Search Our Scientific Publications & Authors

F1000Res 2020 3;9:505. Epub 2020 Jun 3.

Departments of Psychiatry, Neurology, Radiology and Neuroscience, Washington University in St. Louis School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, 63110-1093, USA.

A boy with multiple phonic tics, one lifetime motor tic, and no impairment or marked distress does not meet criteria for any DSM-5 tic disorder diagnosis. The next version of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual should adjust the criteria for Tourette's Disorder and/or for "other specified tic disorder" and "unspecified tic disorder." Read More

J Clin Med 2020 Jun 3;9(6). Epub 2020 Jun 3.

Department of Psychiatry, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA.

Previous studies have investigated differences in the volumes of subcortical structures (e.g., caudate nucleus, putamen, thalamus, amygdala, and hippocampus) between individuals with and without Tourette syndrome (TS), as well as the relationships between these volumes and tic symptom severity. Read More

Medicine (Baltimore) 2020 May;99(22):e20492

Department of Radiology.

To investigate the characteristics of diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) of the central nervous system in children with Tourette syndrome (TS).Fifteen children with TS (TS group) and 15 normal children (control group) were studied, and all of them underwent DTI. The apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) and fractional anisotropy (FA) parameters were calculated using the DTIStudio software. Read More

Eur Child Adolesc Psychiatry 2020 May 20. Epub 2020 May 20.

Research Institute of Child Development and Education, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.

Tourette syndrome (TS) and other chronic tic disorders (CTD) are prevalent neurodevelopmental disorders, which can have a huge burden on families and society. Behavioral treatment is a first-line intervention for tic disorders. Despite demonstrated efficacy, tic reduction and utilization rates of behavioral treatment remain relatively low. Read More

F1000Res 2020 14;9:257. Epub 2020 Apr 14.

Department of Neurology, Groupe Hospitalier Pitié-Salpêtrière, Paris, 75013, France.

The novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) was identified as the cause of an outbreak of respiratory disease in China at the end of 2019. It then spread with enormous rapidity and by mid-March 2020 was declared a world pandemic. Gilles de la Tourette Syndrome (GTS) is a childhood-onset neurodevelopmental disorder with a worldwide prevalence of about 1% of the population. Read More

Pediatr Neonatol 2020 Mar 20. Epub 2020 Mar 20.

Graduate Institute of Brain and Mind Sciences, National Taiwan University College of Medicine, Taipei, Taiwan; Department of Pediatric Neurology, National Taiwan University Children's Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan; Department of Pediatrics, National Taiwan University College of Medicine, Taipei, Taiwan. Electronic address:

Chronic tic disorder and Gilles de la Tourette syndrome are very common childhood-onset diseases. However, the pathophysiology underlying these disorders is not yet clear and most studies focus on the disinhibition of the cortico-striatal-thalamo-cortical circuit. Although dysfunction of this circuit is possible, routine clinical neuroimaging studies such as T1-weighted or T2-weighted MRI usually reveal normal results. Read More

Stereotact Funct Neurosurg 2020 25;98(2):95-103. Epub 2020 Mar 25.

Department of Neurosurgery, Centro Hospitalar Lisboa Norte, Lisbon, Portugal.

Gilles de la Tourette syndrome (GTS) is a neurobehavioral disorder comprising motor and vocal tics. In most cases it is associated with other disorders such as obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). In refractory cases deep brain stimulation (DBS) is a valid treatment option. Read More

Neurol Sci 2020 Mar 13. Epub 2020 Mar 13.

Department of Neuropsychiatry, BSMHFT and University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK.

Background: Tourette syndrome (TS) and persistent motor/vocal tic disorders are neurodevelopmental conditions characterised by the chronic presence of motor and/or vocal tics. Patients with TS often present with co-morbid disorders, especially attention-deficit and hyperactivity disorder (which tends to improve after childhood), and obsessive-compulsive disorder (which can persist in adulthood). We set out to explore pharmacotherapy for tics in adult patients with TS and persistent motor/vocal tic disorders, as well as its relationship with the presence of co-morbid conditions. Read More

Front Psychiatry 2020 25;11:21. Epub 2020 Feb 25.

