The Use of Deep Brain Stimulation in Tourette Syndrome

Ladan Akbarian-Tefaghi; Ludvic Zrinzo; Thomas Foltynie

doi:10.3390/brainsci6030035

The Use of Deep Brain Stimulation in Tourette Syndrome

Brain Sci. 2016 Aug 19;6(3):35. doi: 10.3390/brainsci6030035.

Authors

Ladan Akbarian-Tefaghi¹, Ludvic Zrinzo², Thomas Foltynie³

Affiliations

¹ Institute of Neurology, University College London (UCL), Queen Square, London WC1N 3BG, UK. ladan.akbarian-tefaghi.15@ucl.ac.uk.
² Sobell Department of Motor Neuroscience, University College London (UCL) Institute of Neurology, London WC1N 3BG, UK. l.zrinzo@ucl.ac.uk.
³ Sobell Department of Motor Neuroscience, University College London (UCL) Institute of Neurology, London WC1N 3BG, UK. t.foltynie@ucl.ac.uk.

Abstract

Tourette syndrome (TS) is a childhood neurobehavioural disorder, characterised by the presence of motor and vocal tics, typically starting in childhood but persisting in around 20% of patients into adulthood. In those patients who do not respond to pharmacological or behavioural therapy, deep brain stimulation (DBS) may be a suitable option for potential symptom improvement. This manuscript attempts to summarise the outcomes of DBS at different targets, explore the possible mechanisms of action of DBS in TS, as well as the potential of adaptive DBS. There will also be a focus on the future challenges faced in designing optimized trials.

Keywords: DBS; TS deep brain stimulation; Tourette syndrome.

Publication types

Review