Neuropsychiatric-developmental model for the expression of tics, pervasive developmental disorder, and schizophreniform symptomatology associated with PANDAS

Anti-Basal Ganglia Antibodies and Streptococcal Infection in ADHD

OBJECTIVE

Group A Streptococcus has been associated with ADHD, tic disorders (TD), and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) through anti-basal ganglia antibodies (ABGA).

METHOD

We investigated the association between ABGA and streptococcal exposure with behavioral, motor, and cognitive measures in 38 children with ADHD not comorbid to OCD or TD (nc-ADHD) and in 38 healthy children. An additional group of 15 children with TD and/or OCD was examined.

RESULTS

ABGA titers were present in 3% of nc-ADHD patients and controls but in 27% of TD and/or OCD patients. Evidence of streptococcal exposure was similar between ADHD patients and controls living in the same urban area. Behavioral, motor, and cognitive measures were not associated with anti-streptococcal antibodies.

CONCLUSION

ABGA do not distinguish nc-ADHD from controls. The differences in the frequency of streptococcal exposure in previous studies are determined by the dynamic nature of the infection rather than the behavioral phenotype of ADHD.

The psychopathological spectrum of Gilles de la Tourette syndrome

Gilles de la Tourette syndrome (GTS) holds a unique status as quintessentially neuropsychiatric condition at the interface between neurology (movement disorder) and psychiatry (behavioural condition). This is a reflection of the common observation that the vast majority of patients present with behavioural problems in association with the motor and vocal tics which define GTS. The present article focuses on the relationship between GTS and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), attention-deficit and hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), affective disorders (both major depression and bipolar affective disorder), and personality disorders. Over the last decade, converging lines of research have pointed towards the concept of a 'GTS spectrum', encompassing motor phenomena and behavioural symptoms, with important implications for the clinical management of patients.