Department of Neurology, Charité University Hospital, Berlin, Germany.

The capacity to efficiently control motor output, by either refraining from prepotent actions or disengaging from ongoing motor behaviors, is necessary for our ability to thrive in a stimulus-rich and socially complex environment. Failure to engage in successful inhibitory motor control could lead to aberrant behaviors typified by an excess of motor performance. In tic disorders and Tourette syndrome (TS) - the most common tic disorder encountered in clinics - surplus motor output is rarely the only relevant clinical sign. Read More

Front Psychiatry 2019 28;10:956. Epub 2020 Jan 28.

Clinic of Psychiatry, Social Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany.

Introduction: Although defined by the presence of tics, most patients with Gilles de la Tourette syndrome (TS) also suffer from different psychiatric disorders. While much is known about clinical characteristics of comorbidities such as attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), depression, and anxiety disorders, only very little is known about rage attacks. Most of this data is based on small studies in children. Read More

Nat Rev Neurol 2020 02 3;16(2):84-96. Epub 2020 Jan 3.

Movement Disorders Unit, Division of Neurology, Grenoble Alpes University, Grenoble, France.

In a range of neurological conditions, including movement disorders, sex-related differences are emerging not only in brain anatomy and function, but also in pathogenesis, clinical features and response to treatment. In Parkinson disease (PD), for example, oestrogens can influence the severity of motor symptoms, whereas elevation of androgens can exacerbate tic disorders. Nevertheless, the real impact of sex differences in movement disorders remains under-recognized. Read More

Sleep 2020 Jun;43(6)

Tic and Neurodevelopmental Movements Service (TANDeM), Evelina Children's Hospital, Guys and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK.

Sleep difficulties are common in children and young people with Tourette syndrome and chronic tic disorders (TS/CTD). However, it is unclear whether sleep problems can be considered typical of the TS/CTD phenotype or whether they reflect concomitant factors such as individual patient characteristics (e.g. Read More

Psychiatr Pol 2019 Aug 31;53(4):789-806. Epub 2019 Aug 31.

Uniwersytet Medyczny im. Piastów Śląskich we Wrocławiu, Katedra i Klinika Neurochirurgii.

Deep brain stimulation (DBS) is a treatment method that is currently getting more and more attention from psychiatrists. It has proven to be efficacious and safe in the treatment of neurological disorders, mainly Parkinson's disease (PD), dystonia and essential tremor. DBS has very often contributed to successful treatment in cases that had proved resistant to all other methods of treatment. Read More

Tidsskr Nor Laegeforen 2019 Nov 12;139(17). Epub 2019 Nov 12.

Background: Tourette syndrome first appears in childhood and is characterised by chronic motor and vocal tics. In other countries, the mean prevalence is estimated at 0.77 % in children aged 6-15 years. Read More

Handb Clin Neurol 2019 ;166:165-221

Institute for the Developing Mind, Children's Hospital Los Angeles, Keck School of Medicine at the University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, United States.

This chapter comprehensively reviews the published record for neurosurgical, neurostimulatory, and neuroimaging evidence of the involvement of the cingulate gyrus in Gilles de la Tourette syndrome (TS). The most noteworthy evidence comes from neuroimaging. Neuroimaging findings were rarely exclusive to the cingulate cortex and tended to implicate multiple other cortices as well. Read More

Handb Clin Neurol 2019 ;165:123-153

Department of Psychiatry, Center for OCD, Anxiety, and Related Disorders, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, United States. Electronic address:

A combination of motor and phonic tics is the hallmark of Tourette syndrome (TS). This complex neuropsychiatric disorder is often associated with psychiatric comorbidities such as attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder and obsessive-compulsive disorder. The first step in management is to establish the diagnosis of TS, avoiding potential diagnostic confounders (such as compulsions, stereotypies, or habits). Read More

Korean J Neurotrauma 2019 Oct 18;15(2):199-203. Epub 2019 Sep 18.

