Does Propranolol Reduce Parkinson-Related Tremor?

Propranolol is a nonselective beta-adrenergic receptor antagonist. It has long been used to reduce essential tremor, but how about Parkinson tremor? The authors performed a double-blind crossover study, comparing a single, 40-mg dose of propranolol versus a placebo in 27 individuals with Parkinson disease (PD), assessing drug effects with and without the addition of a cognitive task (stress).

The cognitive task alone worsened resting tremor. Propranolol improved resting tremor both with and without the addition of the cognitive task. The authors used imaging to identify a stress-sensitive cognitive control network, and they correlated tremor power with activity in the cerebello-thalamo-cortical pathway. Propranolol reduced tremor-related act…