Background: Essential tremor involves the cerebellum, yet quantitative analysis of dentate nucleus neurons has not been conducted.
Objectives: To quantitatively compare neuronal density or neuronal number in the dentate nucleus of essential tremor versus age-matched controls.
Methods: Using a 7-μm thick Luxol fast blue hematoxylin and eosin-stained paraffin section, dentate nucleus neuronal density (neurons/mm2 ) was determined in 25 essential tremor cases and 25 controls. We also applied a stereological approach in a subset of four essential tremor cases and four controls to estimate total dentate nucleus neuronal number.
Results: Dentate nucleus neuronal density did not differ between essential tremor cases and controls (P = 0.44). Total dentate nucleus neuronal number correlated with neuronal density (P = 0.007) and did not differ between essential tremor cases and controls (P = 0.95).
Conclusions: Neuronal loss, observed in the Purkinje cell population in essential tremor, did not seem to similarly involve the dentate nucleus in essential tremor. © 2020 International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society.
Keywords: essential tremor; cerebellum; dentate neuron; stereology; pathology.
© 2020 International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society.