Zeitschrift für Wirbelsäulen- und Neurochirurgie

Deep Brain Stimulation for Tourette Syndrome

Neeladri Dutta and Andrea E. Cavanna

Deep Brain Stimulation for Tourette Syndrome

Tourette syndrome (TS) is a chronic neurodevelopmental disorder characterised by motor and vocal tics. Tics often present early in childhood at 6-8 years old, commonly following a waxing and waning course before reaching a peak in severity at around 12 years of age. Although symptoms can subside by early adulthood, a significant number of patients continue to experience severe tics across the lifespan. It has been shown that tics often affect health-related quality of life and require active treatment intervention. First line recommended treatment includes both pharmacotherapy, usually in the form of neuroleptics or atypical antipsychotics, and behavioural interventions, such as habit reversal therapy and exposure with response prevention.