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Brain Sciences
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Clinical Research on Tourette Syndrome: Advances and Challenges
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Clinical Research on Tourette Syndrome: Advances and Challenges

A special issue of Brain Sciences (ISSN 2076-3425). This special issue belongs to the section "Systems Neuroscience".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 March 2025) | Viewed by 2796

Special Issue Editor

Dr. José Fidel Baizabal-Carvallo

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Guest Editor
Department of Sciences and Engineering, University of Guanajuato, Guanajuato 37150, Mexico
Interests: movement disorders; tics; Tourette syndrome; chorea; autoimmune movement disorders; Parkinson’s disease; dystonia; tremor

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Tics are sudden, recurrent, non-rhythmic movements, sounds, or vocalization that serve no apparent purpose. Tic disorders are syndromes in which the predominant manifestation is some type of tic. Tourette’s syndrome is a commonly recognized tic disorder which is usually associated with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, anxiety, depression, and other neuropsychiatric disorders.

This Special Issue of Brain Sciences aims to present a collection of studies detailing the most recent advances in the field of tic disorders. Authors are invited to submit cutting-edge research and reviews focused in the broad range of topics related to epidemiology, biomarkers, clinical courses, phenomenology, and secondary tic disorders and therapies.

We aim to present the most recent advances in tic disorders research that may have a significant impact on this field of study.

Dr. José Fidel Baizabal-Carvallo
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Brain Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2200 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • tics
  • Tourette’s syndrome
  • chronic tic disorder
  • secondary tic disorder
  • attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder
  • obsessive-compulsive disorder
  • biomarkers

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

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9 pages, 222 KiB  
Article
Simple and Complex Phonic Tics in Tourette Syndrome
by José Fidel Baizabal-Carvallo and Joseph Jankovic
Brain Sci. 2025, 15(6), 620; https://doi.org/10.3390/brainsci15060620 - 8 Jun 2025
Viewed by 262
Abstract
Tourette syndrome (TS) is the most common cause of tics. Tics are classified as motor and phonic tics. The latter (previously also referred to as “vocal tics”) are manifested by simple sounds (simple phonic tics) or complex, often semantically meaningful utterances (complex phonic [...] Read more.
Tourette syndrome (TS) is the most common cause of tics. Tics are classified as motor and phonic tics. The latter (previously also referred to as “vocal tics”) are manifested by simple sounds (simple phonic tics) or complex, often semantically meaningful utterances (complex phonic tics). Methods: We compared the clinical and demographic features of consecutive patients with TS who exhibited simple and complex phonic tics. Results: There were 149 patients, 117 (78.5%) of whom were males; the mean age at evaluation was 19.61 ± 12.97 years. In total, 35 (23.5%) of these manifested complex phonic tics, and 26 (17.4%) had verbalizations. No statistically significant differences were observed between TS patients with simple versus complex phonic tics with respect to sex, age at onset, age at presentation, or comorbid attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder or obsessive–compulsive disorder. Patients with complex phonic tics more frequently had trunk tics (p = 0.002), complex motor tics (p < 0.001), copropraxia (p = 0.002), a wider variety of phonic tics (p < 0.001) and greater tic severity (p = 0.001). The multivariate regression analysis showed an independent association between trunk tics and complex phonic tics. Conclusions: Complex phonic tics seem to be part of a more widely distributed, severe, and complex presentation of TS, likely representing a continuum within the spectrum of motor and phonic tics. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Clinical Research on Tourette Syndrome: Advances and Challenges)
12 pages, 567 KiB  
Article
Neurodevelopmental Tics with Co-Morbid Functional Tic-like Behaviors: Diagnostic Challenges of a Complex Tourette Syndrome Phenotype
by Andrea Eugenio Cavanna, Virginia Caimi, Elisa Capriolo, Matteo Marinoni, Gabriele Arienti, Anna Riva, Renata Nacinovich and Stefano Seri
Brain Sci. 2025, 15(5), 435; https://doi.org/10.3390/brainsci15050435 - 23 Apr 2025
Viewed by 547
Abstract
Background/Objectives: The co-morbidity between neurodevelopmental tics and functional tic-like behaviors (FTBs) in patients with Tourette syndrome (TS) is relatively under-investigated. The demographic and clinical characteristics of a large sample of patients with TS who presented with co-morbid FTBs (functional overlay) were assessed [...] Read more.
Background/Objectives: The co-morbidity between neurodevelopmental tics and functional tic-like behaviors (FTBs) in patients with Tourette syndrome (TS) is relatively under-investigated. The demographic and clinical characteristics of a large sample of patients with TS who presented with co-morbid FTBs (functional overlay) were assessed to raise awareness of this complex clinical presentation and to shed light on the differential diagnosis between the two conditions. Methods: We analyzed the clinical data of 63 patients (44 females, mean age 24 years, range 13–40) with pre-existing TS who (sub)acutely developed co-morbid FTBs (TS + FTBs) after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic and compared them with 63 age- and gender-matched controls with TS (neurodevelopmental tics only). The diagnosis of co-morbid FTBs was validated by the European Society for the Study of Tourette Syndrome (ESSTS) criteria. Results: Complex vocal tics (p < 0.001), including coprolalia (p = 0.002), and self-injurious behaviors (p < 0.001), often as part of tic attacks (p < 0.001), were confirmed to be more commonly reported by the group of patients with TS + FTBs, who were also more likely to present with anxiety (p < 0.001) and other functional neurological symptoms (p < 0.001) compared to patients with TS. Conclusions: Patients with TS and co-morbid FTBs can pose significant diagnostic and treatment challenges. By systematically applying ESSTS criteria, we confirmed specific red flags for the diagnosis of functional overlay in patients with TS. The correct identification of this composite clinical phenotype plays a key role in preventing the misdiagnosis of treatment-resistant TS and implementing tailored treatment interventions. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Clinical Research on Tourette Syndrome: Advances and Challenges)
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Review

