Tourette syndrome
By: Elisha v.d.Nest
TOURETTE SYNDROME
By: Elisha v.d.Nest
INTRODUCTION
Tourette Syndrome, as it is commonly known as, is a neurological disorder which is found to be genetically inherited. It was first discovered in 1825 but not named as yet. Jean Marc Gaspard had written about a lady named Marquise de Dampierre who couldn’t stop herself from continuously screaming profanities. To this day experts are unsure of the cause but the most reasonable theory is that there is damage or a deviation to the Basal Ganglia. Unfortunately, there are no treatments that can cure Tourette’s syndrome, however, there are multiple ways to reduce an onslaught of tics experienced by the sufferer. Tourette’s syndrome does vary in degrees of how badly it affects a person as it can be mild or intense. There are many stigmas attached to those who suffer from Tourette’s syndrome to this very day.
CAUSES
As mentioned in the first paragraph, Tourette’s Syndrome is still not fully understood in the context of what it is caused by. Damage to the Basal Ganglia is the only explanation found to suffice. This makes sense seeing that the Basal Ganglia is composed of various structures and is linked to the way in which we co-ordinate our automatic movements. The Basal Ganglia is basically made up of many nuclei which are situated on either side of the Thalamus. The most important group of the nuclei, in regards to Tourette’s syndrome, is called the Corpus Striatum. The Corpus Striatum is composed of the Caudate Nucleus, the Putamen, the Globus Pallidus and the Nucleus Accumbens. The Caudate behaves as a messenger, sending messages to the frontal lobe. It seems to inform a person of something being amiss and compels us to right the wrong. ...
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... primarily get it. It is estimated that the amount of males affected with this disorder is 3 times higher than females
• 79% of kids diagnosed with this syndrome have additional mental problems such as OCD, ADHD etc
CONCLUSION:
In conclusion, this is an extremely sad disorder as it cannot be completely cured and even though there are treatments out there, many patients do not respond to them. The treatments are also extremely risky in some cases. Tourette’s syndrome can be mild or hectic and the cause is still unknown, all that is known currently is that it is related to the damage of the Basal Ganglia. Many people to this day aren’t well educated on Tourette’s and use rather primitive ways of trying to cure them. This being said, more people should be educated on the disorder in order for us to make more progress in helping those with the disorder.
Tourette syndrome is a neuropsychiatric disorder characterized by motor and phonic tics usually starting in childhood and often accompanied by poor impulse control (Chiu, 2013, p.405). The disorder is named for Dr. Georges Gilles de la Tourette, the pioneering French neurologist who in 1885 first described the condition in an 86-year-old French woman (ninds.nih.gov, 2013). Tourette syndrome was once considered to be a rare a condition that causes a person to make repeated, quick movements or sounds that they cannot control. These movements or sounds are called tics, but this symptom is only present in a minority of cases.
One out of every 360 children have Tourettes. Tourette’s is a neurological disorder, which means that it takes place in the nervous system. It affects males three to four times more than females. There’s no exact known reason as to why. Symptoms begin at ages three to nine, and typically, the first sign is excessive blinking. This
In recent years researchers have made significant advances in the field and have come up with many neuroleptic (antipsychotic) medications to treat the disorder. However along with these medical breakthroughs problems have occurred. The most severe side effect is called Tardive Dyskinesia, literally meaning "late movement disorder." (1) Coined in 1964, it is identified by the involvement of numerous "abnormal, involuntary movements of the orofacial area or extremities." . (2) More specifically, it is characterized by rocking, twisting, jerking, toe tapping, lip smacking, blinking, and most commonly an unusual movement of the tongue. . (1) (2)(3). Interestingly enough, these side effects disappear during sleep. (3)
any child who fails to pay attention or seems overly active might be deemed as suffering from
Tourette’s syndrome is a disorder where the affected individual will consistently exhibit “tics”. In the majority of cases these ticks are minor in character, it may just be the urge to blink, or make certain facial gestures. Less than 15% of individuals exhibit coprolalia, which is the unwarranted exclamations of profanities or other socially forbidden remarks. Perhaps those in our generation who are aware of Tourette’s syndrome have learned its symptoms through pop culture, which has glamorized (to some extent) the more severe cases of Tourette’s syndrome in YouTube videos or the animated satire of South Park. Most with Tourette’s syndrome have been diagnosed 5-8 years in childhood and experience the waning of the number and severity of tics by the time the graduate high school. For the most part, Tourette’s syndrome alone will not prevent an individual from success in the institutions of society, as it doesn’t affect the intelligence or capability of individuals. These cases, often called pure TS cases, are usually the exception. More often than not, sufferers of Tourette’s syndrome are more limited socially by common comorbid conditions like obsessive compulsive disorder and attention deficit hyperactivity disorders.
