Thalamic Stimulation for Disabling Tremor in a Patient with Spinocerebellar Degeneration

Abstract

Thalamic stimulation alleviated coarse action tremor in a patient with spinocerebellar degeneration (SCD) and led to substantial improvement in daily functioning, though disability from ataxia remained. Intraoperative microrecording revealed a significant correlation between neuronal activity of the ventral intermediate nucleus (Vim) and tremor electromyograms. The tremor-correlated activities of Vim neurons and abolition of the tremor by Vim stimulation suggest that Vim may be related to the generation of action tremor in SCD. Thalamic stimulation can be a useful treatment option for SCD patients with disabling tremor.