1. Kimberlyanne Morales

2. What is Tourette
syndrome?
 A disorder characterized by recurring
and involuntary movements or sounds
called tics.
 There are two types of tics: motor and
vocal. Motor tics are uncontrolled body
movements and vocal tics are outbursts
of sound.
 In 1886, a French physician named
Gilles de la Tourrete discovered Tourette
syndrome.

3. Other Names
 TS
 Tourette's
syndrome
 Gilles de la
Tourette's
Syndrome
(GTS)

4. Mode of Inheritance
 Scientists believe that tics may result from
changes in brain chemicals called
neurotransmitters that are responsible for
producing and controlling voluntary movements.
 Mutations involving the SLITRK1 gene on
chromosome 13 have been identified in a small
number of people with Tourette syndrome.
 Mutations have been reported in so few people
with this condition that the association of the
SLITRK1 gene has not been confirmed.
 Tourette’s may not even be a hereditary condition.

5. May Also Cause
 Deficit hyperactivity
disorder (ADHD)
 Obsessive-
compulsive disorder
(OCD)
 Anxiety
 Depression
 Mood swings
 Sleep problems

6. Rate of Incidence
 Precise incidence is
unsure, but it
approximately
affects 1 to 10 in
1,000 children.
 It affects populations
and ethnic groups
globally.
 More common in
males than in
females.

7. Symptoms
 Tics can be simple or complex.
 Symptoms of simple motor tics: eye
blinking, facial expressions expressing
disgust, shoulder shrugging, and head jerking.
 Symptoms of simple vocal tics: repetitive throat-
clearing, sniffing, or grunting sounds.
 Symptoms of complex motor tics: facial grimacing
preceded by head jerking and a shoulder
shrug, sniffing or touching
objects, jumping, bending, twisting, and punching a
person’s face.
 Symptoms of complex vocal tics: coprolalia
(saying profane words) and echolalia (repetition of
words or phrases of other people).

9. Progression
 Tics usually appear in childhood.
 Experience peak tic severity before
the mid-teen years with improvement
in the late teen years and early
adulthood.
 Disorder is generally lifelong.
 Not life threatening; normal life
expectancy.

10. Treatment
 Most people do not need medication for tic
suppression.
 If the person is suffering from severe
TS, there are medications to help such as
Neuroleptics (used to treat psychotic and
non-psychotic disorders). i.e. blocks
receptors such as dopamine.
 Other medications such as clonidine and
guanfacine (used for treating
hypertension).
 There is no medication that will eradicate
all the symptoms.

12. Detection
 Diagnosis is made after verifying that the
patient has had both motor and vocal tics for
at least 1 year.
 Existence of other neurological or psychiatric
conditions can also help doctors arrive at a
diagnosis.
 There are no blood, laboratory, or imaging
tests needed for diagnosis.
 In rare cases, magnetic resonance imaging
(MRI), computerized tomography (CT), and
certain blood tests may be used to rule out
other conditions that might be confused with
TS.

13. Bibliography/References
 "Tourette Syndrome Fact Sheet." : National Institute
of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS). Web.
19 Apr. 2012.
<http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/tourette/detail_to
urette.htm>.
 "MedicineNet.com." MedicineNet. Web. 19 Apr.
2012.
<http://www.medicinenet.com/tourette_syndrome/arti
cle.htm>.
 Board, A.D.A.M. Editorial. "Causes, Incidence, and
Risk Factors." Gilles De La Tourette Syndrome. U.S.
National Library of Medicine, 18 Nov. 0000. Web. 19
Apr. 2012.
<http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH000
1744/>.