Department of Neurosurgery, Gyeongsang National University School of Medicine, Jinju, Korea.

Involuntary movement of the cervical spine can cause damage to the cervical spinal cord. Cervical myelopathy may occur at an early age in involuntary movement disorders, such as tics. We report the case of a 21-year-old man with Tourette syndrome, who developed progressive quadriparesis, which was more severe in the upper extremities. Read More

Mol Psychiatry 2020 02 31;25(2):476-490. Epub 2019 Oct 31.

School of Life Science and Technology, ShanghaiTech University, Shanghai, 201210, China.

Tourette syndrome (TS) is a childhood-onset neuropsychiatric disorder characterized by repetitive motor movements and vocal tics. The clinical manifestations of TS are complex and often overlap with other neuropsychiatric disorders. TS is highly heritable; however, the underlying genetic basis and molecular and neuronal mechanisms of TS remain largely unknown. Read More

Lancet Psychiatry 2019 12 28;6(12):995-1010. Epub 2019 Oct 28.

National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre, University of New South Wales, Sydney NSW, Australia. Electronic address:

Background: Medicinal cannabinoids, including medicinal cannabis and pharmaceutical cannabinoids and their synthetic derivatives, such as tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD), have been suggested to have a therapeutic role in certain mental disorders. We analysed the available evidence to ascertain the effectiveness and safety of all types of medicinal cannabinoids in treating symptoms of various mental disorders.

Methods: For this systematic review and meta-analysis we searched MEDLINE, Embase, PsycINFO, the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Clinical Trials, and the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews for studies published between Jan 1, 1980, and April 30, 2018. Read More

Neurol Neurochir Pol 2019 ;53(5):315-316

Department of Neurology, Mayo Clinic Florida, Jacksonville, USA.

Introduction: In the current edition, Szejko and colleagues describe a subset of patients with Gilles de la Tourette syndrome (GTS) who had dystonic tics (DTs), which occurred more frequently in those with a greater number of tics and likely contribute to impairment. Clinical Reflections: DTs manifest as an abnormal posture that may be difficult to distinguish from other movements, such as dystonia and other tic types. Electromyography is an invaluable tool that can aid clinicians in making this important distinction. Read More

Mov Disord 2019 12 25;34(12):1774-1791. Epub 2019 Oct 25.

Department of Neurology, Charité University Medicine Berlin, Berlin, Germany.

In clinical practice, involuntary vocalizing behaviors are typically associated with Tourette syndrome and other tic disorders. However, they may also be encountered throughout the entire tenor of neuropsychiatry, movement disorders, and neurodevelopmental syndromes. Importantly, involuntary vocalizing behaviors may often constitute a predominant clinical sign, and, therefore, their early recognition and appropriate classification are necessary to guide diagnosis and treatment. Read More

Zh Nevrol Psikhiatr Im S S Korsakova 2019 ;119(8):24-31

Privolzhsky Research Medical University, Nizny Novgorod,Russia.

Aim: To clarify the severity of cognitive disturbances in children with chronic tics and to evaluate the efficacy of cortexin as part of complex therapy in the treatment of this pathology.

Material And Methods: The main study group included 50 children, aged 6-8 years, with chronic motor tics. Twenty patients of these group received phenibut and 30 patients received cortexin in addition to phenibut. Read More

J Child Neurol 2020 Feb 14;35(2):166-174. Epub 2019 Oct 14.

Department of Neurological Sciences, Section of Movement Disorders, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, IL, USA.

Tourette syndrome is a multifaceted disorder characterized by multiple motor and at least one vocal tics that start in childhood, persist for at least 1 year, and cannot be attributed to another medical condition or exposure to medications/drugs. Clinical diagnostic criteria are available, and identification of tics is typically straightforward based on characteristic appearance and features. Diagnostic uncertainty can rarely arise in cases of mild tics, atypical features, certain psychiatric comorbidities, and other non-tic movement disorders. Read More

Front Psychiatry 2019 5;10:638. Epub 2019 Sep 5.

