Hypersensitivity in Tourette Syndrome

NCT00368433 | Completed

• 2 other identifiers: 06023206-N-0232
• Study Type: observational
• Target: 46
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

This study will investigate how the sensitivity to touch and smell in patients with Tourette syndrome (TS) may differ from that of people without TS. TS is a neurological disorder that causes people to have uncontrolled movements called "tics." A tic can also be vocal, like a cough or bark or string of bad words. The tic is preceded by a "premonitory urge" that may feel like an itch or pressure that builds until the tic occurs. To some patients, the tic feels like a response to an involuntary sensation. In patients with TS, sensory information may be processed differently than it is in people without TS. This study will compare how strong a sensation feels in TS patients and healthy volunteers. It will also look for muscle activity that may be responsible for the feelings in the area of the tic. Healthy normal volunteers and people with Tourette syndrome, 18 to 65 years of age, may be eligible for this study. Candidates are screened with a medical history and brief physical and neurological examinations. TS patients complete a questionnaire about their tics and are interviewed by a psychiatrist. Women who can become pregnant will have a urine pregnancy test prior to any other procedures. Pregnant women cannot participate. All participants undergo sensory testing for touch and smell. They are asked to distinguish between a scented and scentless object and rate how strongly they feel the scent. Later, with their eyes closed, they are asked to tell whether or not they are being touched, and to rate how intensely they felt the touch. In addition to the sensory testing, TS patients, but not normal volunteers, undergo electromyography (EMG), a test that measures the electrical activity of muscles. For surface EMG, small metal disks called electrodes are filled with a conductive gel and taped to the skin. Wire EMG involves inserting a wire into a muscle using a needle. All patients have surface EMG and those who consent to it will also have wire EMG.

Conditions

Tourette's Syndrome

Keywords

Sensory Processing; Electromyogram; Tic Disorder; Tourette Syndrome; Tourette's Syndrome; Healthy Volunteer; HV

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 18 Years - 65 Years
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: No
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)

You may qualify if:

• Healthy Volunteers ages 18 to 65 who have who have given their consent.
• Patients will be ages 18 to 65 and have clinically documented Tourette's syndrome or chronic motor tic disorder as defined by DSM-IV-TR (American Psychiatric Association, 2000) and evaluation of tic severity using the Yale Tic Scale (YGTS). This criterion will be established by preliminary screening in the NINDS Movement Disorders Outpatient Clinic. Structure Clinical Interview for (DSMIV SCID) will be administered to all patients to ensure that strict DSM-IV criteria for Tourette Syndrome have been met and to assess for possible comorbid psychiatric disorders.
• Patients with at least moderate premonitory urge, as evaluated with the PUTS.

You may not qualify if:

• Subjects younger than 18 or older than 65 years.
• Subjects with 1) major depression, 2) bipolar disorder, or 3) psychotic disorder.
• Subjects who are unable to abstain from alcohol or any psychiatric medications 24 hours prior to the study.
• Subjects with acute or chronic upper respiratory illness, nasal allergies, or subjects using medications to treat these conditions, including antihistamines, nasal topical steroids, vasoconstrictor nasal sprays, or normal saline sprays.
• Women who are pregnant.
• Individuals with Restless Legs syndrome.
• Individuals with a diagnosis of peripheral neuropathy.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS): lead

Study Sites (1)

National Institutes of Health Clinical Center, 9000 Rockville Pike

Bethesda, Maryland, 20892, United States

Location

Related Publications (3)

• Bartoshuk LM, Duffy VB, Green BG, Hoffman HJ, Ko CW, Lucchina LA, Marks LE, Snyder DJ, Weiffenbach JM. Valid across-group comparisons with labeled scales: the gLMS versus magnitude matching. Physiol Behav. 2004 Aug;82(1):109-14. doi: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2004.02.033.

  PMID: 15234598 BACKGROUND

• Bliss J. Sensory experiences of Gilles de la Tourette syndrome. Arch Gen Psychiatry. 1980 Dec;37(12):1343-7. doi: 10.1001/archpsyc.1980.01780250029002.

  PMID: 6934713 BACKGROUND

• Garcia-Perez MA. Forced-choice staircases with fixed step sizes: asymptotic and small-sample properties. Vision Res. 1998 Jun;38(12):1861-81. doi: 10.1016/s0042-6989(97)00340-4.

  PMID: 9797963 BACKGROUND

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Tourette Syndrome; Tic Disorders

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Basal Ganglia Diseases; Brain Diseases; Central Nervous System Diseases; Nervous System Diseases; Movement Disorders; Heredodegenerative Disorders, Nervous System; Neurodegenerative Diseases; Genetic Diseases, Inborn; Congenital, Hereditary, and Neonatal Diseases and Abnormalities; Neurodevelopmental Disorders; Mental Disorders

Study Design

• Study Type: observational
• Sponsor Type: NIH

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: August 23, 2006
• First Posted: August 24, 2006
• Study Start: August 21, 2006
• Study Completion: May 24, 2011
• Last Updated: July 2, 2017

Record last verified: 2011-05-24

Locations

US (1)