No abstract

Coexistence of idiopathic Parkinson’s disease (iPD) and schizophrenia can pose great diagnostic and therapeutic challenges because of their pathophysiology. Our case highlights such challenges in management. We present a case of 73-year-old man who had parkinsonism for last several years and was also diagnosed with schizophrenia. Due to lack of collateral information about the onset of symptoms and clinical course, it was difficult to distinguish iPD from neuroleptic-induced parkinsonism. Even though, certain clinical findings may help to differentiate between the two conditions, single positron emission computerized tomography/DatScan was used to confirm the diagnosis of iPD. Treatment of coexisting iPD and schizophrenia can be challenging, and a delicate pharmacologic balance must be maintained to ensure adequate symptomatic control. Current evidence suggests that clozapine is a better choice for managing psychosis in these patients due to its unique receptor profile and better safety data.

Essential Tremor is the most common movement disorder, but many aspects of this common condition are unclear. There have been multiple updates in the field of Essential Tremor in last few years, that has improved our understanding to some extent. Recently, consensus criteria for classifying tremor disorders was published. Special emphasis was on Essential Tremor, to facilitate better phenotyping and understanding of underlying etiology. Purpose was to identify homogenous population of different tremor syndromes. In addition, recent work focused on developing non-motor neuropsychological tests that can be used for Essential Tremor patients. A study used these tests to identify MCI subtypes associated with Essential Tremor. Further studies have been conducted to study gait and mood difficulties in Essential Tremor patients. Concept of early and late onset Essential Tremor as distinct clinical entities was not endorsed by recent neuropathological study. MRI guided focused ultrasound thalamotomy was FDA approved for patients with refractory Essential Tremor. This review summarizes the recent advances in the field of Essential Tremor.