...ore work must be done in this area. More work on both the neurobiology of the disease and on the psycho emotional factors that are involved in being able to successfully cope with the condition.
The cause of this is caused by a defect on chromosome 4. This gene is in control for building proteins called huntingtin. Chromosome is a construction of nucleic acids and protein. It brings genetic information in the form of genes. The defect on the gene defines that specific proteins are required to make brain substances that can’t be prepared in the brain normally. This is also the result to the harm and loss of brain cells and some portions of the brain. Also there a collection of chemical called dopamine. This also causes movement problems. This damage this leads to the symptoms to the disorder known as Huntington’s disease. (Patient.Co.Uk, 2011).
Due to the intense nature of the physical symptoms of PD and its impact of one’s life, various researchers has identified different contributory factors of this disorder. Some studies indicated hyperventilation, over activity in the noradrenergic neurotransmitter system, interceptive classical conditioning, anxiety sensitivity, catastrophic misinterpretation of bodily sensations and safety behaviors are potential factors of PD (Davey, 2014). While, other researchers have stated PD is possibly caused by genetic predisposition, abnormalities in serotonin, and early developmental factors (Sansone et al., 1998). As the etiology of PD remains unknown and further studies are being conducted, it is agreed upon the mental health community that biological, psychological and cognitive factors contribute to the etiology and maintenance of PD.
There are many people with this illness that is quite hard to diagnose. Unfortunately, these people are seeking a little kindness and attention, while, in the meantime, they are at possible risk to themselves. Most of the studies show that the cause of onset of this disorder begins with the patient’s childhood and being abused or rejected.
When you walk into a room of people look around you at everybody. Can you pick out one or two people who suffer from a learning disability? Simply by looking at me Could you tell I do. Even educators did not realize that I had dyslexia. Unfortunately, they did not see the signs. I would like to share with you, how I have endeavored obstacles throughout life and still do, to this day.
...L., Golding, J., Jongmans, M., & Emond, A. (2009). Prevalence of developmental coordination disorder using the DSM-IV at 7 years of age: A UK population-based study. Pediatrics, 123(4), e693-700. doi: 10.1542/peds.2008-1770
...tes of being diagnosed with another type of disorder. This is called comorbid conditions. Some main disorders that might be associated with EOS are anxiety and depression. A few problems that can arise from having comorbid conditions are that the child can obtain cognitive difficulties and developmental delays. Before doctors really look into the child having comorbid conditions, they will think that the child is suffering from autism disorder (McDonell & McClellan). In children with EOS, substance abuse can become a massive problem as they get older. One of the biggest abuses would be nicotine (NIMH, 2007).
This consists of “1 in 5 to 1 in 2,000 live births” (Harvard Mental Health, 2004, p. 2). Not only does this disease effect these children physically and mentally, but some of these children also become parentless and homeless due to their families addictions. If this occurs
... affects the diagnosed child, but it affects his or her parents, and siblings in many different ways. Different families go through it differently, but they are all affected emotionally, physically, socially, educationally, and financially.