Essential Tremor News and Research

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DaTscan allows doctors to differentiate Parkinson's from other movement disorders

Thanks to a new diagnostic imaging technique, physicians now have an objective test to evaluate patients for parkinsonian syndromes, such as Parkinson's disease. Northwestern Memorial Hospital is among the first institutions in the country to offer DaTscan-, the only FDA-approved imaging agent for assessment of movement disorders.

26 Aug 2011

Elite task force provides insights and guidance on deep brain stimulation for dystonia

Neurologist Michele Tagliati, MD, director of the Movement Disorders Program at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, served on an elite international task force commissioned by the Movement Disorder Society to provide insights and guidance on deep brain stimulation for dystonia, an uncommon condition that causes sustained, sometimes crippling muscle contractions.

22 Jul 2011

Deep brain stimulation benefits people with Parkinson's, essential tremor

Tom Keilen couldn't grab a glass of water without spilling it all over himself. Plagued with uncontrollable tremors at just 57 years old, the Michigan resident was fighting a battle against an aggressive case of Parkinson's disease.

21 Jul 2011

MR-guided focused ultrasound effective for treating essential tremor

The last ten years have been challenging for Billy R. Williams of Fort Valley, Virginia. The former Pentagon employee, who survived the 9/11 terrorist attack, has suffered from essential tremor, a progressive and debilitating neurological disorder.

30 Jun 2011

Scientific evidence is key driver for gaining reimbursement for MR-guided focused ultrasound

Medical researchers have a critical role to play in gaining optimal health insurance reimbursement for MR-guided focused ultrasound. As Susan Klees, Director of Patient Access for the Focused Ultrasound Surgery Foundation, reports, "Scientific evidence is the key driver for reimbursement, and it all begins with the way studies are designed. Today, research priorities must be grounded in sound science as well as the realities of the marketplace."

24 Jun 2011

GTRI develops novel iPhone application for patients with Parkinson's

Researchers at the Georgia Tech Research Institute (GTRI) have developed a novel iPhone application that may enable persons with Parkinson's disease and certain other neurological conditions to use the ubiquitous devices to collect data on hand and arm tremors and relay the results to medical personnel.

24 Jun 2011

Study: DBS surgery allows 77% of patients to stop anti-tremor medication use

Deep brain stimulation, a surgical procedure to suppress faulty nerve signals, allowed 77 percent of patients to stop the medications used to treat their essential tremors within one year following the surgery, University of South Florida researchers report.

8 Apr 2011

Patients with dystonia can benefit from deep brain stimulation therapy

Patients suffering from dystonia, an uncommon yet potentially crippling movement disorder, get better results if they begin deep brain stimulation therapy sooner rather than later, according to an international study published in the March issue of the Journal of Neurology.

30 Mar 2011

New discovery may improve cochlear implants for deafness

University of Utah scientists used invisible infrared light to make rat heart cells contract and toadfish inner-ear cells send signals to the brain.

28 Mar 2011

65-year-old woman receives new neurostimulator implant for deep brain stimulation therapy

A 65-year-old woman with Parkinson's disease became the first patient in the United States to receive a new device for deep brain stimulation (DBS) therapy.

17 Mar 2011

Medtronic introduces Activa SC deep brain stimulation system in the U.S. and Europe

With the first U.S. implant of its new Activa SC neurostimulator for deep brain stimulation therapy, Medtronic, Inc. today announced the technology's commercial availability throughout the United States and Europe.

17 Mar 2011

Noninvasive MR-guided focused ultrasound successfully treats essential tremor

A new chapter in medical history opened days ago when noninvasive MR-guided focused ultrasound was used to successfully treat a patient with essential tremor (ET), a progressive neurological disorder that affects millions of people worldwide and causes involuntary shaking of the hands, head, face, eyelids, voice or other muscles.

10 Mar 2011

Brain implant surgery can improve life for people with cervical dystonia

Implanting electrodes into a pea-sized part of the brain can dramatically improve life for people with severe cervical dystonia - a rare but extremely debilitating condition that causes painful, twisting neck muscle spasms - according to the results of a pilot study led by Jill Ostrem, MD and Philip Starr, MD PhD at the University of California, San Francisco.

9 Mar 2011

WINCS detects and measures serotonin levels in brain through deep brain stimulation

Mayo Clinic researchers have concluded that, through deep brain stimulation, a Wireless Instantaneous Neurotransmitter Concentration System (WINCS) can detect and measure serotonin levels in the brain. The findings suggest that in the future such measurements of serotonin may help establish a therapeutic mechanism of deep brain stimulation for psychiatric disease.

16 Feb 2011

WINCS device can detect and measure serotonin levels in brain: Mayo Clinic

Mayo Clinic researchers have concluded that, through deep brain stimulation, a Wireless Instantaneous Neurotransmitter Concentration System can detect and measure serotonin levels in the brain. The findings suggest that in the future such measurements of serotonin may help establish a therapeutic mechanism of deep brain stimulation for psychiatric disease.

5 Feb 2011

Manhattan Pharmaceuticals reports preliminary results from AST-915 Phase 1/2 study in essential tremor

Manhattan Pharmaceuticals, Inc. announced preliminary results today from a Phase 1/2 study of AST-915 for the treatment of essential tremor. Data from this single dose study demonstrated that AST-915 was safe and well tolerated and demonstrated a clear effect on tremor power.

16 Dec 2010

IETF announces March as National Essential Tremor Awareness Month

The International Essential Tremor Foundation is proud to announce that the United States House of Representatives formally passed House Resolution 1264 sponsored by Congressman Dennis Moore officially designating the month of March as "National Essential Tremor Awareness Month".

10 Dec 2010

FDA clears Multi-Lead Trialing Cable for SCS therapy

Medtronic Inc., the leader in spinal cord stimulation for more than 25 years, today announced U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) clearance and the global launch of the Multi-Lead Trialing Cable for use in the patient screening test for Medtronic spinal cord stimulation (SCS) therapy.

19 Nov 2010

Integra launches CRW Precision Arc Stereotactic System for neurosurgery

Integra LifeSciences Holdings Corporation announced today the launch of the CRW Precision™ Arc Stereotactic System, a multi-purpose stereotactic system used for localizing intra-cranial targets and precisely directing instruments to the target in cases such as brain biopsy, tumor resection, and Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) surgeries.

18 Oct 2010

Focused Ultrasound Surgery Foundation hosts conference to discuss advancements in therapeutic medicine

The Focused Ultrasound Surgery Foundation is hosting the 2nd International Symposium on MR-guided Focused Ultrasound in Chantilly, Virginia from October 17-20. Leading researchers and clinicians from around the world will gather at the three-day scientific conference to present and discuss the latest advancements in one of the most revolutionary and promising areas of therapeutic medicine.

6 Oct 2010