Imaging evidence for anatomical disturbances and neuroplastic compensation in persons with Tourette syndrome☆
Received 17 March 2009; received in revised form 3 July 2009; accepted 9 July 2009. published online 15 October 2009.
Abstract
Background
Tourette syndrome (TS) is a disorder of chronic motor and vocal tics that begins in childhood.
Methods
A systematic Medline search was conducted to identify existing anatomical imaging studies in persons with TS.
Results
Thirty studies were identified, and their methods and findings were reviewed. Findings of reduced caudate volumes across the life span and thinning of sensorimotor cortices that is proportional with tic severity in children with TS implicate these regions in the genesis of tics. Hypertrophy of limbic and prefrontal cortices and a smaller corpus callosum accompany fewer symptoms in children with TS, likely representing an activity-dependent plasticity within these regions that help to modulate tic severity.
Conclusion
Although existing studies differ with respect to sample size, gender composition, quality of clinical characterization, pulse sequences, and methods of image analysis, the preponderance of evidence suggests that disturbances in the development of the motor portions of cortical–subcortical circuits likely predispose to the development TS and that neuroplastic changes in control systems of the brain help to modulate the severity of symptom expression. These findings from cross-sectional studies require confirmation in more representative populations within longitudinal studies.
aCognitive Neuroscience Group, Institute for Biological and Medical Psychology, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
bInstitute for Clinical Medicine, Faculty for Medicine and Dentistry, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
cDivision of Psychiatry, Haukeland University Hospital, Bergen, Norway
dColumbia College of Physicians and Surgeons and the New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, NY, USA
Corresponding author. Department of Biological and Medical Psychology, University of Bergen, Jonas Lies vei 91, 5021 Bergen, Norway. Fax: +47 55 589872.
☆ This work was supported in part by National Institute of Mental Health grants (MHK02-74677, MH59139, and MH068318), the Suzanne Crosby Murphy Endowment at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, and by a grant from the MoodNet, Health Authorities of West Norway.
ABSTRACT