Novel Therapies for Essential Tremor
Summary
This clinical research program is designed to evaluate medications as new treatments for essential tremor. Essential tremor is a common condition with few available therapies.
Description
Each medication will be evaluated for effectiveness against tremor in a randomized, placebo-controlled, cross-over, double blind clinical research trial. Tremor will be assessed with accepted rating scales and accelerometry
Study Design
Allocation: Randomized, Control: Placebo Control, Endpoint Classification: Efficacy Study, Masking: Double-Blind, Primary Purpose: Treatment
Conditions
Essential Tremor
Intervention
treatments for essential tremor
Location
VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System
Los Angeles
California
United States
90073
Status
Completed
Source
Department of Veterans Affairs
Results (where available)
Links
- Source: http://clinicaltrials.gov/show/NCT00018564
- Information obtained from ClinicalTrials.gov on July 15, 2010
Medical and Biotech [MESH] Definitions
Essential Tremor
A relatively common disorder characterized by a fairly specific pattern of tremors which are most prominent in the upper extremities and neck, inducing titubations of the head. The tremor is usually mild, but when severe may be disabling. An autosomal dominant pattern of inheritance may occur in some families (i.e., familial tremor). (Mov Disord 1988;13(1):5-10)
Tremor
Cyclical movement of a body part that can represent either a physiologic process or a manifestation of disease. Intention or action tremor, a common manifestation of CEREBELLAR DISEASES, is aggravated by movement. In contrast, resting tremor is maximal when there is no attempt at voluntary movement, and occurs as a relatively frequent manifestation of PARKINSON DISEASE.
Cerebellar Ataxia
Incoordination of voluntary movements that occur as a manifestation of CEREBELLAR DISEASES. Characteristic features include a tendency for limb movements to overshoot or undershoot a target (dysmetria), a tremor that occurs during attempted movements (intention TREMOR), impaired force and rhythm of diadochokinesis (rapidly alternating movements), and GAIT ATAXIA. (From Adams et al., Principles of Neurology, 6th ed, p90)
Drugs, Essential
Drugs considered essential to meet the health needs of a population as well as to control drug costs. (World Health Organization Action Programme on Essential Drugs, 1994, p3)
Genes, Lethal
Genes whose loss of function or gain of function MUTATION leads to the death of the carrier prior to maturity. They may be essential genes (GENES, ESSENTIAL) required for viability, or genes which cause a block of function of an essential gene at a time when the essential gene function is required for viability.
Clinical Trials
Efficacy of Levetiracetam in Essential Tremor
Essential tremor poses one of the greatest therapeutic challenges to neurologists. This study will examine the effectiveness of the drug, levetiracetam or keppra, for the treatment of esse...
A Safety/Efficacy Trial of Zonisamide for Essential Tremor
The purpose of this pilot study is to obtain information whether the medication zonisamide reduces tremor in persons with essential tremor and is well tolerated.
Zonisamide in the Treatment of Essential Tremor
The purpose of this study is to determine if Zonisamide is effective in reducing tremors in patients with Essential Tremor.
A Proof of Concept Study of the Effectiveness of Carisbamate in the Treatment of Essential Tremor
The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness, safety and tolerability of carisbamate treatment for the signs, symptoms, and impairment associated with Essential Tremor (ET) c...
Electrophysiological Study of the Effects of Limb Cooling on Essential Tremor
To determine the effects of upper limb forearm cooling on Essential Tremor upper limb tremor using a more practical method of limb cooling through a forearm cold pack.
PubMed Articles
Tremor in hemifacial spasm patients.
Tremor often accompanies dystonia and some other movement disorders. There are no reports describing tremor in patients with hemifacial spasm (HFS). The aim of the study was to assess the occurrence,...
What is the functional significance of nondominant arm tremor in essential tremor?
Tremor in the dominant arm is often the focus of clinical attention in essential tremor (ET) yet many daily activities require both arms. The functional relevance of nondominant arm tremor has rarely...
Advances in primary writing tremor.
Primary writing tremor (PWT) is considered to be a type of task-specific tremor in which tremor predominantly occurs and interferes with handwriting. The pathophysiology of PWT is not clear. Primary w...
Biomarkers demonstrate increased consumption, but not abuse, of ethanol in essential tremor.
Ethanol is known to improve tremor in a proportion of patients with essential tremor. Increased incidence of alcoholism has been suspected in essential tremor patients; however, no objective evaluatio...
Quality of life following DBS in the caudal zona incerta in patients with essential tremor.
BACKGROUND: Essential tremor (ET) is the most common movement disorder and often affects the quality of life. There are only a few studies evaluating the quality of life after de...