Department of Neurology, Medical University of Warsaw, Warsaw, Poland.

Major symptoms of Gilles de la Tourette syndrome (GTS) are tics, but in 90% of cases, psychiatric comorbidities occur. Self-harm behaviors (SHBs) could result from deliberate action and unintentional injury from tics. We examined 165 consecutive GTS patients aged 5 to 50 years (75. Read More

Cortex 2019 11 7;120:556-566. Epub 2019 Aug 7.

Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA. Electronic address:

Functional neuroimaging studies have attempted to explore brain activity that occurs with tic occurrence in subjects with Tourette syndrome (TS). However, they are limited by the difficulty of disambiguating brain activity required to perform a tic, or activity caused by the tic, from brain activity that generates a tic. Inhibiting ticcing following the urge to tic is important to patients' experience of tics and we hypothesize that inhibition of a compelling motor response to a natural urge will differ in TS subjects compared to controls. Read More

F1000Res 2019 1;8:988. Epub 2019 Jul 1.

Department of Neuroscience, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, 63110, USA.

This is the fifth yearly article in the Tourette Syndrome Research Highlights series, summarizing research from 2018 relevant to Tourette syndrome and other tic disorders. The authors briefly summarize reports they consider most important or interesting. The  highlights from 2019 article is being drafted on the Authorea online authoring platform, and readers are encouraged to add references or give feedback on our selections using the comments feature on that page. Read More

Tremor Other Hyperkinet Mov (N Y) 2019 15;9. Epub 2019 Jul 15.

Department of Clinical Neurosciences, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary and Hotchkiss Brain Institute, Foothills Hospital, Calgary, AB, CA.

Background: Trends in the use of antipsychotics and alpha agonists for the treatment of tic disorders in Canadian children, and how closely these trends align with evidence-based guidelines on the pharmacotherapy of tic disorders, have not been explored.

Methods: IQVIA's Canadian Disease and Therapeutic Index, a survey-based data set, was used to identify prescription patterns by physicians. Respondents recorded all patient visits during a 48-hour period in each quarter of the year, including patient age, gender, drug recommendation and therapeutic indication. Read More

Eur Child Adolesc Psychiatry 2020 May 8;29(5):617-624. Epub 2019 Aug 8.

The Matta and Harry Freund Neuropsychiatric Tourette Clinic, Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Schneider Children's Medical Center of Israel, Petach Tikva, Israel.

Episodes of explosive anger and aggression are reported in patients with tic disorders and probably contribute to psychosocial stress and low quality of life. The source of these symptoms is controversial. The objective of the study was to study the relationship between tic disorders, their associated comorbidities, and aggressive behavior. Read More

Mov Disord 2019 07 10;34(7):936-949. Epub 2019 Jun 10.

Department of Clinical and Movement Neurosciences, Queen Square Institute of Neurology University College London, London, United Kingdom.

Background: A large number of methods have been described that use transcranial magnetic stimulation to probe the physiology of the human motor cortex. Since the 1990s, hundreds of papers have used them to investigate neurophysiological signatures of different types of movement disorders. However, in recent years there has been increasing recognition of the interindividual variability of these measures and a focus on estimating their reliability and reproducibility. Read More

Methods Mol Biol 2019 ;2011:547-571

Laboratoire de Neurogénétique, Centre de Recherche, Institut Universitaire en Santé Mentale de Montréal, Montreal, QC, Canada.

Tourette syndrome (TS) is a complex disorder characterized by repetitive, sudden, and involuntary movements or vocalizations, called tics. Tics usually appear in childhood, and their severity varies over time. In addition to frequent tics, people with TS are at risk for associated problems including attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), anxiety, depression, and problems with sleep. Read More

Neurologist 2019 May;24(3):93-108

Department of Neurology, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, India.

