Tourette syndrome
Tourette syndrome, also known as Gilles de la Tourette syndrome, is a neurological disorder characterized by the presence of multiple motor tics and at least one vocal tic. These involuntary movements and sounds can significantly impair social functioning and often lead to stress and low self-esteem. Symptoms typically manifest in childhood, with the onset occurring between ages two and seven, although they can begin in the teenage years as well. The precise causes of Tourette syndrome remain unknown, though genetic factors and brain chemistry anomalies are being researched.
Individuals with Tourette syndrome may experience a range of symptoms, including eye blinking, facial grimacing, and unusual vocalizations such as grunting or throat clearing. While some children may outgrow the disorder by their twenties, it is generally considered a lifelong condition. Treatment approaches include relaxation techniques, counseling, and medication, with therapies like Comprehensive Behavioral Intervention for Tics (CBIT) showing promise in managing symptoms. The evolution of understanding and treatment for Tourette syndrome has improved significantly since it was first identified in the late 19th century, reflecting a growing recognition of the disorder's complexity and the importance of addressing both physical and emotional challenges faced by those affected.
Tourette syndrome
ALSO KNOWN AS: Gilles de la Tourette syndrome
ANATOMY OR SYSTEM AFFECTED: Brain, muscles, musculoskeletal system, nerves, nervous system, psychic-emotional system
DEFINITION: A disorder characterized by recurrent, multiple motor tics and one or more vocal tics that causes stress and impairs social functioning.
CAUSES: Unknown; possibly genetic
SYMPTOMS: Repetitive eye blinking, tongue protrusion, facial grimacing, or other head movements; unusual vocalizations (grunting, coughing, throat clearing); involuntary touching, knee bends, touching of objects in sequence, or other repetitive behaviors
DURATION: Chronic
TREATMENTS: Relaxation techniques, drug therapy, counseling, touch therapy, music therapy
Causes and Symptoms
Tourette syndrome is a disorder marked by multiple motor tics , involuntary vocalizations, and significant impairment of social functioning, often resulting in low self-esteem. For a diagnosis of Tourette syndrome, the symptoms must persist for a period of at least one year, although they may decrease or subside during that time for brief periods of three months or less. Onset must be prior to eighteen years of age. The motor and vocal tics manifested must not be a consequence of drug use or the result of a previously existing medical condition such as Huntington’s chorea.
Definitive causes for Tourette syndrome remain under investigation. Research in the late 1990s and early 2000s included an exploration of genetic factors that might cause a susceptibility to the disorder and studies of the frequency of the disorder in subsequent generations within families. Studies in brain chemistry were also conducted.
Tourette syndrome differs from a disease in that sufferers manifest a number of symptoms that occur together. Symptoms may be seen in sequence or in combination. Simple motor or vocal tics are most often first noticed in children between the ages of two and seven, but initial symptoms may not be seen until the teenage years. Typically, the first symptoms noticed are simple motor tics such as eye blinking, tongue protrusion, facial grimacing, or other movements in the head area, such as grunting, coughing, throat clearing, or unusual vocalizations.
Complex motor tics include such behaviors as involuntary touching, knee bends, touching of objects in sequence, or other repetitive behaviors. Although many patients first display eye blinks, the anatomical location, severity, and frequency of the tics may change over time. As a child matures, the tics may involve other areas of the body, such as the torso or the limbs.
The social implications of this disorder are as important as the physical ones for a child with Tourette syndrome. Such motor tics as touching inappropriately and involuntary utterances and outbursts can be disastrous to both self-image and social standing. Palilalia, echolalia, coprolalia, copropraxia, and bizarre behaviors brought about by involuntary compulsions cause affected children much anxiety. That their symptoms may mimic or coexist with other disorders is another concern. Although some children may outgrow the disorder in their twenties, generally Tourette syndrome is a lifelong disorder. With concentration and relaxation techniques, tics may be delayed or suppressed for brief periods, but they present ongoing problems for those living with Tourette syndrome.
Treatment and Therapy
By the turn of the twenty-first century, physical treatment for Tourette syndrome involved a combination of relaxation techniques and medication therapy. Counseling has also proven useful in conjunction with other treatments, by helping patients to deal with the social and emotional effects of this disorder. Relaxation techniques such as visualization of a calm setting and a variety of related therapies have proven successful in reducing the number and severity of the tics. Touch therapy and related techniques such as stroking and rocking have been helpful in reducing stress, as have some forms of massage. Comprehensive behavioral intervention for tics (CBIT), which involves helping the patient navigate situations that trigger tics and learn to substitute a new behavior for some tics, has been successful.
Music is another effective means of relaxing the mind and the body. Some researchers have recommended that musical selections with a beat close to one’s resting heartbeat are the most effective in reducing stress levels. Musical instruments and other forms of creative expression have proved to be effective tools against stress and associated tics. Hobbies, diaries, written expression, and counseling have all been used effectively to treat the physical and emotional symptoms of Tourette syndrome.
A number of medication therapies are also being used. The blood-pressure medication clonidine has been helpful in the treatment of tics, with some side effects. Antiseizure medications have also had success, but with undesirable side effects. Children with related disorders such as Attention-deficit disorder (ADD) have been treated successfully with Ritalin. Drugs such as Anafinil and Prozac have proven useful in treating obsessive-compulsive disorder and other anxiety disorders sometimes seen in conjunction with Tourette syndrome. Dopamine blockers such as fluphenazine and haloperidol have also been shown to reduce tics, but these medications can also cause unwanted side effects.
Perspective and Prospects
Treatment and understanding have evolved substantially since 1885 when Georges Gilles de la Tourette first identified Tourette syndrome, which was thought to be a psychological disorder influenced by environmental factors. Many significant gains have been made since the 1980s in the clinical and scientific understanding of this complex disorder. Research in the late 1990s and early 2000s explored connections between brain chemistry and Tourette syndrome, with some studies indicating that abnormal dopamine and serotonin levels in the brain may be a factor. The role of in the and manifestation of the disorder has also been studied extensively, although the specific genes involved in Tourette syndrome are still being identified. Promising new medications continue to be developed as well.
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