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Behavioral Therapy May Reduce Tourette Tics, Symptoms
Posted 23 Apr 2011 by Drugs.com
THURSDAY, April 21 – Tics and other problems plaguing people with Tourette syndrome can be significantly reduced with relaxation techniques and cognitive behavioral therapy, according to a small new study. By using tests that measured symptoms common to the illness, the study found that 10 adult Tourette patients improved by 57 percent after cognitive behavioral therapy. Their brain activity also became more typical as measured electronically, the study found. Cognitive behavioral therapy includes relaxation techniques, biofeedback and "habit reversal." The latter teaches patients to inhibit uncontrolled movement by practicing reverse "competitive" motions. The study's lead author noted that the findings show that adult brains may be more malleable than once thought. "Even during adulthood the brain is sufficiently plastic to reorganize its network concomitantly with behavioral ... Read more
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Children With Tourette Syndrome Have Better Motor Control, Study Finds
Posted 25 Mar 2011 by Drugs.com
THURSDAY, March 24 – Children with Tourette syndrome perform behavioral tests of cognitive motor control more quickly and accurately than those without the disorder, a new study found. Tourette syndrome is characterized by repeated involuntary sounds and physical movements called tics, which may involve blinking, grimacing, shrugging, twisting, grunting or – in rare adult cases – blurting out swear words. The enhanced cognitive motor control in people with Tourette syndrome arises from structural and functional changes in the brain that likely result from the need to constantly suppress tics, according to the authors of the study, which was published online March 24 in the journal Current Biology. "The motor outputs of children with Tourette syndrome are under greater cognitive control. You might view this as their being less likely to respond without thinking, or as being less ... Read more
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Can Self-Hypnosis Help Tourette Patients Control Tics?
Posted 13 Jul 2010 by Drugs.com
TUESDAY, July 13 – Children and young adults with Tourette syndrome can gain control over their involuntary tics through self-hypnosis, a small new study suggests. But a specialist in the condition said the research is too preliminary to indicate whether the strategy actually works. In the study, reported in the July/August issue of the Journal of Developmental & Behavioral Pediatrics, researchers used a video to teach 33 people aged 6 to 19 how to relax through self-hypnosis. The participants all had the tics caused by Tourette syndrome. "Once the patient is in his or her highly focused 'special place,' work is then done on controlling the tic. We ask the patient to imagine the feeling right before that tic occurs and to put up a stop sign in front of it, or to imagine a tic switch that can be turned on and off like a light switch," study co-author Dr. Jeffrey Lazarus, formerly of the ... Read more
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Getting Closer to Cause of Tourette Syndrome
Posted 5 May 2010 by Drugs.com
WEDNESDAY, May 5 – A family in which the father and all eight of his children have Tourette syndrome held clues to treating the neurological disorder that can cause debilitating, involuntary motor and verbal tics. By studying the family's genome, researchers identified a mutation on the HDC gene that encodes the enzyme L-histidine decarboxylase, which is involved in regulating levels of the neurotransmitter histamine in the central nervous system. While the variant itself is likely very rare – meaning most people with Tourette syndrome don't have the precise mutation – what's known about the gene's function in the body hints at new treatments, researchers explained. Previous research in mice has shown that manipulating brain levels of histamine by decreasing activity of HDC makes mice more likely to have repetitive behaviors, such as biting, rearing and chewing. "Those are behaviors ... Read more
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Hormones May Affect Neurological Disease Risk
Posted 30 Jun 2009 by Drugs.com
TUESDAY, June 30 – Fluctuating hormone levels may explain trends in the timing of women's susceptibility to neurological diseases such as Parkinson's, schizophrenia, Alzheimer's, Tourette's and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, new research suggests. Significant estrogen level changes occur at various stages of women's lives, including adolescence and menopause, and as a result of menstrual cycles. The onset or exacerbation of neurological diseases are most likely to occur at these times, said researchers at the University of Texas Medical Branch. They found that a number of estrogens acting through their receptors affect the dopamine transporter (DAT). Dopamine is a neurotransmitter in the brain that plays an important role in normal functioning of the central nervous system. "The significance of estrogen-coupled regulation of the DAT by both direct and indirect ... Read more
Related support groups: Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), Schizophrenia, Parkinson's Disease, Alzheimer's Disease, Tourette's Syndrome
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