Sensory-specific Peripheral Stimulation for Tremor Management
Shirley Ryan AbilityLab
Summary
The purpose of this study is to understand the neurophysiological mechanisms of peripheral electrical stimulation (PES) in modulating supraspinal tremorogenic input to motoneurons. For this purpose, the investigators will use transcutaneous PES, high-density electromyography (HD-EMG), transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), electroencephalography (EEG), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and neuromusculoskeletal modelling. This study will be carried out in both healthy participants and patients with essential tremor (ET) and Parkinson's disease (PD).
Description
In Experiment A, the investigators will recruit healthy participants without motor disorders and medications influencing brain function (n = 25). The investigators will characterize inhibition of wrist flexors/wrist extensors and first dorsal interossei (FDI) and abductor pollicis brevis (APB) muscles with PES, and also use TMS to stimulate the corresponding areas in the brain and see if the movement can be reduced through PES. HD-EMG will be used to collect data and identify associated motor unit spike trains. Motor-evoked potentials (MEPs) will be recorded with EMG when TMS is targeted to th…
Eligibility
- Age range
- 18–80 years
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Yes
Inclusion Criteria for Healthy Participants: * Age from 18 to 80 years * No history of a brain and/or skull lesion * Normal hearing and (corrected) vision * Able to understand and give informed consent * No neurological disorders, no tremor * Absence of pathology that could cause abnormal movements of extremities (e.g., epilepsy, stroke, marked arthritis) * Able to understand and speak English Inclusion Criteria for Patients: * Age from 18 to 80 years * No prior history of skull lesions or craniotomy * Normal hearing and (corrected) vision * Able to understand and give informed consent * Di…
Interventions
- DevicePeripheral electrical stimulation
Electrical stimulation will be delivered to forearm muscles with an electrical stimulator (Digitimer Ltd., Hertfordshire, UK) so that they generate forces opposed to those arising from the tremorgenic input.
- DeviceSingle pulse TMS
Single-pulse TMS (spTMS) will be delivered with a TMS stimulator (MagPro X100 w/ MagOption, MagVenture, Farum, Denmark) and a figure-of-eight TMS coil. An MRI-based TMS navigation system will be used to navigate the TMS coil (Localite, St Augustin, Germany).
Location
- Shirley Ryan AbilityLabChicago, Illinois