Quantitative Sensory Testing in adults with Tourette syndrome

Schunke, Odette; Grashorn, Wiebke; Kahl, Ursula; Schöttle, Daniel; Haggard, Patrick; Münchau, Alexander; Bingel, Ulrike; Ganos, Christos

doi:10.1016/j.parkreldis.2016.01.006

Cited by 40 publications

(31 citation statements)

References 12 publications

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“…Most TS patients report that tics are often responses to uncomfortable internal sensations, like a tickle in the throat before a cough; some experts conclude that these premonitory sensations may be the primary phenomenon rather than the observed tics. 29 Premonitory sensations in TS are correlated with sensory hypersensitivity 30 and interoceptive awareness, 31 yet peripheral sensation is normal, 32,33 so any sensory abnormality must be central. Since the OFC receives input from most sensory systems and projects to regions involved in visceral function, 34 abnormal white matter connections with OFC fit well with a sensory model of TS.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Brain structure in pediatric Tourette syndrome

et al. 2016

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Previous studies of brain structure in Tourette syndrome (TS) have produced mixed results, and most had modest sample sizes. In the present multi-center study, we used structural MRI to compare 103 children and adolescents with TS to a well-matched group of 103 children without tics. We applied voxel-based morphometry methods to test gray matter (GM) and white matter (WM) volume differences between diagnostic groups, accounting for MRI scanner and sequence, age, sex and total GM + WM volume. The TS group demonstrated lower WM volume bilaterally in orbital and medial prefrontal cortex, and greater GM volume in posterior thalamus, hypothalamus and midbrain. These results demonstrate evidence for abnormal brain structure in children and youth with TS, consistent with and extending previous findings, and they point to new target regions and avenues of study in TS. For example, as orbital cortex is reciprocally connected with hypothalamus, structural abnormalities in these regions may relate to abnormal decision making, reinforcement learning, or somatic processing in TS.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Brain structure in pediatric Tourette syndrome

et al. 2016

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“…The role of abnormal central sensorimotor processing has also been suggested by the findings of a recent study, in which the Quantitative Sensory Testing (QST) battery was used in 14 adult patients with TS and 14 controls (Schunke et al, 2016). The authors reported no significant difference in the threshold for detection of externally applied sensory stimuli between patients with TS and controls.…”

Section: Multimodal Hypersensitivitymentioning

confidence: 95%

Sensory aspects of Tourette syndrome

Cox

Seri

Cavanna

2018

Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews

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Motor and vocal tics have long been recognised as the core features of Tourette syndrome (TS). However, patients' first-person accounts have consistently reported that these involuntary motor manifestations have specific sensory correlates. These sensory symptoms are often described as feelings of mounting inner tension ("premonitory urges") and are transiently relieved by tic expression. Multimodal hypersensitivity to external stimuli, perceived as triggers and/or exacerbating factors for specific tic symptoms, is also commonly reported by patients with TS. This article focuses on the rapidly expanding literature on the clinical and neurobiological aspects of the premonitory urge and multimodal hypersensitivity in patients with TS, with particular attention to pathophysiological mechanisms and possible treatment implications. These findings suggest that TS is a neurobehavioural condition characterised by intrinsic perceptual abnormalities involving the insula and sensorimotor areas, in addition to basal ganglia dysfunction. Further research will clarify the role of sensory symptoms in TS, as well as the effects of external sensory input on underlying motor abnormalities.

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“…This is relevant to patients with tics, as a clinical study showed that 80% of patients with TS reported heightened sensitivity to external stimuli, with examples among all five sensory modalities {74}. Of note, patients with TS do not demonstrate primary sensory deficits, suggesting that abnormal central sensorimotor processing and/or aberrant interoceptive awareness might underlie their clinically significant sensory abnormalities {75}. The USP-SPS has been shown to be psychometrically sound, with high sensitivity and acceptable specificity, suggesting its utility in assessing different sensory phenomena in patients of all ages.…”

Section: Measurement Of the Premonitory Urgementioning

confidence: 99%

Neurobiology of the Premonitory Urge in Tourette’s Syndrome: Pathophysiology and Treatment Implications

Cavanna

Black

Hallett

et al. 2017

JNP

138

101

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Motor and vocal tics are relatively common motor manifestations identified as the core features of Tourette syndrome. Although traditional descriptions have focused on objective phenomenological observations, such as anatomical location, number and frequency of tics, patients’ first-person accounts have consistently reported characteristic subjective correlates. These sensory phenomena are often described as a feeling of mounting inner tension or urge to move (“premonitory urge”), which is transiently relieved by tic expression. This paper reviews the existing literature on the clinical and neurobiological aspects of the premonitory urge in patients with Tourette syndrome, with focus on its pathophysiology and possible treatment implications.

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Quantitative Sensory Testing in adults with Tourette syndrome

Cited by 40 publications

References 12 publications

Brain structure in pediatric Tourette syndrome

Brain structure in pediatric Tourette syndrome

Sensory aspects of Tourette syndrome

Neurobiology of the Premonitory Urge in Tourette’s Syndrome: Pathophysiology and Treatment Implications

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