TITLE:
Quantifying Kinematic Tremor in an NGLY1-Deficient Individual: A Case Study
AUTHORS:
Brock Futrell, Christopher Alexander Malaya, Dacia Martinez Diaz, Christian Alfaro, Hannah Elizabeth Gustafson, Subhalakshmi Chandrasekaran, Rhea Mohan Phatak, Bernhard Suter, Charles Shannon Layne
KEYWORDS:
Tremor, NGLY, Fast Fourier Transformation, Reaching, Hyperkinetic Movement
JOURNAL NAME:
Case Reports in Clinical Medicine,
Vol.13 No.1,
January
22,
2024
ABSTRACT: NGLY1 Deficiency is an autosomal recessive congenital disorder that has been identified in less than 100 individuals. Most individuals with NGLY1 Deficiency display hyperkinetic movement disorders, including choreiform, athetoid, dystonic myoclonic, dyskinetic, and dysmetric movements. Developing a consistent and concise consensus on the classification and evaluation of tremors is essential to forward the research and treatment of tremors. It has also been reported that some individuals with NGLY1 Deficiency demonstrate tremor, but such tremor has never been formally investigated. The primary objective of this study is to determine if an individual with NGLY1 Deficiency demonstrates an identifiable tremor during a series of arm movements and, if so, describe the frequency and power characteristics of that tremor. Arm movement kinematics were obtained using a 16-camera Vicon system, and time series trajectory waveforms for three planes of a marker placed on the hand were developed. Custom MATLAB scripts were utilized to compute Fast Fourier Transformations of the data within the identified waveform segments. A mean frequency of 2.30 Hz (SD = 1.05) with a mean power of 5.02 |P1(f)| (SD = 4.63) suggests that our participant’s kinematic data did display a persistent tremor in both hands across all tasks and movement planes. Analyses of the reaching hand and the non-reaching hand suggest the participant displayed an action tremor in both postural and intention (kinetic) tremors. Future directions should include assessing additional individuals with NGLY1 Deficiency to determine if the tremor is a distinguishable disorder behavior. Additionally, evaluating other anatomical sites, such as the elbow, head, and lower limbs, would provide further insights into the characteristics of this tremor.