For millions of people around the world with essential tremor, everyday activities from eating and drinking to dressing and doing basic tasks can become impossible. This common neurological movement disorder causes uncontrollable shaking, most often in the hands, but it can also occur in the arms, legs, head, voice, or torso. Essential tremor impacts an estimated 1 percent of the worldwide population and around 5 percent of people over 60. Investigators from Mass General Brigham identified a specific subregion of the brain’s thalamus that, when included during magnetic resonance-guided focused ultrasound (MRgFUS) treatment, can result in optimal and significant tremor improvements while reducing side effects.

A study in Nature shows that leukemia cells drink up taurine, which is produced in the body and also consumed through foods and in energy drinks, and use it as fuel for growth. This highlights a potential to block taurine uptake as a possible treatment.