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17 pages, 850 KiB  
Review
Epidemiology of Tourette Syndrome
by Abdullah Yasir Yilmaz and Joseph Jankovic
Brain Sci. 2025, 15(5), 426; https://doi.org/10.3390/brainsci15050426 - 22 Apr 2025
Viewed by 1458
Abstract
Background/Objectives: Tourette syndrome (TS) is a neurodevelopmental disorder, manifested by tics and a variety of behavioral comorbidities that cluster strongly within families, suggesting a combination of genetic and environmental risk factors. The underlying pathophysiology of TS remains to be elucidated. Understanding the incidence [...] Read more.
Background/Objectives: Tourette syndrome (TS) is a neurodevelopmental disorder, manifested by tics and a variety of behavioral comorbidities that cluster strongly within families, suggesting a combination of genetic and environmental risk factors. The underlying pathophysiology of TS remains to be elucidated. Understanding the incidence and prevalence across different populations provides valuable insights into the etiology and pathogenesis of the condition and aids in the development of effective treatment strategies. Methods: A comprehensive literature search was conducted on PubMed covering the period from 1 January 2000 to 1 January 2025. The search used the terms “Tourette syndrome”, “tics”, “tic disorders”, “epidemiology”, “prevalence”, and “incidence”. Results: The prevalence of TS is estimated to be about 1% in children and adolescents and approximately 0.01% in adults, with a male-to-female (M:F) ratio of about 4:1. The prevalence of tic disorders is higher in all studies performed in special education populations. Conclusions: Despite substantial methodological variability, our review of the literature indicates that TS is a relatively common neurobehavioral disorder, affecting nearly 1% of children, especially boys. Raising global awareness and expanding training in TS should lead to better identification of undiagnosed patients. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Clinical Research on Tourette Syndrome: Advances and Challenges)
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