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Name: Tourette's Syndrome
Description:
This casebook is published and has been read 580 times.
Notes
Tourette syndrome (TS) is a neurological disorder characterized by repetitive, stereotyped, involuntary movements and vocalizations called tics. The first symptoms of TS are almost always noticed in childhood. Some of the more common tics include eye blinking and other vision irregularities, facial grimacing, shoulder shrugging, and head or shoulder jerking. Perhaps the most dramatic and disabling tics are those that result in self-harm such as punching oneself in the face, or vocal tics including coprolalia (uttering swear words) or echolalia (repeating the words or phrases of others). Many with TS experience additional neurobehavioral problems including inattention, hyperactivity and impulsivity, and obsessive-compulsive symptoms such as intrusive thoughts/worries and repetitive behaviors.
Because
tic symptoms do not often cause impairment, the majority of people with
TS require no medication for tic suppression.
However, effective medications
are available for those whose symptoms interfere with functioning. There
is no one medication
that is helpful to all people
with TS, nor does any medication completely eliminate symptoms. Effective medications are also available to treat some of the associated neurobehavioral disorders that can occur in patients
with TS.
Although
TS can be a chronic condition with symptoms lasting a lifetime, most
people with the condition experience their worst
symptoms in their early teens,
with improvement occurring in the late teens and continuing into
adulthood. As a result, some individuals may actually become symptom free or no longer need medication for tic suppression.
The
National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) and
other institutes of the National Institutes of Health
(NIH) conduct research in
laboratories at the NIH and also support additional research through
grants to major medical institutions
across the country. Knowledge about TS comes from studies across a number of medical and
scientific disciplines, including genetics, neuroimaging,
neuropathology, clinical trials
(medication and non-medication), epidemiology, neurophysiology,
neuroimmunology, and descriptive/diagnostic
clinical science. Findings from these studies will provide clues for more effective therapies.
| Web Page | Notes | Concepts |
|---|---|---|
| National Tourette Syndrome Association | ||
| Medline Plus | ||
| From Mayo CLinic | ||
| From KidsHealth.org | ||
| Web Page | Notes | Concepts |
|---|---|---|
| From NINDS | ||
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