Skip to main content
PMC home page
Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery, and Psychiatry logoLink to Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery, and Psychiatry
. 1986 Jun;49(6):669–676. doi: 10.1136/jnnp.49.6.669

Passive mechanical properties of the wrist and physiological tremor.

M Lakie, E G Walsh, G W Wright
PMCID: PMC1028850  PMID: 3734824

Abstract

Observations on wrist tremor have been made in the horizontal plane using a tremorograph of new design. A small tap to the hand gave rise to a decrementing series of oscillations at about 9 Hz; as these effects were seen in relaxed and in anaesthetised subjects they were not due to neural reflexes. With the fingers partially extended the spontaneous tremor increased markedly and taps again gave rise to a series of oscillations. Under these circumstances there was no modulation of the EMG. It is accordingly concluded that mechanical wrist resonance plays a major role in the forms of tremor studied.

Full text

PDF
676

Images in this article

670Image
on p.670

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. Brown T. I., Rack P. M., Ross H. F. Different types of tremor in the human thumb. J Physiol. 1982 Nov;332:113–123. doi: 10.1113/jphysiol.1982.sp014404. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Burne J. A., Lippold O. C., Pryor M. Proprioceptors and normal tremor. J Physiol. 1984 Mar;348:559–572. doi: 10.1113/jphysiol.1984.sp015125. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Caccia M. R., McComas A. J., Upton A. R., Blogg T. Cutaneous reflexes in small muscles of the hand. J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry. 1973 Dec;36(6):960–977. doi: 10.1136/jnnp.36.6.960. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Elble R. J., Randall J. E. Motor-unit activity responsible for 8- to 12-Hz component of human physiological finger tremor. J Neurophysiol. 1976 Mar;39(2):370–383. doi: 10.1152/jn.1976.39.2.370. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Garnett R., Stephens J. A. The reflex responses of single motor units in human first dorsal interosseous muscle following cutaneous afferent stimulation. J Physiol. 1980 Jun;303:351–364. doi: 10.1113/jphysiol.1980.sp013290. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Hagbarth K. E., Young R. R. Participation of the stretch reflex in human physiological tremor. Brain. 1979 Sep;102(3):509–526. doi: 10.1093/brain/102.3.509. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Hill D. K. Tension due to interaction between the sliding filaments in resting striated muscle. The effect of stimulation. J Physiol. 1968 Dec;199(3):637–684. doi: 10.1113/jphysiol.1968.sp008672. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Lakie M., Walsh E. G., Wright G. W. Resonance at the wrist demonstrated by the use of a torque motor: an instrumental analysis of muscle tone in man. J Physiol. 1984 Aug;353:265–285. doi: 10.1113/jphysiol.1984.sp015335. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Lippold O. C. Oscillation in the stretch reflex arc and the origin of the rhythmical, 8-12 C-S component of physiological tremor. J Physiol. 1970 Feb;206(2):359–382. doi: 10.1113/jphysiol.1970.sp009018. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. MARSHALL J., WALSH E. G. Physiological tremor. J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry. 1956 Nov;19(4):260–267. doi: 10.1136/jnnp.19.4.260. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Marsden C. D., Meadows J. C., Lange G. W., Watson R. S. Effect of deafferentation on human physiological tremor. Lancet. 1967 Sep 30;2(7518):700–702. doi: 10.1016/s0140-6736(67)90977-4. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Marsden C. D., Meadows J. C., Lange G. W., Watson R. S. The role of the ballistocardiac impulse in the genesis of physiological tremor. Brain. 1969;92(3):647–662. doi: 10.1093/brain/92.3.647. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Marsden C. D., Merton P. A., Morton H. B. The sensory mechanism of servo action in human muscle. J Physiol. 1977 Feb;265(2):521–535. doi: 10.1113/jphysiol.1977.sp011728. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Rietz R. R., Stiles R. N. A viscoelastic-mass mechanism as a basis for normal postural tremor. J Appl Physiol. 1974 Dec;37(6):852–860. doi: 10.1152/jappl.1974.37.6.852. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. Sanes J. N. Absence of enhanced physiological tremor in patients without muscle or cutaneous afferents. J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry. 1985 Jul;48(7):645–649. doi: 10.1136/jnnp.48.7.645. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. Stiles R. N. Frequency and displacement amplitude relations for normal hand tremor. J Appl Physiol. 1976 Jan;40(1):44–54. doi: 10.1152/jappl.1976.40.1.44. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. Stiles R. N., Randall J. E. Mechanical factors in human tremor frequency. J Appl Physiol. 1967 Sep;23(3):324–330. doi: 10.1152/jappl.1967.23.3.324. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery, and Psychiatry are provided here courtesy of BMJ Publishing Group

RESOURCES