Project details

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How does alcohol reduce tremor? Neuroimaging in alcohol-responsive versus alcohol-resistant essential tremor

Keywords:
Alcohol Essential tremor fMRI

Researchers:
prof. dr. M.A.J. de Koning-Tijssen
Dr. A.M.M. van der Stouwe
Dr. Jelle Dalenberg

Type of project:
Stage Wetenschap / Researchproject of MD/PhD programme

Nature of the research:
As a student, you will work within our team at Movement Disorders Groningen. We are a dynamic group, with both clinical and technical experts. From them, you will learn how to conduct clinical investigation of essential tremor patients and also how to analyse and interpret fMRI data. You will be involved hands-on in the investigation of both essential tremor patients and healthy participants. You are also invited to join our weekly meetings, such as the movement disorders video meeting, work in progress meeting, and the department's research meetings.

Fields of study:
neurology radiology

Background / introduction
Essential tremor impairs patients in daily activities such as handling cutlery or using their phones, because their hands shake. The effect of medication varies strongly between patients and is unpredictable. The most effective method to deminish tremor is by ingestion of a small amount of alcohol: this is effective in about half the patients. We think that this difference in reaction stems from a difference in underlying tremor-causing brain mechanisms. That is why we will compare the brain activity between patients with a clear effect of alcohol on their tremor (alcohol responsive) and patients in whom the alcohol has no effect at all (alcohol resistant). If we succeed in finding differences in underlying brain mechanism this will give a new perspective for the ongoing search for genetic causes and for the treatment of essential tremor patients.
Research question / problem definition
What are the differences in brain activity between alcohol resistant and alcohol responsive essential tremor patients, both before and after alcohol consumption?
What are the differences in brain activity in response to alcohol compared between healthy participants and patients with essential tremor?
Workplan
We will include 20 participants with alcohol responsive essential tremor, 20 participants with alcohol resistant tremor, and 20 healthy participants for this study. They will undergo an fMRI experiment twice: once sober, and once after consumptoin of a moderate ammount of alcohol. You will be involved in these experiments, both in the clinical assessment of the tremor patients as well as the scanning sessions.
Differences in underlying brain activity will be analysed in a 2x2 paradigm, comparing alcohol responsive versus alcohol resitant groups and ON vs OFF alcohol conditions. You will learn how to preprocess the fMRI data and next how to analyse the data to answer the research question.

Please have a look at the Movement Disorders Groningen website to learn more about our group: www.movementdisordersgroningen.com
References
1. van der Stouwe AMM, Nieuwhof F, Helmich RC. Tremor pathophysiology: Lessons from neuroimaging. Curr Opin Neurol. 2020.
2. Broersma M, van der Stouwe AM, Buijink AW, de Jong BM, Groot PF, Speelman JD, Tijssen MA, van Rootselaar AF, Maurits NM. Bilateral cerebellar activation in unilaterally challenged essential tremor. Neuroimage Clinical. 2016.
3. Buijink AW, van der Stouwe AM, Broersma M, Sharifi S, Groot PF, Speelman JD, Maurits NM, van Rootselaar AF. Motor network disruption in essential tremor: a functional and effective connectivity study. Brain. 2015.
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