The Gilles de la Tourette syndrome: the current status

Gilles de la Tourette syndrome in India: two cases

Two cases of Gilles de la Tourette syndrome from India are presented. The symptomatology of Tourette syndrome is the same as that documented in western populations which suggests biological factors in the aetiology of the syndrome.

Dental treatment of patients with Gilles de la Tourette's syndrome

Gilles de la Tourette's syndrome, a familial neurologic disorder with onset in early life, is characterized by chronic intermittent motor and vocal tics. Many of the orofacial tics and compulsive behaviors seen in this disorder may cause destructive oral lesions. The medications used in treating the syndrome may adversely interact with dental therapeutic agents, frequently cause hyposalivation associated with the development of dental caries and periodontal disease, and may produce tardive dyskinesia with buccolingual choreiform movements. The oral signs and symptoms associated with the syndrome are reviewed, and modifications in dental treatment on the basis of the patient's behavioral alterations, and current drug therapy are suggested.

Reflex tics in two patients with Gilles de la Tourette syndrome

Two patients with Gilles de la Tourette syndrome (GTS) showed tics triggered by external stimuli. This unusual feature is of significance to the aetiology of GTS and in particular the relationship between GTS and the startle response.

Gilles de la Tourette syndrome in the Middle East. Report of a cohort and a multiply affected large pedigree

In a cohort of five patients from the Middle East with the Gilles de la Tourette syndrome, family history of a tic disorder or the Gilles de la Tourette syndrome was positive in three cases. In one of these there was a multiply affected pedigree spanning six generations. The phenomenology of the syndrome is the same as that described in Western reports. The familial pattern of inheritance and cross-cultural similarity emphasise the biological factors in the aetiology of the syndrome.

Urinary excretion of metabolites of norepinephrine in Tourette's syndrome

Urinary excretion of the norepinephrine metabolites 3-methoxy-4-hydroxyphenylethylene glycol (MHPG) and normetanephrine (NMR) was measured in Tourette's Syndrome (TS) patients and in control subjects matched for age and education. The 24-h excretion (expressed per gram of creatinine) of total MHPG and of free and total (free + conjugated) NME was significantly lower in TS patients than in the normal subjects.

Familial Tourette's syndrome in a large British pedigree. Associated psychopathology, severity, and potential for linkage analysis

A British pedigree multiply affected by the Gilles de la Tourette syndrome and spanning six generations is described. Of 122 members identified, 85 were individually interviewed, and 50 were diagnosed as 'cases'. 'Cases' consisted of 29 with definite or probable Gilles de la Tourette syndrome, 17 with definite or probable chronic multiple tics, and four with definite or probable obsessive-compulsive behaviour. Only eight of the 50 'cases' had consulted a doctor for their symptoms. 'Cases' and 'non-cases' could be distinguished on the basis of echo-phenomena, obsessive-compulsive features, self-injurious behaviour, and the trait score of the Leyton Obsessional Inventory, but did not differ significantly on any other psychopathological variables. The pattern of inheritance of the Gilles de la Tourette syndrome in this pedigree is consistent with autosomal dominant transmission.