Evaluation of white matter and cerebellum structures of essential tremor and parkinson's patients by diffusion tensor imaging and volbrain method

Essential tremor (ET) and Parkinson's disease (PD) are the two most commonly encountered tremor disorders in movement disorders. Although they have different clinical features, both disorders may show similar features such as bradykinesia as well as resting and postural tremor. Data from Diffusion Tensor Imaging (DTİ) studies provide evidence to support the link between ET and PD. Our aim is to reveal the similarities and differences by identifying the anatomical connections between ET and PD. Our study included 20 essential tremor (ET) patients with only upper extremity tremor, 20 idiopathic Parkinson's patients (PD) and 20 healthy controls (HC) who applied to the outpatient clinic for any reason without tremor parkinsonism findings and were requested magnetic resonance (MR) imaging. Fraction Anisotropy (FA) and Mean Diffusivity (MD) values were obtained with DTI, while the volume of each lobe of the cerebellum was obtained with T1 images. Obtained results were compared between groups. As a result of the comparisons; Compared with healthy controls, Parkinson's patients had an decrease in inferior cerebellar peduncle (right-left), süperior cerebellar peduncle (right-left), fornixstria terminalis left, superior longitudinal fasciculus (right-left), sagittal stratum (right-left), tapetum right, thalamus right FA values. Compared with healthy controls, Parkinson's patients had an increase in fornixstria terminalis (left), caudate nucleus (right), thalamus-right MD values. Compared to HC, ET patients only have a decrease in İnferior cerebellar peduncle (right) FA value. As a result of the analysis between ET and PD, there is a significant decrease in the FA values of the PD of inferior cerebellar peduncle (left), fornixstria terminalis (left), superior longitudinal fasciculus (left), superior longitudinal fasciculus (right). When the cerebellum volumes are examined, there is an increase in the right lobule V volume of ET patients when compared to PH and HC. There is a significant decrease in the volumes lobule IX of ET and PD (right-left) compared to HC. In conclusion; Stria thermalis; this indicates that there is mesolimbic dopaminergic influence in PD in the mesolimbic dopaminergic system, and it is thought that disruption of the strial networks causes changes in the activity of the cerebellar networks. It reveals the role of the cerebellum and its connections in motor control and tremor.