REVIEW ARTICLES   

Panminerva Medica 2000 March;42(1):61-7

Copyright © 2009 EDIZIONI MINERVA MEDICA

language: English

Tourette’s syndrome in children: neurobiological issues in pathophysiology

Masi G., Brovedani P.

From the Division of Child Neurology and Psychiatry University of Pisa IRCCS Stella Maris, Calambrone, Pisa, Italy

In ­recent ­decades sig­nif­i­cant advanc­es in the under­stand­ing of neu­ro­bi­o­log­i­cal sub­strates of Tourette’s Syndrome (TS) ­have led to the for­mu­la­tion of hypoth­e­ses regard­ing the ­ways in ­which the ­most sali­ent fea­tures of the syn­drome may ­occur. Pathophysiology of TS ­involves mul­ti­ple inter­twined neu­ro­bi­o­log­i­cal ­issues in dif­fer­ent are­as of the Central Nervous System. This ­review con­sid­ers neu­ro­im­ag­ing stud­ies (MRI, PET, ­SPECT) in ­patients ­with TS. Neurochemical neu­ro­phys­io­log­i­cal and elec­tro­phys­io­log­i­cal stud­ies are ­also ­reviewed. The ­role of the neu­ro­en­do­crine and neu­ro­im­mu­no­log­ic mech­a­nism on path­o­gen­e­sis of the dis­ease is dis­cussed. Advances in diag­nos­tic tech­niques (fMRI, mMRI, PET, ­SPECT) and in neu­ro­phys­io­log­i­cal ­research on neu­ro­trans­mit­ter ­systems ­will ­allow us to bet­ter under­stand the pathoph­y­sio­lo­gy of TS and to use ­more spe­cif­ic treat­ments.