Heterogeneity of tremor mechanisms assessed by tremor-related cortical potential in mice

• Published in: Molecular brain 2015-01, Vol.8 (1), p.3-3, Article 3
• Main Authors: Park, Young-Gyun, Choi, Jee Hyun, Lee, Chungki, Kim, Sehyun, Kim, Youngsoo, Chang, Ki-Young, Paek, Sun Ha, Kim, Daesoo
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Action Potentials - physiology; Analysis; Animals; Cerebral Cortex - physiopathology; Disease Models, Animal; Electroencephalography; GABA; Harmaline; Health aspects; Mice; Neural circuitry; Tremor - physiopathology
• ISSN: 1756-6606; 1756-6606
• DOI: 10.1186/s13041-015-0093-2

Identifying a neural circuit mechanism that is differentially involved in tremor would aid in the diagnosis and cure of such cases. Here, we demonstrate that tremor-related cortical potential (TRCP) is differentially expressed in two different mouse models of tremor. Hybrid tremor analysis of harmaline-induced and genetic tremor in mice revealed that two authentic tremor frequencies for each type of tremor were conserved and showed an opposite dependence on CaV3.1 T-type Ca(2+) channels. Electroencephalogram recordings revealed that α1(-/-);α1G(-/-) mice double-null for the GABA receptor α1 subunit (Gabra1) and CaV3.1 T-type Ca(2+) channels (Cacna1g), in which the tremor caused by the absence of Gabra1 is potentiated by the absence of Cacna1g, showed a coherent TRCP that exhibited an onset that preceded the initiation of behavioral tremor by 3 ms. However, harmaline-induced tremor, which is known to be abolished by α1G(-/-), showed no TRCP. Our results demonstrate that the α1(-/-);α1G(-/-) double-knockout tremor model is useful for studying cortical mechanisms of tremor.