Tics are involuntary movements or sounds. Tourette syndrome is one of a family of tic disorders that affect around 1% of the population but which remains underrecognised in the community. In paediatric special education learning disability classes, the prevalence of individuals with tic disorders is around 20-45% -higher still in special education emotional/behavioural classes. Given the high rates of individuals with tic disorders in special education settings, as well as the unique challenges of working in an educational setting with a person with a tic disorder, it is incumbent upon professionals working in these settings to be cognisant of the possibility of tic disorders in this population. This review seeks to provide an overview of tic disorders and their association with learning and mental health difficulties. The review focuses on an exploration of factors underpinning the association between tic disorders and learning disabilities, including neurocognitive corollaries of tic disorders and the influence of common comorbidities, such as ADHD, as well as upon strategies to support individuals with tic disorders in the classroom.
Background: Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) have been found to occur more frequently in individuals with Tourette syndrome (TS) than in the general population. Similarities exist between ASD and TS clinically, which suggests a potential relationship between the two conditions. Purpose: The purpose of this study was to explore the occurrence of autism-related features in ASD and TS, focusing on areas of overlap and difference. Patients and methods: This study examined the nature and extent of autistic traits as measured by the Social Communication Questionnaire (SCQ) in a sample with a diagnosis of TS, a sample diagnosed to have ASD, and a normative general population sample. Results: The TS sample had significantly higher mean SCQ scores than the general population, but generally lower scores than the ASD sample. The group differences in mean SCQ scores between the TS and ASD sample were significant except in the domain of restricted repetitive behaviours (RRB). Conclusion: This suggests that ASD traits occur commonly in the TS population, with a significant overlap in certain clinical features. This was especially the case for complex movements or repetitive behaviours, which may represent either: i) a shared phenotype which is subclinical, ii) a phenocopy where some clinical symptoms mimic each other, or iii) a co-morbidity. Awareness of this association can be useful in identifying these symptoms as part of the comprehensive assessment of TS and addressing these to improve the overall clinical outcomes in these patients.
Pain‐related inference with behavior is a key clinical diagnostic indicator and target in the treatment of pain. Increasingly, preclinical studies on the expression, mechanisms, and treatment of pain have been aimed at improving understanding of pain‐related interference with behavior. Although there are well‐known changes to sensory, motor, and cognitive functions across the lifespan, no studies have examined the expression, mechanisms, and treatment of pain‐related depression of behavior from an aging perspective. The present studies compare the effects of a noxious pain stimulus and a clinically relevant analgesic on nesting behavior in 12‐, 18‐, and 48‐ week old mice. Nesting was operationally defined as the clearance of pieces of cotton nesting material from six zones within the home cage. This is the first step of consolidating the nesting material into a single zone for nest construction. Nesting was observed over the course of a 60‐minute session. First, the rate of nesting was compared across the age groups. Early in the nesting session, 12‐week old mice cleared more zones of nesting material than 18‐ and 48‐week old mice, but there were no differences in the number of zones cleared after 60 minutes. Next, the potency of intraperitoneal injection of lactic acid to depress nesting was determined in each age group. Lactic acid was more potent in the 48‐week old mice than the 18‐week old mice, but no other age related differences were observed. Finally, the effects of the nonsteroidal anti‐inflammatory drug (NSAID), ketoprofen, on lactic acid‐induced depression of nesting were determined. There were no age‐related differences in the potency or efficacy of ketoprofen. Together, these findings support the validity of assays of pain‐related depression of behavior to examine age‐related changes in the expression and treatment of functional impairment caused by pain. Moreover, these findings suggest that aging may result in increased susceptibility to pain‐related functional impairment, and that aging does not affect the ability of NSAIDs to treat pain‐related functional impairment.Support or Funding InformationSupport was provided by the Augusta University Center for Undergraduate Research and ScholarshipThis abstract is from the Experimental Biology 2019 Meeting. There is no full text article associated with this abstract published in The FASEB Journal.
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