Deep-brain stimulation was approved by the Food and Drug Administration in 1997, but it's still an underused therapy, said Dr. Devin Binder, medical director of the deep-brain-stimulation program at Orange Coast Memorial Medical Center in Fountain Valley, Calif. Read more: http://www.yumasun.com/articles/dicioccio-75328-brain-wasn.html#ixzz1hBz7hqWp West Seattle tremor patient's successful DBS treatment examined on livestream broadcast Drs. Ron Young and Ryder Gwinn, surgeons from the Swedish Neuroscience Institute, host a livestream to discuss the affects of Essential Tremor (ET), the Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) surgical procedure used to treat ET and the other innovative treatment options for ET available at Swedish and throughout the country. http://www.westseattleherald.com/2011/12/15/news/west-seattle-tremor-patients-successful-treatment Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e-euL6923Uk&feature=player_embedded Patients Risk Brain Surgery to Fix Shaky Hands Doctors at Rhode Island Hospital performed deep brain stimulation on Peter West. In 2004, they opened West’s skull and implanted an electrode in his thalamus, a structure in the center of the brain just above the brainstem. They ran a wire to another device, inserted under the skin of his collarbone, that generated pulses of electrical current. The treatment reduced West’s tremors to manageable levels, and allowed him to continue his work. http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/streams-of-consciousness/2011/12/15/patients-risk-brain-surgery-to-fix-shaky-hands/ Researchers Identify Potential Cause of Essential Tremor http://www.news-medical.net/news/20111207/Researchers-identify-likely-cause-of-essential-tremor.aspx Researchers from the CHUQ research center and Université-Laval have published promising findings about a potential cause of essential tremor (ET). The team's findings were published in a recent edition of the scientific journal Brain. The research team noticed a decrease in the concentration of GABA receptors in the cerebellum of patients suffering from ET. GABA receptors relay "chemical messages" which transmit inhibitory information to the different parts of the brain and play an essential role in the human body. A loss of GABA receptors in the cerebellum could affect the function of the cerebellum, an organ beneath the brain that manages communication between the brain and muscles and coordinating movements. The research was made possible by a grant from the International Essential Tremor Foundation. A Primer on ET from the Cleveland Clinic Journal of Medicine More about ET from the Cleveland Clinic Journal of Medicine Video - Five Questions with Elan Louis, MD, Member of the IETF Medical Advisory Board The essentials of essential tremor, the most common neurological movement disorder Ask Elan Louis, MD, what drew him to the study of essential tremor, and he thinks about the patients he saw during his residency whose arms and hands would start shaking uncontrollably whenever they wanted to unlock a door, pour a glass of water, or type a letter. “It seemed to me that something in the brain must be really wrong to produce such repetitive, involuntary tremors,” Louis says, “but at the time nobody knew what it was.” Louis started with a project on how essential tremor runs in families and quickly realized that nothing was really known about the disorder at all. “And what little knowledge there was, has turned out to be wrong,” he adds. http://ps.columbia.edu/news/five-five-elan-louis-md New Guidelines Issued for Common Tremor Disorder usnews.com American Academy of Neurology has updated recommendations for treating essential tremor An antiseizure drug called primidone (Mysoline) and a high blood pressure drug called propranolol (Inderal) are the most effective medicines to treat shaking in people with essential tremor, according to an updated treatment guideline from the American Academy of Neurology. Read more. Ask Dr. K: Tremors aren’t always sign of Parkinson’s disease Dear Dr. K: My mother’s hands are shaking more than usual lately. She has made an appointment with her doctor, but in the meantime, can you tell me if shaking is always a sign of something serious like Parkinson’s disease? Dear Reader: The shaking in your mother’s hands is called a tremor. Tremors can affect the hands, limbs, head or voice. The actress Katherine Hepburn developed tremors of her head and voice in her later years. A person can’t control a tremor. Two common kinds of tremor are essential tremor and Parkinsonism. Like you, many of my patients with a tremor worry that they have Parkinson’s disease, but essential tremor is much more common. Read more: http://www.reflector.com/look/gott/ask-dr-k-tremors-aren8217t-always-sign-parkinson8217s-disease-721689 A Noninvasive Deep Brain Treatment For Essential Tremor? Jerusalem Post In a presentation at the Congress of Neurological Surgeons today, University of Virginia neurosurgeon W. Jeffrey Elias, MD reported that preliminary results of a pilot clinical trial indicate that MR-guided focused ultrasound has the potential to safely and effectively control essential tremor (ET), a common neurological condition that affects 10 million Americans. Results from the study’s first 10 patients showed a 78 percent improvement in contralateral tremor scores in the hand, as assessed with the Clinical Rating Scale for Tremor (CRST). Patients’ functional activities scores improved by 92 percent, as measured in the ‘Disability’ subsection of the CRST. Outcomes and complications were comparable to other procedures for tremor, including stereotactic thalamotomy and deep brain stimulation. Read more: http://www.jpost.com/Health/Article.aspx?id=240477 Related articles http://www.marketwatch.com/story/focused-ultrasound-shows-promise-as-a-noninvasive-deep-brain-treatment-for-essential-tremor-a-condition-that-affects-millions-2011-10-03 http://www.mytimesdispatch.com/index.php/your_health/essential_tremor_pilot_study_results_promising/ When Grandma Has Shaky Hands The Orange County Register You remember your grandma had "shaky" hands. Or maybe it was your favorite uncle. They suffered from essential tremor, a condition usually associated with age and often confused with Parkinson's disease. http://www.ocregister.com/articles/tremor-318337-brain-parkinson.html UVA Pioneers a Way to Stop Tremors WVTF Public Radio Medication helps many, but the University of Virginia, in partnership with the state and the private sector, is studying a whole new approach by using sound waves to zap abnormal cells in the brain and produce immediate improvements. John Waterson is a retired professor of history who’s been battling essential tremor since he was in middle school. http://www.wvtf.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=573:uva-pioneers-a-way-to-stop-tremors&catid=48:wvtf-news&Itemid= New life after brain surgery |
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