By Dr .Muhammad Mosleh Uddin â€ĸ 05 Aug, 2026

Essential tremor vs Intension tremor

🔴 Essential tremor vs Intention tremor Essential tremor āϕ⧇ Intention tremor āĻĨ⧇āϕ⧇ clinically differentiate āĻ•āϰāϤ⧇ āĻ…āύ⧇āĻ• āϏāĻŽā§Ÿ āĻ•āĻˇā§āϟ āĻšā§ŸāĨ¤ 🔴 Essential tremor āϏāĻžāϧāĻžāϰāĻŖāϤ 1. Posture āĻāϰ āϏāĻŽā§Ÿ āĻŦāĻžā§œā§‡ āĻ…āĻ°ā§āĻĨāĻžā§Ž arms outstretched āĻ•āϰ⧇ āϧāϰ⧇ āϰāĻžāĻ–āĻž, āϝ⧇āĻŽāύ āϚāĻž' āĻāϰ āĻ•āĻžāĻĒ āϧāϰ⧇ āϰāĻžāĻ–āϤ⧇ āĻĒāĻžāϰ⧇āύāĻž āĻĒ⧇āĻļ⧇āĻ¨ā§āϟāĨ¤ āĻšāĻžāϤ āϕ⧇āρāĻĒ⧇ āĻĒā§œā§‡ āϝāĻžā§ŸāĨ¤ 2. Voluntary movement āĻāϰ āϏāĻŽā§Ÿ āĻŦāĻžā§œā§‡āĨ¤ āĻ…āĻ°ā§āĻĨāĻžā§Ž āϞāĻŋāĻ–āϤ⧇ āϗ⧇āϞ⧇, āĻŦāĻž āĻšāĻžāϤ⧇āϰ āϕ⧋āύ āĻ•āĻžāϜ āĻ•āϰāϤ⧇ āϗ⧇āϞ⧇āχ Tremor āĻ…āύ⧇āĻ• āĻŦā§‡ā§œā§‡ āϝāĻžā§Ÿ 🔴 Aggravates with: āĻāχ tremor during holding a cup, writing, āĻāĻŦāĻ‚ eating āĻāϰ āϏāĻŽā§Ÿ aggravate āĻ•āϰ⧇āĨ¤ 🔴 Pathophysiology : Cerebellar pathway (āĻ…āĻ°ā§āĻĨāĻžā§Ž āϝ⧇ fibers āϗ⧁āϞ⧋ āĻĻāĻŋā§Ÿā§‡ Cerebellum, thalamus āĻāĻŦāĻ‚ cerebral cortex āĻāϰ āϏāĻžāĻĨ⧇ connected āĻĨāĻžāϕ⧇ āϏ⧇āĻ–āĻžāύ⧇ āϕ⧋āύ āϏāĻŽāĻ¸ā§āϝāĻž āĻĨāĻžāĻ•āϞ⧇ āĻšā§Ÿ, Essential tremor. āĻāχ pathway āĻŦāĻž Circuit āϕ⧇ āĻŦāϞ⧇, 🔷 Cerebello-thalamo-cortical pathway (CTC pathway). 🔴 Characteristics : āĻāχ Tremor-āĻāϰ frequency āϏāĻžāϧāĻžāϰāĻŖāϤ high (4–12 Hz)āĨ¤ Neurologic examination āϏāĻžāϧāĻžāϰāĻŖāϤ otherwise normal āĻĨāĻžāϕ⧇ āĻāĻŦāĻ‚ āĻ…āĻ¨ā§āϝ āϕ⧋āύ⧋ neurologic signs āϝ⧇āĻŽāύ, Cerebellar signs, Gait disturbance āχāĻ¤ā§āϝāĻžāĻĻāĻŋ āĻĨāĻžāϕ⧇ āύāĻžāĨ¤ Alcohol āϏ⧇āĻŦāύ⧇āϰ āĻĒāϰ āĻāϟāĻŋ temporarily improve āĻ•āϰāϤ⧇ āĻĒāĻžāϰ⧇āĨ¤ 🔴 Common causes : 📌 Familial (Autosomal dominant) 📌 Idiopathic 🔴 Intention Tremor: Intention tremor goal-directed movement āĻāϰ āϏāĻŽāϝāĻŧ āĻĻ⧇āĻ–āĻž āϝāĻžāϝāĻŧ āĻŦāĻž aggravate āĻ•āϰ⧇āĨ¤ āĻ…āĻ°ā§āĻĨāĻžā§Ž āĻĒ⧇āĻļ⧇āĻ¨ā§āϟ target-āĻāϰ āϝāϤ āĻ•āĻžāϛ⧇ āĻšāĻžāϤ āĻ¨ā§‡ā§Ÿ āϤāϤāχ āĻāϟāĻž aggravate āĻŦāĻž āĻŦāĻžā§œāϤ⧇ āĻĨāĻžāϕ⧇āĨ¤ 🔴 Clinical examination : Classic example āĻšāϞ⧋ 🔷 Finger-to-nose test, āϝ⧇āĻ–āĻžāύ⧇ finger examiner-āĻāϰ finger-āĻāϰ āĻ•āĻžāϛ⧇ āφāϏāĻžāϰ āϏāĻžāĻĨ⧇ āϏāĻžāĻĨ⧇ tremor increase āĻ•āϰ⧇āĨ¤ 🔴 Pathophysiology : āĻāϟāĻž structural cerebellar lesion āĻĨāĻžāĻ•āϞ⧇ āĻšā§ŸāĨ¤ āϤāĻžāĻšāϞ⧇ āĻ•āĻŋ āĻŦ⧁āĻāϞ⧇āύ? 📌 Cerebello-thalamo-cortical pathway (CTC pathway) āϤ⧇ āϏāĻŽāĻ¸ā§āϝāĻž āĻĨāĻžāĻ•āϞ⧇ āĻšā§Ÿ Essential tremor 📌 āφāϰ Cerebellum āĻ itself āϕ⧋āύ āϏāĻŽāĻ¸ā§āϝāĻž āĻŦāĻž lesion āĻĨāĻžāĻ•āϞ⧇ āĻšā§Ÿ Intension tremor. 🔴 Characteristics : Tremor-āĻāϰ frequency āϏāĻžāϧāĻžāϰāĻŖāϤ low (<5 Hz)āĨ¤ āĻāϟāĻžāϰ āϏāĻžāĻĨ⧇ āφāĻĒāύāĻŋ āĻĒ⧇āĻļ⧇āĻ¨ā§āĻŸā§‡āϰ āĻ…āĻ¨ā§āϝāĻžāĻ¨ā§āϝ Cerebellar lesion āĻāϰ features āĻĒāĻžāĻŦ⧇āύāĨ¤ āϝ⧇āĻŽāύ: Mnemonic: DANISH D- dysdiadochokinhsis A-Ataxia N-Nystagmus I-Intention trenor S-Slurred sleech H-Hypotonia āĻāχ tremor āϏāĻžāϧāĻžāϰāĻŖāϤ Alcohol intake āĻ improvement āĻ•āϰ⧇ āύāĻžāĨ¤ 🔴 Common causes āĻšāϞ⧋ 📌 Cerebellar stroke 📌 Multiple sclerosis 📌Cerebellar tumor, trauma 📌Degenerative cerebellar disease 🎓Feel the MEDICINE | for final prof Dr. Muhammad Mosleh Uddin MBBS (CMC), FCPS trainee (Cardiology)