Providing hope is the undercurrent of everything we do at the International Essential Tremor Foundation. We want to let people with essential tremor know there is hope for better treatment options, hope for increased understanding, and hope for a cure.
The key component in all of this is research. We have to continue to investigate what causes ET, how it is passed down from one family member to another, what tames it, what stimulates it and how we can stop it.
Since 2001, the IETF has dedicated a portion of its funds annually toward research initiatives. To date, and with your support, we have provided more than $750,000 in research grants. These grants have helped fund a study on gene variants associated with ET and one that identified changes in specific cerebellar proteins that could play a role in ET. They have focused on assistive devices and medications that suppress tremor. And, they have helped to establish the ET Centralized Brain Repository (located at Yale School of Medicine) to study, post mortem, the brains of people with ET.
July is a time when we hold our annual Research Appeal. All money donated during the appeal goes toward our research grants. These grants keep hope alive. They are a promise for a better tomorrow, for a tremor free life for the millions of people who are afflicted with ET.
As you consider donating to our research grant program, take a look at this year’s IETF Research Grant recipients that you helped fund through your 2017 donations. Donations can be made online.
2018 IETF GRANT RECIPIENTS
Research Study Subject: Optogenetic Interrogation of Cerebellar Circuitry of a Novel Mouse Model of Essential Tremor.
Sponsoring Institution: Columbia University
Principal Investigator: Sheng-Han Kuo, MD
Overview: The major obstacle for the effective therapy development for essential tremor is the unclear brain structural alterations that leads to tremor. To overcome this obstacle, we have previously identified structural alterations in the cerebellum, the brain region important for motor coordination, in essential tremor patients. Now, we will determine how this brain pathology can lead to tremor by establishing a mouse model with similar pathological alterations in the cerebellum. We will use the novel neuroscience tools to specifically silence the neuronal activities within the cerebellum in this mouse model and we will assess how these manipulations can influence tremor. The results of our proposal will establish a new platform to screen therapies for essential tremor and will advance our knowledge of essential tremor.
“The continued support for the International Essential Tremor Foundation is instrumental for my research in the tremor field,” Kuo said. Only through the continued research, we can advance our understanding where the tremor comes from in the brain and find ways to treat tremor.”
Research Study Subject: A Pilot Study for Quantitative Assessment of Gait in Essential Tremor Using Wireless Sensors; Potential Diagnostic Tool and Measure of Progression
Sponsoring Institution: University of Kansas Medical Center
Principal Investigator: Vibhash Sharma, MD
Although essential tremor (ET) is the most common tremor disorder, its diagnosis can be challenging, and misdiagnosis of ET is not uncommon. The most common movement disorder confused with essential tremor is tremor predominant Parkinson’s disease (PD). Dopamine transporter (DaT) scan is the only available diagnostic tool utilized in the differentiation of ET from PD. However, due to its expense and limited availability it is important to develop a relatively inexpensive tool that can easily and efficiently be utilized in clinical settings to aid in the accurate diagnosis of ET. With growing evidence of gait abnormalities in ET, studying quantitative gait measures may potentially aid in differentiating ET and PD. In this pilot study, we aim to quantitatively analyze gait and balance in the clinical setting using wireless sensors to determine if the gait abnormalities are present in early ET, and whether comparing various aspects of gait and balance can help to differentiate between ET and PD. In this study, we will include patients who have received a DaTscan as part of their clinical care, to help confirm a diagnosis of either ET or PD. The DaTscan results will be considered the “gold standard” diagnosis, which will be compared to the results of the gait and balance assessments to determine if these assessments can similarly differentiate the patients as either ET or PD.
“The IETF has played a vital role in expanding research in ET,” Sharma said. “This research grant from the IETF will provide a good platform to conduct a pilot study to explore the clinical spectrum of ET related to subtle changes in gait and balance and potentially develop a new tool to aid in the accurate diagnosis of ET.”