Background: Tourette syndrome (TS) and other chronic tic disorders are clinically heterogenous and cause physical discomfort, social difficulties, and emotional distress. In addition to tics, TS patients have a variety of behavioral comorbidities, including obsessive-compulsive disorders and attention-deficit hyperactivity disorders. TS treatment is multidisciplinary, involving behavioral therapy, oral medications, and botulinum toxin injections. Read More

Mov Disord 2019 06 29;34(6):769-782. Epub 2019 Apr 29.

Department of Clinical and Movement Neurosciences, Queen Square Institute of Neurology University College London, London, UK.

Background: Transcranial magnetic stimulation is a safe and painless non-invasive brain stimulation technique that has been largely used in the past 30 years to explore cortical function in healthy participants and, inter alia, the pathophysiology of movement disorders. During the years, its use has evolved from primarily research purposes to treatment of a large variety of neurological and psychiatric diseases. In this article, we illustrate the basic principles on which the therapeutic use of transcranial magnetic stimulation is based and review the clinical trials that have been performed in patients with movement disorders. Read More

Neurology 2019 05 19;92(20):948-964. Epub 2019 Apr 19.

From the Section of Neurology (H.A.-N., F.J.J.-J.), Hospital Universitario del Sureste, Arganda del Rey, Madrid; and University Institute of Molecular Pathology Biomarkers (E.G.-M., J.A.G.A), UNEx, ARADyAL Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Cáceres, Spain.

Objective: This review focuses on the possible association between restless legs syndrome (RLS) and movement disorders, including Parkinson disease (PD), other parkinsonian syndromes, essential tremor, choreic and dystonic syndromes, Tourette syndrome, and heredodegenerative ataxias.

Methods: Review of PubMed from 1966 to September 2018 and identification of references of interest for the topic. A meta-analysis of eligible studies on the frequency of RLS in patients with PD and controls using Meta-DiSc1. Read More

CNS Drugs 2019 05;33(5):417-430

Department of Psychiatry, Yale University, Yale Child Study Center, New Haven, CT, USA.

Novel pharmacological treatments are needed for Tourette syndrome. Our goal was to examine the current evidence base and biological rationale for the use of cannabis-derived medications or medications that act on the cannabinoid system in Tourette syndrome. We conducted a comprehensive literature search of PubMed for randomized controlled trials or clinical trials of cannabis-derived medications in Tourette syndrome. Read More

BMJ Case Rep 2019 Mar 22;12(3). Epub 2019 Mar 22.

Department of Medicine, University of Illinois College of Medicine at Peoria, Peoria, Illinois, USA.

A 45-year-old male patient with Tourette syndrome presented to the emergency department with worsening neck pain and stiffness of 1-week duration. Associated symptoms included headache, hoarse voice, trismus and odynophagia. The patient was haemodynamically stable without fevers or leucocytosis. Read More

