Reduced Purkinje Cell Number in Essential Tremor

Abstract

Essential tremor (ET) is a common and often progressive neurological disease, with a prevalence of approximately 4% among adults aged 40 years and older.^1-3 There have been few postmortem ET studies.^4-9 While these studies did not reveal consistent structural abnormalities, several noted mild to marked loss of Purkinje cells. However, as none of these were controlled studies (ie, there were no control brains for comparison), it was not clear whether this finding represented a normal age-related change.