HOME >> MEDICINE >> NEWS
What Makes Tics Tick? Clues Found In Tourette Twins' Caudates

For the first time, scientists have a neurobiological explanation for the variation in severity of tics in Tourette Syndrome. Researchers at the National Institute of Mental Health have traced such symptom differences to "supersensitivity" of certain neurotransmitter receptors in the brain structure responsible for carrying out automatic behaviors. They suggest that this dysfunction may underlie the compulsion to act out the sudden movements and vocalizations that characterize Tourette Syndrome, which affects about 100,000 Americans with its full-blown form and up to 0.5% of the population with milder symptoms. The researchers report on their findings in the August 30th issue of Science.

In a brain imaging study of identical twins differently affected by the disorder, Daniel Weinberger, M.D., Steven Wolf, M.D., and colleagues in the NIMH Clinical Brain Disorders Branch found that binding to D2 dopamine receptors in the caudate nucleus was higher in the sibling with the more severe symptoms.

"Strikingly, the degree to which the twins differed in this caudate D-2 binding predicted almost absolutely their differences in tic severity," said Weinberger. "This also likely explains the ebb and flow of tics experienced over the course of Tourette Syndrome and its overlap with obsessive compulsive disorder.

"While we know that genetics plays an important role in transmission of Tourette Syndrome, the fact that identical twins show differences in symptom severity suggests that environmental influences modify the clinical expression of the disorder," he explained. "We studied identical twins discordant for such symptom severity to control for normal genetic variation in brain function."

Although previous studies comparing unrelated Tourette patients with unaffected persons had failed to show differences in dopamine system function, the NIMH investigators
'"/>

Contact: Jules Asher
jasher@box-j.nih.gov
301-443-4536
NIH/National Institute of Mental Health
3-Sep-1996


Page: 1 2 3

Related medicine news :

1. New Procedure Makes A Successful Transplant Possible
2. Treating Depression Makes A Healthier Heart
3. Active Aging Makes A Difference: World Health Day 1999 Set April 7
4. PAHO Responds To Countries Affected By Hurricane Georges, Makes Appeal For Emergency Funds For Haiti And Dominican Republic
5. Clues to heart disease seen in cholesterol reactions to stress
6. USC Historian Sifts Worlds Oldest Printed Medical Books For Clues To Riddle Of Gender
7. Researchers Uncover Clues About Gateway To The Brain
8. Views Of Tamoxifen And Synthetic Estrogen In Action Provide Clues For Designing Better Drugs
9. How Ritalin Enhances Memory: Clues Provided By Brain Scans of ADHD Patients Using The Drug
10. Can you read my mind? W.M. Keck Foundation funds innovative brain research at Carnegie Mellon
11. Top honor for head of Epilepsy Foundation

Post Your Comments:
*Name:
*Comment:
*Email:
TAG: What Makes Tics Tick Clues Found Tourette Twins Caudates

(Date:6/19/2013)... UT (PRWEB) June 19, 2013 ... , In July 2013, Orriant is launching a ... rates, and maintain compliance with regulations. New ... to receive wellness incentives if their employer offers ... they have been compliant with these standards for ...
(Date:6/19/2013)... Citi Bike has come to New York City in a ... know for sure how many patients will choose to take advantage ... option. In fact, he’s happy about anything that might help ... more convenient for them to visit his office at 133 East ... Medicine at Back and Body Medical and an experienced NYC ...
(Date:6/19/2013)... trauma surgery have had a significant impact on ... major injuries, including burns. Patients who survive ... at greatest risk from infections particularly the ... or from inflammation-induced multiorgan failure. Now, a ... that measures the movement of key immune cells ...
(Date:6/19/2013)... The results of three important studies have been published ... journal of the Congress of Neurological Surgeons . ... & Wilkins , a part of Wolters Kluwer ... learning" using artificial neural networks (ANNs) may improve the ... cancers. Another study in the June Neurosurgery ...
(Date:6/19/2013)... available in Spanish . ... diseases, it goes by the name of the 10/90 gap: ... to conditions that accounted for 90 per cent of the ... the Drugs for Neglected Diseases initiative (DNDi) came into being ... has been granted the BBVA Foundation Frontiers of Knowledge Award ...
Breaking Medicine News(10 mins):Health News:New Tool to Increase Participation Rates for Corporate Wellness Programs in July 2013 Will Help Maintain Compliance with Federal Regulations 2Health News:New Tool to Increase Participation Rates for Corporate Wellness Programs in July 2013 Will Help Maintain Compliance with Federal Regulations 3Health News:New York City's Back and Body Medical Welcomes Citi Bike to Midtown Manhattan 2Health News:New York City's Back and Body Medical Welcomes Citi Bike to Midtown Manhattan 3Health News:Restoring appropriate movement to immune cells may save seriously burned patients 2Health News:Restoring appropriate movement to immune cells may save seriously burned patients 3Health News:Neurosurgery publishes findings of 3 important studies in June issue 2Health News:Neurosurgery publishes findings of 3 important studies in June issue 3Health News:DNDi receives the BBVA Foundation Frontiers of Knowledge Award in Development Cooperation 2Health News:DNDi receives the BBVA Foundation Frontiers of Knowledge Award in Development Cooperation 3Health News:DNDi receives the BBVA Foundation Frontiers of Knowledge Award in Development Cooperation 4Health News:DNDi receives the BBVA Foundation Frontiers of Knowledge Award in Development Cooperation 5
(Date:6/19/2013)... June 19, 2013 The Physician-Patient Alliance for Health ... The need to urgently address this issue has ... Event Alert #50 , "Medical device alarm safety in hospitals." ... January 2008 and June 2012, there were 98 alarm related ... death (82%) , 13 resulted in permanent loss of ...
(Date:6/19/2013)... June 19, 2013   BioCision , a ... and handling in many areas of medical and ... patents by the U.S. Patent Office that apply ... to standardize sample handling to ensure the consistency ... common laboratory procedures. Patent number ...
(Date:6/19/2013)... 19, 2013 ... DrugPatentWatch to its extensive list of ...      (Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20130128/590935) , ... pharmaceutical, drug patents and their expirations. ... business functions of patent agents and ...
Breaking Medicine Technology:Three Lessons Learned to Reduce Alarm Fatigue and Improve Alarm Management and Patient Safety in Hospitals 2Three Lessons Learned to Reduce Alarm Fatigue and Improve Alarm Management and Patient Safety in Hospitals 3BioCision Announces Two New U.S. Patents for Thermo-Conductive Products that Standardize Sample Handling in Laboratory Research 2Drug Patent Watch 2Drug Patent Watch 3
Cached News: