Scalpel-free brain surgery gives patients with tremor disorder steady hands

Scalpel-free brain surgery gives patients with tremor disorder steady hands

Essential tremor is not the same as Parkinson’s disease, although both are marked by uncontrolled shaking in the extremities, particularly the arms and hands. But the involuntary movements of essential tremor occur only when the muscles are called on to perform a task, such as raising a glass.

When relaxed and at rest, the hands and arms don’t shake; with Parkinson’s, the tremor is ongoing. The disorder can arise spontaneously or run in families and it tends to strike people as they age.