MRI Study of Tic Remission in Tourette Syndrome

One of the most interesting aspects of Tourette syndrome is a virtual remission of tics by
early adulthood in about half of patients. Information is needed to clarify the mechanism of
tic remission in order to guide development of better treatments for this disabling
condition. For this cross-sectional study, 10 individuals with tic remission and 10
individuals with persistent Tourette syndrome are being recruited for a one-time study
visit. 10 neurologically normal (non-TS) controls have also been recruited to obtain control
neuroimaging data. All participants will complete a study questionnaire and a 60-minute MRI
procedure. Sequences used to compare the groups will be volumetric, diffusion tensor,
resting state functional connectivity MRI and MR spectroscopy. Our primary hypothesis is
that the pattern of functional connectivity in individuals with tic remission will be more
mature than that of those with persistent tics. Secondary hypotheses tested will explore
whether the other modalities can be used to differentiate tic remission from persistent TS.

Inclusion Criteria:

All subjects: males aged 18-35 with history of Tourette syndrome and at least moderately
disabling tics during childhood.

Persistent Tourette's subjects: history of disabling tics during childhood but no longer
taking tic suppressing drugs.

Tic remission subjects: no longer experiencing any disability (even social discomfort)
from tics. Must have had sustained improvement of tics for at least 3 years.

Normal controls: no longer recruiting.

Exclusion Criteria:

Tourette's subjects still taking tic suppressing drugs are excluded. Also excluded are any
patients with a condition (such as a pacemaker, recent tattoo, implantable metal device,
or claustrophobia) that could make the MRI examination unsafe.