Am J Psychiatry 2019 03;176(3):217-227

The Psychiatric and Neurodevelopmental Genetics Unit, Center for Genomic Medicine, Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston (Yu, Illmann, Osiecki, Smoller, Pauls, Neale, Scharf); the Stanley Center for Psychiatric Research, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, Mass. (Yu, Neale, Scharf); the Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles (Sul, Huang, Zelaya, Ophoff, Freimer, Coppola); the Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, University of California, Los Angeles (Sul, Huang, Zelaya, Freimer, Coppola); the Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Democritus University of Thrace, Xanthi, Greece (Tsetsos); the Department of Biological Sciences, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Ind. (Tsetsos, Paschou); deCODE Genetics/Amgen, Reykjavik, Iceland (Nawaz, H. Stefansson, K. Stefansson); the Bioinformatics Interdepartmental Program, University of California, Los Angeles (Huang, Zelaya); the Department of Psychiatry, University of California, San Francisco (Darrow); the Department of Psychiatry, UCSF Weill Institute for Neurosciences, University of California, San Francisco (Hirschtritt, Willsey); the Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston (Greenberg, Roffman, Buckner); the Clinic of Psychiatry, Social Psychiatry, and Psychotherapy, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany (Muller-Vahl); the Institute of Human Genetics, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany (Stuhrmann); McGill University Health Center, University of Montreal, McGill University Health Centre, Montreal (Dion); the Montreal Neurological Institute, Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, McGill University, Montreal (Rouleau); the Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Medical University Vienna, Vienna (Aschauer, Stamenkovic); Biopsychosocial Corporation, Vienna (Aschauer, Schlögelhofer); University Health Network, Youthdale Treatment Centres, and University of Toronto, Toronto (Sandor); the Krembil Research Institute, University Health Network, Hospital for Sick Children, and University of Toronto, Toronto (Barr); Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore (Grados, Singer); the Institute of Human Genetics, University Hospital Bonn, University of Bonn Medical School, Bonn, Germany (Nöthen); the Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics, and Psychotherapy, University Hospital Essen, University of Duisburg-Essen, Essen, Germany (Hebebrand, Hinney); the Yale Child Study Center and the Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Conn. (King, Fernandez); the Institute of Medical Chemistry, Molecular Biology, and Pathobiochemistry, Semmelweis University, Budapest, Hungary (Barta); Vadaskert Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Hospital, Budapest, Hungary (Tarnok, Nagy); the Institute of Human Genetics, University Hospital Essen, University Duisburg-Essen, Essen, Germany (Depienne); Sorbonne Universités, UPMC Université Paris 06, UMR S 1127, CNRS UMR 7225, ICM, Paris (Depienne, Worbe, Hartmann); French Reference Centre for Gilles de la Tourette Syndrome, Groupe Hospitalier Pitié-Salpêtrière, Paris (Worbe, Hartmann); Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Paris, Department of Neurology, Groupe Hospitalier Pitié-Salpêtrière, Paris (Worbe, Hartmann); Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell, Hempstead, New York (Budman); Child Neuropsychiatry, Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Catania, Catania, Italy (Rizzo); the Stanley Institute for Cognitive Genomics, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, Cold Spring Harbor, New York (Lyon); the Department of Psychiatry, University of Utah, Salt Lake City (McMahon); Children's Mercy Hospital, Kansas City, Mo. (Batterson); the Department of Psychiatry, University Medical Center Groningen and Rijksuniversity Groningen, and Drenthe Mental Health Center, Groningen, the Netherlands (Cath); the Department of Neurology, Fixel Center for Neurological Diseases, McKnight Brain Institute, University of Florida, Gainesville (Malaty, Okun); Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine, Hershey (Berlin); Marquette University and University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Milwaukee (Woods); Tripler Army Medical Center and University of Hawaii John A. Burns School of Medicine, Honolulu (Lee); Parkinson's Disease Center and Movement Disorders Clinic, Department of Neurology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston (Jankovic); the Division of Psychiatry, Department of Neuropsychiatry, University College London (Robertson); the Department of Pediatrics, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati (Gilbert); Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia (Brown); the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami (Coffey); the Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, University Medical Center Groningen, University of Groningen, Groningen, the Netherlands (Dietrich, Hoekstra); University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine, Iowa City (Kuperman); the Department of Pediatrics, University of Washington, Seattle (Zinner); the Department of Pediatrics, Landspitalinn University Hospital, Reykjavik, Iceland (Luðvigsson, Thorarensen); the Faculty of Medicine, University of Iceland, Reykjavík, Iceland (Sæmundsen, Stefansson); the State Diagnostic and Counselling Centre, Kópavogur, Iceland (Sæmundsen); the Department of Genetics and the Department of Medicine, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, New York (Atzmon, Barzilai); the Department of Human Biology, Haifa University, Haifa, Israel (Atzmon); the Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany (Wagner); the Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany (Moessner); SUNY Downstate Medical Center Brooklyn, New York (C.M. Pato, M.T. Pato, Knowles); the Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Research, Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown (Roffman, Buckner); the Department of Epidemiology, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston (Smoller); the Center for Brain Science and Department of Psychology, Harvard University, Cambridge, Mass. (Buckner); the Institute for Neurodegenerative Diseases, UCSF Weill Institute for Neurosciences, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco (Willsey); the Department of Genetics and the Human Genetics Institute of New Jersey, Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey, Piscataway (Tischfield, Heiman); the Department of Complex Trait Genetics, Center for Neurogenomics and Cognitive Research, VU University Amsterdam, Amsterdam (Posthuma); the Division of Genetic Medicine, Vanderbilt Genetics Institute, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tenn. (Cox, Davis); the Analytic and Translational Genetics Unit, Department of Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston (Neale); the Department of Psychiatry, Genetics Institute, University of Florida, Gainesville (Mathews); and the Department of Neurology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, and the Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston (Scharf).

