Skip to main content
Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery, and Psychiatry logoLink to Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery, and Psychiatry
. 1979 Dec;42(12):1106–1114. doi: 10.1136/jnnp.42.12.1106

Primary writing tremor.

J C Rothwell, M M Traub, C D Marsden
PMCID: PMC490426  PMID: 160444

Abstract

We describe a patient who complained of jerking of the right forearm on writing. Active pronation of his arm produced several beats of pronation/supination tremor. A burst of tremor also could be elicited by tendon taps to the volar surface of the wrist, to the finger extensors, and to pectoralis major, and by forcible supination of the wrist delivered by a torque motor. The subject's writing difficulty and tremor were temporarily abolished by partial motor point anaesthesia of pronator teres. We conclude that the tremor was caused by an abnormal response to muscle spindle input from pronator teres.

Full text

PDF

Selected References

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

  1. Garcin R., Rondot P., Guiot G. Rhythmic myoclonus of the right arm as the presenting symptom of a cervical cord tumour. Brain. 1968 Mar;91(1):75–84. doi: 10.1093/brain/91.1.75. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Ghez C., Shinoda Y. Spinal mechanisms of the functional stretch reflex. Exp Brain Res. 1978 May 12;32(1):55–68. doi: 10.1007/BF00237390. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Rondot P., Korn H., Scherrer J. Suppression of an entire limb tremor by anesthetizing a selective muscular group. Arch Neurol. 1968 Oct;19(4):421–429. doi: 10.1001/archneur.1968.00480040087009. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Vallbo A. B. Human muscle spindle discharge during isometric voluntary contractions. Amplitude relations between spindle frequency and torque. Acta Physiol Scand. 1974 Feb;90(2):319–336. doi: 10.1111/j.1748-1716.1974.tb05594.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

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

RESOURCES