Thinning of sensorimotor cortices in children with Tourette syndrome.

Full Abstract

The basal ganglia portions of cortico-striato-thalamo-cortical (CSTC) circuits have consistently been implicated in the pathogenesis of Tourette syndrome, whereas motor and sensorimotor cortices in these circuits have been relatively overlooked. Using magnetic resonance imaging, we detected cortical thinning in frontal and parietal lobes in groups of Tourette syndrome children relative to controls. This thinning was most prominent in ventral portions of the sensory and motor homunculi that control the facial, orolingual and laryngeal musculature that is commonly involved in tic symptoms. Correlations of cortical thickness in sensorimotor regions with tic symptoms suggest that these brain regions are important in the pathogenesis of Tourette syndrome.

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Author information

Author/s: Sowell, Elizabeth R (ER); Kan, Eric (E); Yoshii, June (J); Thompson, Paul M (PM); Bansal, Ravi (R); Xu, Dongrong (D); Toga, Arthur W (AW); Peterson, Bradley S (BS);

Affiliation: Laboratory of Neuro Imaging, Department of Neurology, University of California, Los Angeles, 635 Charles Young Drive South, Suite 225, Los Angeles, California 90095, USA.

Grants: AG016570 (Agency:United States NIA) ; EB01651 (Agency:United States NIBIB) ; K01 MH01733 (Agency:United States NIMH) ; LM05639 (Agency:United States NLM) ; MH068318 (Agency:United States NIMH) ; MH59139 (Agency:United States NIMH) ; MHK02-74677 (Agency:United States PHS) ; NS3753 (Agency:United States NINDS) ; P41 RR013642 (Agency:United States NCRR) ; RR019771 (Agency:United States NCRR) ; U54 RR021813 (Agency:United States NCRR)

Journal and publication information

Publication Type: Journal Article; Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural

Journal: Nature neuroscience (Nat Neurosci), published in United States. (Language: eng)

Reference: 2008-Jun; vol 11 (issue 6) : pp 637-9

Dates: Created 2008/05/28; Completed 2008/08/13;

PMID: 18488025, status: MEDLINE (last retrieval date: 11/6/2008)

Sourced from the National Library of Medicine. Abstract text and other information may be subject to copyright.

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MeSH headings (categories)

This article was linked to the MESH Headings shown below.

Adolescent
Adult
Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity - complications; pathology
Brain Mapping
Case-Control Studies
Child
Female
Humans
Image Processing, Computer-Assisted

Magnetic Resonance Imaging - methods
Male
Motor Cortex - pathology
Neuropsychological Tests
Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder - pathology
Random Allocation
Severity of Illness Index
Somatosensory Cortex - pathology
Tourette Syndrome - complications; pathology

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