MRI Study of Tic Remission in Tourette Syndrome

One of the most interesting aspects of Tourette syndrome is a virtual remission of tics by early adulthood in about half of patients. Information is needed to clarify the mechanism of tic remission in order to guide development of better treatments for this disabling condition. For this cross-sectional study, 10 individuals with tic remission and 10 individuals with persistent Tourette syndrome are being recruited for a one-time study visit. 10 neurologically normal (non-TS) controls have also been recruited to obtain control neuroimaging data. All participants will complete a study questionnaire and a 60-minute MRI procedure. Sequences used to compare the groups will be volumetric, diffusion tensor, resting state functional connectivity MRI and MR spectroscopy. Our primary hypothesis is that the pattern of functional connectivity in individuals with tic remission will be more mature than that of those with persistent tics. Secondary hypotheses tested will explore whether the other modalities can be used to differentiate tic remission from persistent TS.

Inclusion criteria

All subjects: males aged 18-35 with history of Tourette syndrome and at least moderately disabling tics during childhood.

Persistent Tourette's subjects: history of disabling tics during childhood but no longer taking tic suppressing drugs.

Tic remission subjects: no longer experiencing any disability (even social discomfort) from tics. Must have had sustained improvement of tics for at least 3 years.

Normal controls: no longer recruiting.

Exclusion criteria

Tourette's subjects still taking tic suppressing drugs are excluded. Also excluded are any patients with a condition (such as a pacemaker, recent tattoo, implantable metal device, or claustrophobia) that could make the MRI examination unsafe.