BACKGROUND Primarily safe and efficacious treatments for chronic tic disorders are needed. Also needed are such treatments that target co-morbid conditions. Aripiprazole, a dopaminergic/serotonergic agent with partial agonist properties at the D2 dopamine receptor and 5-hydrdoxytryptamine 1A (5-HT(1A)) receptor and antagonist properties at the 5-HT(2A) receptor, holds promise in both regards. ...

The human pathogen Group A Streptococcus (Streptococcus pyogenes, GAS) is widely recognized as a major cause of common pharyngitis as well as of severe invasive diseases and non-suppurative sequelae associated with the existence of GAS antigens eliciting host autoantibodies. It has been proposed that a subset of paediatric disorders characterized by tics and obsessive-compulsive symptoms would ...

A tic is a stereotyped repetitive involuntary movement or sound, frequently preceded by premonitory sensations or urges. Most tic disorders are genetic or idiopathic in nature, possibly due to a developmental failure of inhibitory function within frontal-subcortical circuits modulating volitional movements. Currently available oral medications can reduce the severity of tics, but rarely elimina...

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES Paediatric obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and tic disorders (TD) often present together. However, there has been relatively little research on whether comorbid tic disorders influence response to cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT) for OCD. This study aimed to examine the outcomes of CBT for paediatric patients with OCD and a tic disorder compared to a matched group...

AIM In this study, it was aimed to evaluate the quality of life and self-esteem in children and adolescents with Tourette syndrome (TS) and other chronic motor or vocal tic disorders in comparison with the control group. This is the first study examining the effects of quality of life and self-esteem on each other in chronic tic disorders. MATERIAL AND METHODS Among 62 patients aged between 6...

Tic disorders are childhood onset neuropsychiatric disorders characterized by motor and/or vocal tics. Research has demonstrated that children with chronic tics (including Tourette syndrome and Chronic Tic Disorder: TS/CTD) can suppress tics, particularly when an immediate, contingent reward is given for successful tic suppression. As a diagnosis of TS/CTD requires tics to be present for at lea...

Tics are defined as involuntary, quick, sudden, and stereotypical movements or phonic productions. Despite the fact that tic suppression plays an important role for the patient's ability to cope with tic disorders, investigations of the underlying neural correlates using functional imaging focused on tic generation rather than tic suppression. We examined a patient with Gilles de la Tourette sy...

Tourette Syndrome (TS) is a chronic neurologic disorder characterized by the childhood onset of multiple motor and phonic tics that wax and wanes over time [1]. The syndrome is common (1%) and the aetiology is complex (mostly genetic) and 90% of people have co-morbid psychiatric disorders and reduced quality of life [2]. In facts Tourette syndrome is the most common cause of tics. Other tic dis...

BACKGROUND Tic disorders, in particular chronic tic disorder and Tourette syndrome, affect about 1% of the population. The current treatment of choice is pharmacological or behavioural, addressing tics or the premonitory urges preceding tic onset. AIMS The current study reports an open trial evaluating the effectiveness of a cognitive psychophysiological treatment addressing Tourette-specific...