Brain chemical aids tic control in Tourette Syndrome, say researchers

PA 153/15 - A chemical in the brain could potentially be harnessed to help young people with Tourette Syndrome (TS) to overcome the physical and vocal tics associated with the neurological disorder, say researchers. In a paper published in the journal Trends in Cognitive Sciences, academics from The University of Nottingham reviewed recent evidence that the neurochemical known as Gamma Aminobutyric acid (GABA) is responsible for dampening down the hyperactivity that causes the repetitive and involuntary movements and noises. They found that increases in the production of GABA as a result of changes in the brain during adolescence may contribute to an improvement in symptoms for the majority of people with TS and could offer a new avenue for treatments that lead to targeted increases of the chemical in the areas of the brain that control motor function. Professor Stephen Jackson, in the University's School of Psychology, said: "This is potentially a very important finding. A widely held view has been that unwanted movements such as tics in Tourette syndrome are actively suppressed through the recruitment of frontal brain areas involved in volitional action and cognitive control. The finding that individuals with Tourette syndrome exhibit increased GABA in brain areas linked to the planning and selection of movements offers a more parsimonious account for how tics might be controlled in Tourette syndrome. Namely that motor excitability is reduced locally within brain motor areas through the operation of GABA-mediated 'tonic inhibition.' This finding needs to be further replicated but if it proves to be a robust finding it may have important implications for therapies for neurodevelopmental disorders." - Uncontrollable tics.