Objective: Tourette's syndrome is polygenic and highly heritable. Genome-wide association study (GWAS) approaches are useful for interrogating the genetic architecture and determinants of Tourette's syndrome and other tic disorders. The authors conducted a GWAS meta-analysis and probed aggregated Tourette's syndrome polygenic risk to test whether Tourette's and related tic disorders have an underlying shared genetic etiology and whether Tourette's polygenic risk scores correlate with worst-ever tic severity and may represent a potential predictor of disease severity. Read More

Front Psychol 2019 6;10:135. Epub 2019 Feb 6.

Scientific Institute, IRCCS E. Medea, Pasian di Prato, Udine, Italy.

In the last years, there has been a growing interest in the application of different non-invasive brain stimulation techniques to induce neuroplasticity and to modulate cognition and behavior in adults. Very recently, different attempts have been made to induce functional plastic changes also in pediatric populations. Importantly, not only sensorimotor processing, but also higher-level functions have been addressed, with the aim to boost rehabilitation in different neurodevelopmental disorders. Read More

J Psychiatr Res 2019 04 7;111:145-153. Epub 2019 Feb 7.

Department of Medical Genetics, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada. Electronic address:

Gilles de la Tourette Syndrome (TS) is a neurodevelopmental disorder that causes children to make repeated, brief involuntary movements or sounds. TS can be co-morbid with other neurodevelopmental disorders, including autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Clusters of biologically related genes have been associated with neurodevelopmental disorders, suggesting shared pathologies. Read More

Br J Pharmacol 2020 Feb 27;177(3):570-579. Epub 2019 Mar 27.

Department of Psychiatry, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, USA.

Histamine dysregulation was implicated as a rare cause of Tourette syndrome and other tic disorders a decade ago by a landmark genetic study in a high density family pedigree, which implicated a hypomorphic mutation in the histidine decarboxylase (Hdc) gene as a rare but high penetrance genetic cause. Studies in Hdc knockout (KO) mice have confirmed that this mutation causes tic-relevant behavioural and neurochemical abnormalities that parallel what is seen in patients and thus validate the KO as a potentially informative model of tic pathophysiology. Recent studies have focused on the potential role of the histamine H receptor in this model, and by association in tic disorders and related neuropsychiatric conditions. Read More

Eur Child Adolesc Psychiatry 2019 Aug 19;28(8):1129-1135. Epub 2019 Jan 19.

Clinic of Psychiatry, Social Psychiatry, and Psychotherapy, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany.

Although the DSM-5 chronic motor tic disorder (CMTD) and Tourette syndrome (TS) are distinct diagnostic categories, there is no genetic or phenotypic evidence that supports this diagnostic categorization. The aim of this study was to compare patients with both diagnoses along a number of clinical characteristics to provide further diagnostic clarity. Our sample consisted of 1018 patients (including adult and child patients) suffering from chronic tic disorders. Read More

Tremor Other Hyperkinet Mov (N Y) 2018 9;8:595. Epub 2019 Jan 9.

Department of Neurology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA.

Background: Anatomically, cortical-basal ganglia-thalamo-cortical (CBGTC) circuits have an essential role in the expression of tics. At the biochemical level, the proper conveyance of messages through these circuits requires several functionally integrated neurotransmitter systems. In this manuscript, evidence supporting proposed pathophysiological abnormalities, both anatomical and chemical is reviewed. Read More

JAMA Neurol 2019 04;76(4):454-461

Centre for Psychiatry Research, Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.

