Essential tremor is the most common movement disorder, affecting about 10 million people in the United States. The hallmark shaking typically starts in the hands and can spread to the head, voice, or legs. Current treatments include beta-blockers, anti-seizure medications, and in severe cases, deep brain stimulation surgery.
What's actually going on in research
Trials are testing focused ultrasound that can treat tremor without surgery, new medications that target tremor circuits in the brain, and nerve stimulation devices worn on the wrist. Researchers are also studying the genetics of essential tremor and testing whether early intervention can prevent progression.
Focused ultrasound
This FDA-approved procedure uses MRI-guided sound waves to create a tiny lesion in the brain area causing tremor, without cutting the skull. Trials are refining the technique and expanding to more tremor types.
Wearable nerve stimulation
Devices that stimulate nerves in the wrist can reduce hand tremor while worn. Studies are testing whether they work as well as medications and whether the benefit lasts after removing the device.
GABA-based drugs
New medications targeting GABA receptors in the brain aim to calm the tremor circuits more precisely than current drugs. Early trials are testing safety and whether they reduce tremor without causing sedation.
What to know before you search
Eligibility typically depends on tremor severity, whether current medications have worked, how long you've had tremor, and whether you have other neurological conditions.
What types of trials are currently open
- Device trials — Testing wearable stimulation devices, focused ultrasound systems, and implanted brain stimulators to reduce tremor.
- Medication trials — Testing new pills or infusions that target tremor circuits, comparing them to current drugs like propranolol or primidone.
- Surgical technique trials — Refining deep brain stimulation approaches and comparing focused ultrasound to traditional surgery.
- Combination trials — Testing whether combining medications with nerve stimulation or other treatments works better than either alone.
- Natural history studies — Following people with essential tremor over time to understand how it progresses and what factors predict worsening.
Recently added Essential Tremor trials
Track your hand tremor relief with a wrist-worn device over 5 years
This research is a post-market study designed to evaluate the long-term, real-world impact of the Encora X1™ on your daily life. The Encora X1™ is a FDA-cleared, wrist-worn, non-invasive neurostimulator device that delivers personalized mechanical stimulation to aid in the relief of hand tremors in adults with essential tremor. A non-invasive device is a device that stays outside of the body. It is not implanted and does not penetrate the skin. Neurostimulation means that the device uses targeted electrical or magnetic pulses to stimulate activity in the nervous system. This study aims to understand how it improves your ability to perform daily activities and your overall satisfaction with the device over a 36-month period. Your feedback will help researchers understand how the device is used over a long period of time in a home environment and improve the delivery of care for individuals with Essential Tremor.
Complete brain recordings during deep brain stimulation surgery
The purpose of this research is to determine if the electrophysiologic data collected from standard-of-care microelectrode recordings during human deep brain stimulation (DBS) surgery will be the same using the MAVEN device compared with the standard Alpha Omega device with either a tungsten standard-of-care microelectrode (for microelectrode recordings), or a carbon-fiber microelectrode (for neurotransmitter recordings). The number of microelectrodes used for both the tungsten and the carbon-fiber version will be the same as the standard-of-care.
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