scholarly journals Evaluation of a cognitive psychophysiological model for management of tic disorders: an open trial

2016 ◽  
Vol 209 (1) ◽  
pp. 76-83 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kieron O'Connor ◽  
Marc Lavoie ◽  
Pierre Blanchet ◽  
Marie-Ève St-Pierre-Delorme

BackgroundTic disorders, in particular chronic tic disorder and Tourette syndrome, affect about 1% of the population. The current treatment of choice is pharmacological or behavioural, addressing tics or the premonitory urges preceding tic onset.AimsThe current study reports an open trial evaluating the effectiveness of a cognitive psychophysiological treatment addressing Tourette-specific sensorimotor activation processes rather than the tic.MethodForty-nine people with Tourette syndrome and 36 people with chronic tics completed 10 weeks of individual cognitive psychophysiological therapy. Outcome measures included two tic severity scales and psychosocial measures.ResultsPost-treatment both groups had significantly improved on the tic scales with strong effect sizes across tic locations and complex and simple tics, maintained at 6-month follow-up with further change in perfectionism and self-esteem.ConclusionsThe cognitive psychophysiological approach targeting underlying sensorimotor processes rather than tics in Tourette's and chronic tic disorder reduced symptoms with a large effect size.

2014 ◽  
Vol 72 (12) ◽  
pp. 942-948 ◽  
Author(s):  
Helvio L. Alves ◽  
Elizabeth M. A. B. Quagliato

Tourette syndrome (TS) and tic disorders represent events of familiar magnitude characterized by involuntary movements and/or vocalization. To determine the prevalence of TS/tic disorders we studied a sample of 762 subjects (388 M, 374 F), between 1992 and 1997, age 6 to 43 years old, taken out of a population of 10,155 subjects (4,918 M, 5,237 F; age: 3-56 years old). A structured 4-item questionnaire, direct interview (multistaged), >1 yr follow-up, were used. 9,565 subjects (4,614 M, 4,951 F) sent back the questionnaires, 3,354 of these (1,671 M, 1,683 F) with positive answers to tics. 42 subjects (31 M, 11 F, age: 7-21 years old, mean: 11 years old) met the DSM-III-R criteria. The total minimal prevalence of TS is 0.43%, with a 3:1 ratio male/female. The minimal prevalence of chronic tic disorder is 2.27%. The total minimal prevalence for tic disorders at all is 2.91%. No special education students participation.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tiffanie Che ◽  
Soyoung Kim ◽  
Deanna J. Greene ◽  
Ashley Heywood ◽  
Jimin Ding ◽  
...  

The ongoing NewTics study examines children who have had tics for less than 9 months (NT group) - a population on which little research exists. Here, we further investigate relationships between subcortical shape and tic symptom outcomes. 138 children were assessed at baseline and a 12-month follow-up: 79 with NT, 27 tic-free healthy controls (HC), and 32 with chronic tic disorder or Tourette syndrome (TS), using T1-weighted MRI and total tic scores (TTS) from the Yale Global Tic Severity Scale to evaluate symptom change. Subcortical surface maps were generated using FreeSurfer-initialized large deformation diffeomorphic metric mapping, and linear regression models were constructed to correlate structural shapes with TTS while accounting for covariates, with relationships mapped onto structure surfaces. When compared to healthy controls, smaller mean volumes were found in the TS group for the caudate, nucleus accumbens, pallidum, and thalamus. NT had smaller mean volumes than controls in the caudate, pallidum, and thalamus. Surface maps illustrate distinct patterns of inward deformation (localized volume loss) in the TS group compared to NT children. In the NT group, a larger hippocampus at baseline significantly correlated with the worsening of tic symptoms at 12 months. Outward deformation in the hippocampus and inward deformation in the accumbens at baseline are also related to worsening tic symptoms at follow-up. Since the NT group has had tics only for a few months, we can rule out the possibility that these subcortical volume differences are caused by living with tics for years; they are more likely related to the cause of tics. These observations constitute some of the first prognostic biomarkers for tic disorders and suggest localized circuitry that may be associated with outcome of tic disorders.


Author(s):  
Per Andrén ◽  
Vera Wachtmeister ◽  
Julia Franzé ◽  
Caroline Speiner ◽  
Lorena Fernández de la Cruz ◽  
...  

AbstractIt is unclear if the results of randomised controlled trials (RCTs) of behaviour therapy (BT) for Tourette syndrome (TS) and chronic tic disorder (CTD) can be generalised to naturalistic clinical settings and are durable long-term. In this naturalistic study, 74 young people with TS/CTD received BT at a specialist clinic. Data were collected at baseline, post-treatment, and at 3-, 6-, and 12-month follow-ups. Measures included the Yale Global Tic Severity Scale (YGTSS) and the Clinical Global Impression-Improvement scale (CGI-I), amongst others. Tic severity and tic-related impairment improved after treatment, with large within-group effect sizes. At post-treatment, 57% of the participants were classified as treatment responders according to the CGI-I. Tic severity and tic-related impairment improved further through the follow-up, with 75% treatment responders at the 12-month follow-up. BT is an effective and durable treatment for young people with TS/CTD in a naturalistic specialist clinical setting, with comparable effects to RCTs.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Per Andrén ◽  
Vera Wachtmeister ◽  
Julia Franzé ◽  
Caroline Speiner ◽  
Lorena Fernández de la Cruz ◽  
...  

