Cause Of Essential Tremor
What Causes Essential Tremor?
Everyone has some degree of tremor during normal movement which can become worse through stress, smoking, anger or fear but Benign Essential Tremor differs in that it is always present when moving the affected body part against gravity and is very noticible. Although the exact cause of Essential Tremor is unknown there have been found to be similarities amongst sufferers and ongoing research is being done to find if there are neurochemical or brain abnormalities which might be common to all sufferers of E.T. New research suggests there may be a disfunction of the cerebellum, a part of the brain involved in controlling and regulating muscle movements. Many people have a mild form of Essentail tremor throughout their lives which doesn't interfere with their normal day to day functioning. The likelihood of developing essential tremor increases with age, however it can be present from childhood or develop in early adulthood.
Is It Hereditary?
As stated previously, Essential Tremor can tend to run in families and in those cases is most definately caused by a faulty gene. Members of a large family of Czechoslovakian descent who live in America, became known as the 'Iowa Kindred' to protect their privacy. All members of this extended family develop either Parkinson's Disease or Essential Tremor. This has led some researchers to consider that the two forms of tremor may indeed be related but so far this has not been proved. In this particular family Parkinson's and tremor typically begin at a relatively early age with the average being 34 years and ranging between 20 - 48 years. Laboratory tests and post mortem studies showed the family all share the same mutant gene which leads researchers to think that there may be some form of relationship between Parkinson's and Essential Tremor after all. Initially the researchers were looking for the typical alpha-synuclein mutation involved in Parkinsonian type syptoms but were astounded when they couldn't find the mutant gene. The scientists even coined a new name, Park 4 for what they thought to be a completely different genetic mutation. However, on further examination from members of the Iowa Kindred they did find the responsible alpha-synclein gene but instead of the usual two copies involved in Parkinson's they actually found 4 copies
Tremors and uncontrollable shaking can start at any age and many factors are known to worsen the intensity of a tremor, namely fatigue, stress, anxiety, hunger, heat or cold. Alcohol is known to inhibit the tremor but physicians are reluctant to recommend this form of treatment as relying on alcohol to reduce the embarrassment of tremors can lead on to an alcohol addiction in some cases.
