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Institute of Clinical Neuroscience and Medical Psychology and Department of Neurology, Heinrich-Heine-University Düsseldorf, D-40225 Düsseldorf, Germany +49/211/81-13014 // +49/211/81-13015 Title of the talk and abstract (max. 300 words, it will not be edited): Source localization and network analysis in tremor.
Alfons Schnitzler1,2

1Institute of Clinical Neuroscience and Medical Psychology, and 2Department of Neurology, Heinrich-Heine-University Düsseldorf, D-40225 Düsseldorf, Germany Tremor represents a frequent clinical symptom in movement disorders. In this presentation recent MEG studies on underlying brain networks of different termor syndromes will be discussed. MEG investigations of Parkinson´s disease (PD) resting tremor have identified an abnormally synchronized oscillatory network comprising subcortical and cortical areas that are driven at tremor frequency or twice the tremor frequency. The same network is also active during voluntary repetitive movements of healthy subjects imitating PD resting tremor. However, increased thalamocortical and decreased premotor-motor-cortical coherence differentiates PD resting tremor from tremor imitation. Administration of levodopa reduces thalamocortical coherence and results in clinical tremor reduction. These findings provide strong evidence for a pathophysiological role of abnormal oscillator y synchronization. MEG investigation of patients with other tremor syndromes, such as essential tremor and hepatic tremor have also revealed abnormal oscillatory patterns which are, however, distinct from PD tremor. In summary, there is accumulating evidence that distinct abnormal oscillatory synchronization in cortico-subcortical loops constitutes an important pathophysiological mechanism underlying different tremor syndromes. Thus, studying pathological oscillatory synchronization as revealed by MEG may offer new perspectives for differential diagnosis and disease monitoring. Curriculum vitae 
Personal Data
Schnitzler, Alfons, Prof. Dr. med.
Affiliation
Universitätklinikum Düsseldorf, Heinrich-Heine-Universität Düsseldorf Institut für Klinische Neurowissenschaften und Medizinische Psychologie & Neurologische Klinik Education/Training
Study of Medicine at Aachen, Kiel and Cambridge/UK Medical State Examination and Full Medical License Dissertation (Dr. med.) at Christian-Albrechts-University of Kiel Board certificate in Clinical Neurophysiology Habilitation in „Neurology and Neurophysiology” at Heinrich-Heine-University, Düsseldorf Clinical, Research and Academic Positions
Residency and Research Scientist, Dept. of Psychiatry, Heinrich-Heine- Residency and Research Scientist, Dept. of Neurology, Heinrich-Heine-University, Düsseldorf Visiting Scientist at MEG lab of Brain Research Centre, Helsinki Principal investigator of collaborative research center (SFB 194) of German Research Council, Heinrich-Heine-University, Düsseldorf Leader of MEG Research Group funded by Volkswagen Foundation, Heinrich-Heine-University, Düsseldorf Consultant neurologist and docent in Neurology at Heinrich-Heine- Principal investigator of collaborative research center (SFB 575) of German Research Council, Heinrich-Heine-University, Düsseldorf Associate Professor and Director of Movement Disorders Clinic, Professor of Neurology at Heinrich-Heine-University, Düsseldorf Professor and Chair of Neuroscience and Neurology, Wales Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, Bangor, UK Professor and Chair of Clinical Neuroscience and Medical Psychology, Head of Movement Disorders Center at the Department of Neurology, Heinrich-Heine-University Düsseldorf Hans-Jörg-Weitbrecht Clinical Neuroscience Award Pollok B, Makhloufi H, Butz M, Gross J, Timmermann L, Wojtecki L, Schnitzler A. (2009) Levodopa affects functional brain networks in parkinsonian resting tremor. Mov Disord, 24, 91-8. Reck C, Florin E, Wojtecki L, Krause H, Groiss S, Voges J, Maarouf M, Sturm V, Schnitzler A, Timmermann L. (2009) Characterisation of tremor-associated local field potentials in the subthalamic nucleus in Parkinson's disease. Eur J Neurosci., 29, 599-612. Schnitzler A, Gross J. (2005) Normal and pathological oscillatory communication in the brain. Nat Rev Neurosci, 6, 285-96. Schnitzler A, Münks C, Butz M, Timmermann L, Gross J. (accepted 2009) Synchronized brain network associated with essential tremor as revealed by magnetoencephalography. Movement Disorders, 24 (11), 1629-1635. Timmermann L, Gross J, Dirks M, Volkmann J, Freund HJ, Schnitzler A. (2003) The cerebral oscillatory network of parkinsonian resting tremor. Brain, 126, 199-212.

Source: http://zagrebepilepsycenter.hr/userfiles/file/Schnitzler.pdf