title: Tourette syndrome and other tic disorders.
abstract: Tic disorders, including Tourette syndrome, are an intriguing group of paroxysmal movement abnormalities that begin in childhood, have a fluctuating course, are capable of causing psychosocial and physical problems, and often improve by early adulthood. These disorders are frequently associated with a variety of comorbid problems whose negative effects may exceed those of tics. Therapy is strictly symptomatic and usually includes educational, behavioral, and a variety of pharmacological therapies. Although there is strong evidence supporting an inherited basis, the precise genetic abnormality remains unknown. A proposed poststreptococcal autoimmune etiology remains controversial. Pathophysiologically, tics appear to arise from an alteration within cortico-striatal-thalamo-cortical circuits, but the definitive site is unknown. Evidence supports an abnormality of synaptic neurotransmission, likely involving the dopaminergic system.
authors.affiliation: Departments of Neurology and Pediatrics, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore 21287, USA. hsinger@jhmi.edu
authors.forename: Harvey S
authors.initials: HS
authors.lastname: Singer
mesh_terms: D049672:History, 19th Century; D006801:Humans; D008954:Models, Biological; D013981:Tic Disorders / Q000209:etiology* / Q000266:history / Q000628:therapy*; D005879:Tourette Syndrome / Q000209:etiology* / Q000266:history / Q000628:therapy*