Importance: There are limited data concerning the risk of metabolic and cardiovascular disorders among individuals with Tourette syndrome (TS) or chronic tic disorder (CTD).

Objective: To investigate the risk of metabolic and cardiovascular disorders among individuals with TS or CTD over a period of 40 years.

Design, Settings, And Participants: This longitudinal population-based cohort study included all individuals living in Sweden between January 1, 1973, and December 31, 2013. Read More

Int Rev Neurobiol 2018 12;143:65-108. Epub 2018 Oct 12.

Centre de Référence National Maladie Rare 'Syndrome Gilles de la Tourette, Paris, France; Sorbonne Université, UMR S 1127, CNRS UMR 7225, ICM, Paris, France; Départment de Physiologie, Hôpital Saint-Antoine, Paris, France.

Tics are neurodevelopmental hyperkinetic symptoms typically associated with unpleasant sensory experiences called premonitory urges. Tourette syndrome (TS) is the primary chronic tic disorder for which medical surveillance is most frequently required, and is associated with a complex phenotypical spectrum encompassing different types of abnormal behaviors. Animal models of tics support their link to phasic activity changes throughout the sensorimotor loop of the cortico-basal ganglia-thalamo-cortical network. Read More

J Psychiatr Pract 2018 11;24(6):432-433

KAHN: Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, New York, NY.

Two case reports explore opiate use in relation to 2 different psychiatric disorders. In the first case report, the authors reported the finding that opiate abuse appeared to mitigate premorbid Tourette syndrome in a small series of patients with opiate addiction and that this benefit was maintained with medically supervised opiate agonist therapy. In the second case report, the authors noted a significant correlation between prescription opiate use and delusions of infestation in a large psychodermatology clinic (as well as a separate, stronger correlation with stimulant use). Read More

J Paediatr Child Health 2018 10;54(10):1148-1153

Department of Paediatric Neurology, University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.

Tourette syndrome is a heterogeneous disorder. The genetic basis is complex, and both in utero and ex utero environmental factors may modify the phenotypic expression of the disorder. Inflammation related to aberrations in immune activation appears to play a pathogenic role in some cases. Read More

F1000Res 2018 23;7:1122. Epub 2018 Jul 23.

Psychiatry, Neurology, Radiology, and Neuroscience, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, 63110-1093, USA.

This is the fourth yearly article in the Tourette Syndrome Research Highlights series, summarizing research from 2017 relevant to Tourette syndrome and other tic disorders. The authors briefly summarize reports they consider most important or interesting. The  highlights from 2018 article is being drafted on the Authorea online authoring platform, and readers are encouraged to add references or give feedback on our selections using the comments feature on that page. Read More

Compr Psychiatry 2018 11 25;87:38-45. Epub 2018 Aug 25.

Marquette University, 604 N. 16th St., Milwaukee, WI 53233, United States of America. Electronic address:

Children with persistent (chronic) tic disorders (PTDs) experience impairment across multiple domains of functioning, but given high rates of other non-tic-related conditions, it is often difficult to differentiate the extent to which such impairment is related to tics or to other problems. The current study used the Child Tourette's Syndrome Impairment Scale - Parent Report (CTIM-P) to examine parents' attributions of their child's impairment in home, school, and social domains in a sample of 58 children with PTD. Each domain was rated on the extent to which the parents perceived that impairment was related to tics versus non-tic-related concerns. Read More

J Hist Neurosci 2018 Oct-Dec;27(4):355-374. Epub 2018 Sep 5.

a Department of History , State University of New York at Plattsburgh , Plattsburgh , New York , USA.

In 1878, Dr. George Beard reported to other neurologists that in Maine there existed French-Canadian woodsmen who jumped when excited. Beard observed the phenomenon firsthand and his subsequent reports attracted the attention of Georges Gilles de la Tourette in France and other neurologists worldwide for a couple of decades. Read More