Researcher: Marja Broersma (PhD student)

Thesis defense: 1 november 2017

Second promotor: Prof. Marina de Koning-Tijssen, MD, PhD

Collaborators: Fleur van Rootselaar, MD, PhD (AMC, Amsterdam), Arthur Buijink, MD, PhD, Madelein van der Stouwe, MD, PhD

Funding: Prinses Beatrix Fonds

EMG-fMRI was employed to identify the brain network involved in tremor generation in a homogeneous group of ET patients with the aim to enhance our understanding of ET pathophysiology, contribute to the discussion on ET as a ‘family’ of movement disorders and help determine the best clinical care for individual ET patients. In addition, (r)TMS was investigated for its potential as a treatment for functional (movement) disorders.

References

• Cerebellar Atrophy in Cortical Myoclonic Tremor and Not in Hereditary Essential Tremor-a Voxel-Based Morphometry Study. Buijink AW, Broersma M, van der Stouwe AM, Sharifi S, Tijssen MA, Speelman JD, Maurits NM, van Rootselaar AF. Cerebellum. 2016 Dec;15(6):696-704.
• Bilateral cerebellar activation in unilaterally challenged essential tremor. Broersma M, van der Stouwe AM, Buijink AW, de Jong BM, Groot PF, Speelman JD, Tijssen MA, van Rootselaar AF, Maurits NM. Neuroimage Clin. 2015 Dec 28;11:1-9.
• Motor network disruption in essential tremor: a functional and effective connectivity study. Buijink AW, van der Stouwe AM, Broersma M, Sharifi S, Groot PF, Speelman JD, Maurits NM, van Rootselaar AF. Brain. 2015 Oct;138(Pt 10):2934-47.
• Limited correlations between clinician-based and patient-based measures of essential tremor severity. van der Stouwe AM, Broersma M, Buijink AW, van Rootselaar AF, Maurits NM. Parkinsonism Relat Disord. 2015 Jun;21(6):654-7.
• Rhythmic finger tapping reveals cerebellar dysfunction in essential tremor. Buijink AW, Broersma M, van der Stouwe AM, van Wingen GA, Groot PF, Speelman JD, Maurits NM, van Rootselaar AF. Parkinsonism Relat Disord. 2015 Apr;21(4):383-8.
• Can repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation increase muscle strength in functional neurological paresis? A proof-of-principle study Broersma M, Koops EA, Vroomen PC, Van der Hoeven JH, Aleman A, Leenders KL, Maurits NM, van Beilen M. Eur J Neurol. 2015 May;22(5):866-73.