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Elan D. Louis, MD, MS; Jean Paul G. Vonsattel, MD; Lawrence S. Honig, MD, PhD; Arlene Lawton, RN; Carol Moskowitz, MS; Blair Ford, MD; Steven Frucht, MD

Arch Neurol. 2006;63:1189-1193.

Background  Although essential tremor (ET) is one of the most common neurologic disorders, there have been few postmortem studies. We recently reported postmortem changes (torpedoes and Bergmann gliosis) in the cerebellar cortex in a few ET cases.

Objective  To describe more extensive postmortem changes in the cerebellum in another ET case.

Design  Case report.

Results  A 90-year-old woman had a 30-year history of ET. At postmortem examination, there was segmental loss of Purkinje cells, presence of torpedoes, and Bergmann gliosis in the cerebellar cortex. Moreover, there were extensive changes in the dentate nucleus, in the form of neuronal loss, neuronal atrophy, microglial clusters, and reduction in the number of efferent fibers (ie, pallor of the hilum).

Conclusions  The brain in the current case exhibited more marked cerebellar pathologic features than noted in previously reported ET cases and thereby extends the described cerebellar findings in this common, yet pathologically poorly characterized, neurologic disorder.

Author Affiliations: G. H. Sergievsky Center (Drs Louis and Honig and Ms Lawton), Department of Neurology (Drs Louis, Honig, Ford, and Frucht and Ms Moskowitz), Taub Institute for Research on Alzheimer's Disease and the Aging Brain (Drs Louis, Vonsattel, and Honig and Ms Lawton), and Department of Pathology (Dr Vonsattel), College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University, New York, NY.

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