A team led by UK DRI Group Leader at Imperial, Dr Nir Grossman, has discovered a way of suppressing aberrant synchronous oscillations in the brain, which cause the tremors associated with some brain disorders.
Synchronous oscillations in the brain have a number of important functions, including regulating states such as attention and vigilance. However, when these oscillations go wrong, they cause some of the symptoms seen in a range of neurological disorders. Aberrant oscillations in the motor regions of the brain can cause pathological tremor movement. These tremors are most commonly associated with Parkinson’s disease, which affects around 145,000 people in the UK, but the same tremors can affect people with a number of other more common conditions, such as Essential Tremor Syndrome. The aberrant synchronous oscillations that cause such tremors are also sometimes seen in people with Alzheimer’s disease, where they result in impaired vigilance and cognition.
Tremors cause people’s hands, head, legs or other body parts to shake, and can be severely disabling. The underlying cause of the aberrant oscillations is still largely unknown, making it difficult to treat symptoms with drugs. In severe cases, brain surgery may be an option, but this is invasive, not widely available and carries risks.
