By Dr .Muhammad Mosleh Uddin
âĸ
05 Aug, 2026
Essential tremor vs Intension tremor
đ´ Essential tremor vs Intention tremor
Essential tremor āĻā§ Intention tremor āĻĨā§āĻā§ clinically differentiate āĻāϰāϤ⧠āĻ
āύā§āĻ āϏāĻŽā§ āĻāώā§āĻ āĻšā§āĨ¤
đ´ Essential tremor āϏāĻžāϧāĻžāϰāĻŖāϤ
1. Posture āĻāϰ āϏāĻŽā§ āĻŦāĻžā§ā§
āĻ
āϰā§āĻĨāĻžā§ arms outstretched āĻāϰ⧠āϧāϰ⧠āϰāĻžāĻāĻž, āϝā§āĻŽāύ āĻāĻž' āĻāϰ āĻāĻžāĻĒ āϧāϰ⧠āϰāĻžāĻāϤ⧠āĻĒāĻžāϰā§āύāĻž āĻĒā§āĻļā§āύā§āĻāĨ¤ āĻšāĻžāϤ āĻā§āĻāĻĒā§ āĻĒā§ā§ āϝāĻžā§āĨ¤
2. Voluntary movement āĻāϰ āϏāĻŽā§ āĻŦāĻžā§ā§āĨ¤
āĻ
āϰā§āĻĨāĻžā§ āϞāĻŋāĻāϤ⧠āĻā§āϞā§, āĻŦāĻž āĻšāĻžāϤā§āϰ āĻā§āύ āĻāĻžāĻ āĻāϰāϤ⧠āĻā§āϞā§āĻ Tremor āĻ
āύā§āĻ āĻŦā§ā§ā§ āϝāĻžā§
đ´ Aggravates with:
āĻāĻ tremor during holding a cup, writing, āĻāĻŦāĻ eating āĻāϰ āϏāĻŽā§ aggravate āĻāϰā§āĨ¤
đ´ Pathophysiology :
Cerebellar pathway (āĻ
āϰā§āĻĨāĻžā§ āϝ⧠fibers āĻā§āϞ⧠āĻĻāĻŋā§ā§ Cerebellum, thalamus āĻāĻŦāĻ cerebral cortex āĻāϰ āϏāĻžāĻĨā§ connected āĻĨāĻžāĻā§ āϏā§āĻāĻžāύ⧠āĻā§āύ āϏāĻŽāϏā§āϝāĻž āĻĨāĻžāĻāϞ⧠āĻšā§, Essential tremor. āĻāĻ pathway āĻŦāĻž Circuit āĻā§ āĻŦāϞā§, đˇ Cerebello-thalamo-cortical pathway (CTC pathway).
đ´ Characteristics :
āĻāĻ Tremor-āĻāϰ frequency āϏāĻžāϧāĻžāϰāĻŖāϤ high (4â12 Hz)āĨ¤ Neurologic examination āϏāĻžāϧāĻžāϰāĻŖāϤ otherwise normal āĻĨāĻžāĻā§ āĻāĻŦāĻ āĻ
āύā§āϝ āĻā§āύ⧠neurologic signs āϝā§āĻŽāύ, Cerebellar signs, Gait disturbance āĻāϤā§āϝāĻžāĻĻāĻŋ āĻĨāĻžāĻā§ āύāĻžāĨ¤ Alcohol āϏā§āĻŦāύā§āϰ āĻĒāϰ āĻāĻāĻŋ temporarily improve āĻāϰāϤ⧠āĻĒāĻžāϰā§āĨ¤
đ´ Common causes :
đ Familial (Autosomal dominant) đ Idiopathic
đ´ Intention Tremor:
Intention tremor goal-directed movement āĻāϰ āϏāĻŽāϝāĻŧ āĻĻā§āĻāĻž āϝāĻžāϝāĻŧ āĻŦāĻž aggravate āĻāϰā§āĨ¤ āĻ
āϰā§āĻĨāĻžā§ āĻĒā§āĻļā§āύā§āĻ target-āĻāϰ āϝāϤ āĻāĻžāĻā§ āĻšāĻžāϤ āύā§ā§ āϤāϤāĻ āĻāĻāĻž aggravate āĻŦāĻž āĻŦāĻžā§āϤ⧠āĻĨāĻžāĻā§āĨ¤
đ´ Clinical examination :
Classic example āĻšāϞ⧠đˇ Finger-to-nose test, āϝā§āĻāĻžāύ⧠finger examiner-āĻāϰ finger-āĻāϰ āĻāĻžāĻā§ āĻāϏāĻžāϰ āϏāĻžāĻĨā§ āϏāĻžāĻĨā§ tremor increase āĻāϰā§āĨ¤
đ´ Pathophysiology :
āĻāĻāĻž structural cerebellar lesion āĻĨāĻžāĻāϞ⧠āĻšā§āĨ¤
āϤāĻžāĻšāϞ⧠āĻāĻŋ āĻŦā§āĻāϞā§āύ?
đ Cerebello-thalamo-cortical pathway (CTC pathway) āϤ⧠āϏāĻŽāϏā§āϝāĻž āĻĨāĻžāĻāϞ⧠āĻšā§ Essential tremor
đ āĻāϰ Cerebellum āĻ itself āĻā§āύ āϏāĻŽāϏā§āϝāĻž āĻŦāĻž lesion āĻĨāĻžāĻāϞ⧠āĻšā§ Intension tremor.
đ´ Characteristics :
Tremor-āĻāϰ frequency āϏāĻžāϧāĻžāϰāĻŖāϤ low (<5 Hz)āĨ¤ āĻāĻāĻžāϰ āϏāĻžāĻĨā§ āĻāĻĒāύāĻŋ āĻĒā§āĻļā§āύā§āĻā§āϰ āĻ
āύā§āϝāĻžāύā§āϝ Cerebellar lesion āĻāϰ features āĻĒāĻžāĻŦā§āύāĨ¤ āϝā§āĻŽāύ:
Mnemonic: DANISH
D- dysdiadochokinhsis
A-Ataxia
N-Nystagmus
I-Intention trenor
S-Slurred sleech
H-Hypotonia
āĻāĻ tremor āϏāĻžāϧāĻžāϰāĻŖāϤ Alcohol intake āĻ improvement āĻāϰ⧠āύāĻžāĨ¤
đ´ Common causes āĻšāϞā§
đ Cerebellar stroke
đ Multiple sclerosis
đCerebellar tumor, trauma
đDegenerative cerebellar disease
đFeel the MEDICINE | for final prof
Dr. Muhammad Mosleh Uddin
MBBS (CMC), FCPS trainee (Cardiology)