FAMILIAL CORTICAL TREMOR WITH EPILEPSY - AN UNDER-RECOGNIZED FAMILIALTREMOR

The authors report three Japanese families presenting with cortical tr emor and epilepsy. The patients showed either tremulous linger movemen ts or seizures as the initial symptoms between 19 and 30 years of the age without progression. Postural tremor resembled essential tremor an d responded to the anticonvulsants such as clonazepam, primidone and s odium valproate. Seizures were infrequent. These patients seem to have the same disorder as what the authors have described as 'familial cor tical tremor with epilepsy'. Familial cortical tremor must be more com mon than previously thought and should be taken into consideration in the patients with 'familial essential tremor' who do not respond well to beta-blockers. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.