Why tourette syndrome

Tourette syndrome: Update. Zhang JG, et al. Long-term outcomes of globus pallidus internus deep brain stimulation in patients with Tourette syndrome. Mayo Clinic Proceedings. Gilbert DL, et al. Pharmacological treatment of Tourette syndrome. Journal of Obsessive-Compulsive and Related Disorders. Swaiman K, et al. Tics and Tourette's syndrome. Shaw ZA, et al. Tics and Tourette syndrome. Psychiatric Clinics of North America.

Ganos C, et al. Neurologic Clinics. Ghosh D, et al. Sleep disorders in children with Tourette syndrome. Do people with TS have all of these symptoms or just some of them?

People with TS rarely have all of these symptoms. Most people will exhibit some or many symptoms over a long period of time and in varying degrees: mild, moderate or severe. In milder cases a person may have just a few tics or twitches, which may be confined to the face, eye and shoulder areas. In more severe cases several areas of the body may be affected.

The symptoms wax and wane, in some cases from day to day but more commonly over 3 to 4 month periods. The waxing and waning pattern can sometimes be frightening to people with TS who may find it difficult to understand the sudden intensification or waning of symptoms. Tourette syndrome. Actions for this page Listen Print.

Summary Read the full fact sheet. On this page. Symptoms of Tourette syndrome Levels of Tourette syndrome Causes of Tourette syndrome Additional difficulties for children with Tourette syndrome Diagnosis of Tourette syndrome Treatment for Tourette syndrome Where to get help. Symptoms of Tourette syndrome The symptoms of Tourette syndrome can differ from one person to the next, but may include: A variety of tics, such as eye blinking, shrugging and facial grimace — milder forms of Tourette syndrome can be misdiagnosed, as it often occurs at the same time as ADHD, obsessive compulsive disorder and conduct disorders At least one involuntary vocalisation such as grunting, sniffing or barking that is repeated over and over 'Attacks' of tics and vocalisations, either daily or regularly Other behavioural or learning difficulties, such as dyslexia or obsessive compulsive behaviour Waxing and waning of the symptoms over several weeks or months.

Levels of Tourette syndrome Tourette syndrome can be mild, moderate or severe. These are: Simple — a milder version, including tics such as blinking, sniffing, shrugging and grimacing and vocalisations such as grunting and clearing the throat Complex — a more severe version, including jumping, spinning in circles and compulsively touching things, and vocalisations such as repeating words or sounds echolalia and swearing coprolalia. Causes of Tourette syndrome The exact cause of Tourette syndrome remains a mystery, but research is focusing on a number of possibilities, including: Genetic factors — Tourette syndrome seems to be an inherited condition.

A child of a person with Tourette syndrome has a 50 per cent chance of developing the condition themselves. Boys are three times more likely to inherit the condition than girls. Streptococcal infection — the streptococcus bacterium can cause a wide range of infections, ranging from mild to severe and life threatening. One theory proposes that a particular infection may be responsible for the neurological changes associated with Tourette syndrome. Neurochemical abnormalities — the chemicals of the brain neurotransmitters seem to be metabolised differently in people with Tourette syndrome, especially the mood regulators dopamine and serotonin.

Other disorders — researchers are divided on whether or not Tourette syndrome is associated with other disorders such as ADHD and dyslexia and obsessive compulsive behaviours. Such disorders often appear together with Tourette syndrome. Additional difficulties for children with Tourette syndrome A child with Tourette syndrome may demonstrate other difficulties, such as sleeping problems, poor academic performance at school, low self-esteem and the inability to control their temper.

Treatment for Tourette syndrome Treatment for Tourette syndrome depends on the severity of the condition. Tourette Syndrome TS is a condition of the nervous system. Tics are sudden twitches, movements, or sounds that people do repeatedly. People who have tics cannot stop their body from doing these things. For example, a person might keep blinking over and over.

Or, a person might make a grunting sound unwillingly. Having tics is a little bit like having hiccups. Even though you might not want to hiccup, your body does it anyway. Eventually the person has to do the tic. Motor tics are movements of the body. Examples of motor tics include blinking, shrugging the shoulders, or jerking an arm. Vocal tics are sounds that a person makes with his or her voice. Examples of vocal tics include humming, clearing the throat, or yelling out a word or phrase.

Simple tics involve just a few parts of the body. Examples of simple tics include squinting the eyes or sniffing.