Background: Treatment guidelines recommend behaviour therapy (BT) as the first-line intervention for patients with Tourette syndrome (TS) and chronic tic disorder (CTD). The efficacy of BT has been documented in randomised controlled trials (RCTs), but it is unclear to what extent these results are generalisable to real-world clinical settings, and whether the therapeutic gains are maintained long-term.Methods: In this naturalistic study, 74 young people with TS/CTD (aged 6 to 17) received BT (including psychoeducation, exposure with response prevention, habit reversal training or a combination of these treatments) at a specialist clinic in Stockholm, Sweden. Data were routinely collected at baseline, post-treatment, and at 3-, 6-, and 12-month follow-ups. Measures included the clinician-rated Yale Global Tic Severity Scale (YGTSS) and the Clinical Global Impression – Improvement scale (CGI-I), amongst others.Results: Tic severity and tic-related impairment (as measured by the YGTSS) improved significantly after treatment, with large within-group effect sizes (d=1.03 for the YGTSS Total Tic Severity Score, and d=1.37 for the YGTSS Impairment Score). At post-treatment, 57% of the participants were classified as treatment responders according to the CGI-I. Both tic severity and tic-related impairment continued to improve further through the follow-up, with 75% of the participants being rated as responders 12 months after the end of treatment. Significant improvements were also observed across a range of secondary measures.Conclusions: BT is an effective and durable treatment for young people with TS/CTD in a real-world clinical setting, with effects comparable to those reported in RCTs.


2018 ◽  
Vol 84 ◽  
pp. 95-100 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hilary Weingarden ◽  
Lawrence Scahill ◽  
Susanne Hoeppner ◽  
Alan L. Peterson ◽  
Douglas W. Woods ◽  
...  

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christine Conelea ◽  
Jaleesa Jenkins ◽  
Ben Brown ◽  
Laura Beljaars

The paper, “Tic disorders revisited: Introduction to the term ‘tic spectrum disorders,” Müller-Vahl, Sambrani, and Jakubovski (2019) proposes a new diagnostic term “tic spectrum disorders” to encompass and replace diagnoses of Tourette Syndrome (TS), chronic tic disorder (CTD), and provisional tic disorder (PTD). This response raises three considerations as the future of tic disorder diagnostic terminology is debated, including the importance of engaging patient stakeholders, leveraging reappropriation as a stigma reducing strategy, and re-examining the exclusive focus on tics in diagnosis.


2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 242-243
Author(s):  
Clifford Qualls ◽  
Otto Appenzeller

Tourette syndrome is a tic disorder with onset in childhood. By contrast, we report a new Tourette syndrome with onset in late life. We use statistics to support our contention that this behavioral disorder is a hitherto unrecognized variety of Tourette syndrome. There are three tic disorders distinguished by the types of tics present (motor, vocal/ phonic, or both) and by the length of time that the tics have been present. Individuals with chronic tic disorder have either motor tics or vocal tics which have been present for more than 1 year.


2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Hannah E. Reese ◽  
W. Alan Brown ◽  
Berta J. Summers ◽  
Jin Shin ◽  
Grace Wheeler ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Preliminary research suggests that a mindfulness-based treatment approach may be beneficial for adults with tic disorders. In the present study, we report on the feasibility, acceptability, safety, and symptomatic effect of a novel online mindfulness-based group intervention for adults with Tourette syndrome or persistent tic disorder. Data from this study will directly inform the conduct of a funded randomized controlled trial comparing the efficacy of this intervention to another active psychological intervention. Methods One cohort of adults with Tourette syndrome participated in an 8-week online mindfulness-based group intervention. Measures of feasibility, acceptability, and safety were administered throughout and at posttreatment. Self-reported measures of mindfulness and clinician-rated measures of tic severity and impairment were administered at baseline and posttreatment. Results Data on refusal, dropout rate, attendance, participant satisfaction, and safety suggest that this is a feasible and acceptable intervention. However, participant adherence to home practice was lower than anticipated. Mindfulness, tic severity, and tic-related impairment only modestly improved from baseline to posttreatment. Qualitative analysis of participant feedback revealed aspects of the intervention that were most helpful and also areas for improvement. Conclusions Data suggest that although this is a feasible and acceptable intervention, it should be modified to enhance participant adherence, more successfully engage the target mechanism, and optimize outcomes. Trial registration Clinicaltrials.gov registration #NCT03525626. Registered on 24 April 2018


2021 ◽  
pp. 135910452110079
Author(s):  
Shaheen Zinna ◽  
Rebecca Luxton ◽  
Efstathios Papachristou ◽  
Danai Dima ◽  
Marinos Kyriakopoulos

Objective: Children needing admission to an inpatient mental health unit often present with severe neuropsychiatric disorders characterised by complex psychopathology. We aimed to examine all admitted children with comorbid chronic tic disorder (CTD) and Tourette syndrome (TS) over a 10-year period and determine the clinical significance of these diagnoses. Method: A retrospective, naturalistic study was conducted, comparing children with and without CTD/TS in terms of co-morbid diagnoses, medication use, access to education, aggression contributing to the admission, duration of admission, functional outcomes and satisfaction with treatment. Data were analysed using Chi-square/Fisher’s exact test and t-test for categorical and continuous variables, respectively, and subsequently with unadjusted and adjusted linear and logistic regression analyses. Results: A relatively high proportion of children had co-morbid CTD/TS (19.7%). There was a significant association with co-morbid obsessive-compulsive disorder, intellectual disability and autism spectrum disorder but not attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. CTD/TS were associated with longer admissions even after adjustments for confounding but did not seem to be independently associated with other examined clinical characteristics. Conclusions: The prevalence of CTD/TS in children needing inpatient treatment is significant. In our sample, comorbid CTD/TS seem to represent a marker of overall symptom severity as evidenced by longer admissions.


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