Botulinum toxin for the treatment of tremor

Abstract

Tremor is one of the common movement disorders worldwide. In the recent classification tremor has been classified into two axes (I and II). Based on axis I feature tremor can be classified as isolated and combined tremor syndrome. Common tremor syndromes include Parkinsonism-associated tremors, essential tremor including essential tremor plus, dystonic tremors, and others. Tremor may also occur secondary to demyelinating, infectious and inflammatory diseases, and stroke. Adequate management of tremor has been an unmet need in clinical practice. Most of the anti-tremor medications have limited efficacy and are. associated with undesirable adverse effects, especially in elderly patients. Several studies have reported good outcomes with the use of botulinum neurotoxin for the treatment of tremor and it has emerged as a useful therapeutic option in tremor syndromes refractory to pharmacological agents. This review describes the role of botulinum neurotoxin in different tremor conditions. This article is part of the Special Issue "Tremor" edited by Daniel D. Truong, Mark Hallett, and Aasef Shaikh.

Keywords: Botulinum toxin; Electromyography; Essential tremor; Parkinson's disease; Tremor.