Written By Kaitlyn Wang
Overview of Tourette’s Syndrome
Tourette’s Syndrome (TS) is a neurological disorder characterized by repetitive, involuntary movements and vocalizations known as tics. Tics are sudden, rapid, and nonrhythmic movements or sounds that people with Tourette's cannot control. The onset of symptoms typically occurs in childhood, between the ages of 2 and 16, and the severity of symptoms can vary widely among individuals.
Tics are comparable to hiccups. Even when you don't want to hiccup, your body does so anyway. Similarly with tics, they are uncontrollable, and as a result, individuals with tics cannot stop their body from doing so. Within tics, there are also different types that manifest differently depending on the individual.
Motor Tics
Motor tics involve movement of the body. Examples include eye blinking, head jerking, shoulder shrugging, and facial grimacing.
Vocal Tics
Vocal tics include sounds that an individual makes with their voice. Simple vocal tics may include throat clearing, grunting, or sniffing, while complex vocal tics involve the production of words or phrases. Coprolalia, the involuntary use of obscene or inappropriate language, is a less common but well-known symptom that occurs in a minority of individuals with Tourette’s.
Simple Tics
Simple tics are sudden, brief, and repetitive movements or sounds. They involve few parts of the body. For simple motor tics, these can include Eye blinking, head jerking, nodding, and shoulder shrugging. For simple vocal tics, these can include throat clearing, sniffing, grunting, and tongue clicking.
Complex tics
Complex tics are more intricate and coordinated movements/vocalizations. These tics involve a combination of different body parts or a series of movements, and they can also include the production of words or phrases. Some examples of complex motor tics include copropraxia (Involuntary obscene or inappropriate gestures) and echopraxia (Mimicking the movements of others). Some examples of complex vocal tics include echolalia (repeating the words or phrases of others), palilalia (repeating one's own words or phrases), and singing/humming.
Risk Factors and Causes
The exact causes of Tourette’s Syndrome are not fully understood, but a combination of genetic, neurological, and environmental factors is believed to contribute to the development of the condition.
Genetic factors:
There is evidence that Tourette’s Syndrome has a genetic component, meaning that individuals with family history of Tourette’s or tic disorders are more likely to develop the condition.
Neurological Factors:
Differences in the structure and function of specific brain regions, such as the basal ganglia, frontal lobes, and cortex, have been noted in individuals with Tourette’s. These regions play crucial roles in motor control and inhibition.
Environmental Factors:
Complications during pregnancy at birth, including low birth weight, smoking during pregnancy, premature birth, etc.
Diagnosing Tourette’s Syndrome
Diagnosing Tourette’s Syndrome entails a thorough evaluation led by health professionals, most frequently by neurologists, psychiatrists, or other specialists in the field. The American Psychiatric Association’s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5-TR) is utilized by these health professionals to help diagnose tic disorders. In order for someone to be diagnosed with Tourette’s Syndrome they must fit the criteria below:
Individuals should exhibit two or more motor tics (such as blinking or shoulder shrugging) and at least one vocal tic (such as humming, throat clearing, or uttering words), although these may not always occur simultaneously.
The presence of these tics should persist for a duration of at least one year, with occurrences happening multiple times a day, nearly every day or intermittently.
The onset of tics should precede the age of 18
The symptoms are not attributed to medication use, substance abuse, or another underlying medical condition.
References
Causes and Risk Factors of Tourette Syndrome. (n.d.). Northwestern Medicine. Retrieved December 31, 2023, from https://www.nm.org/conditions-and-care-areas/neurosciences/movement-disorders/tourette-syndrome/causes-and-risk-factors
Diagnosing Tic Disorders. (n.d.). CDC. Retrieved December 31, 2023, from https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/tourette/diagnosis.html
Motor and Vocal Tics. (n.d.). Cedars-Sinai. Retrieved December 31, 2023, from https://www.cedars-sinai.org/health-library/diseases-and-conditions/m/motor-and-vocal-tics.html
Overview: Tics. (n.d.). NHS. Retrieved December 31, 2023, from https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/tics/
Tics and Tourette syndrome 101 | Texas Children's Hospital. (n.d.). Texas Children's. Retrieved December 31, 2023, from https://www.texaschildrens.org/blog/tics-and-tourette-syndrome-101
Tourettes Disorder. (n.d.). Johns Hopkins Medicine. Retrieved December 31, 2023, from https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/conditions-and-diseases/tourettes-disorder
Tourette syndrome - Symptoms and causes. (2018, August 8). Mayo Clinic. Retrieved December 31, 2023, from https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/tourette-syndrome/symptoms-causes/syc-20350465
What is Tourette. (n.d.). Tourette Association of America. Retrieved December 31, 2023, from https://tourette.org/about-tourette/overview/what-is-tourette/
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