Gilles de la Tourette syndrome and voluntary movement: a functional MRI study.
Tourette syndrome (TS) is hypothesised to be caused by an abnormal organization of movement control. The aim of this study was to use functional magnetic resonance imaging to study motor cortex activation in a TS patient. Usual and unusual self-paced voluntary movements were performed. The TS patient displayed supplementary motor area (SMA) activation during both tasks. This activation reflects a continuous use of the SMA to perform the voluntary motor movements required in both tasks. Moreover, the absence of tics during the execution of these voluntary motor tasks suggests that tic activity may be suppressed by additional mental effort.
Fattapposta
Francesco
F
Department of Neurology and Otolaryngology, University of Rome La Sapienza, Viale dell'Universita 30, 00185 Rome, Italy. francesco.fattapposta@uniroma1.it
Restuccia
Rita
R
Colonnese
Claudio
C
Labruna
Ludovica
L
Garreffa
Girolamo
G
Bianco
Federico
F
D000328:Adult; D001479:Basal Ganglia / Q000473:pathology; D001921:Brain / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000473:pathology; D003342:Corpus Striatum / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D009044:Motor Cortex / Q000473:pathology*; D009069:Movement Disorders / Q000209:etiology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D009415:Nerve Net / Q000503:physiopathology; D013788:Thalamus / Q000473:pathology; D005879:Tourette Syndrome / Q000150:complications* / Q000473:pathology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D014836:Volition