Coherence of coactivation and acceleration in task-specific primary bowing tremor

Abstract

Coherences between coactivation of wrist antagonist muscles and movement fluctuation were assessed in four violinists with a task-specific tremor and four age-matched healthy violinists using electromyography and accelerometer. We found coherence between individual muscular activation and tremor only in patients at a frequency range of 3-8 Hz. The finding corroborates the notion that primary bowing tremor emerges mainly due to central neurogenic contributions via motor-unit synchronization. Furthermore, the coherence between the muscular coactivation and tremor suggests a relation of the tremor to dystonia.