Tourette syndrome is a rare neuropsychiatric disorder affecting the cortico-striato-thalamo-cortical system. The disease manifests in childhood with tics and various psychiatric comorbidities. Cases of refractory Tourette syndrome are valuable candidates for functional neurosurgery. The thalamic centromedian-parafascicular complex is an experimental target that shows a promising role in Tourette syndrome deep brain stimulation, due to pathophysiologic evidences. We have shown on a long term follow-up, that thalamic deep brain stimulation, targeted on the centromedian-parafascicular complex, could modulate motor (i.e. tics) symptoms and owns a putative effect on various psychiatric aspects. Non-responding psychiatric symptoms could be due to the aberrant developmental environment of young Tourette patients more than disease itself. Centromedian-parafascicular complex is intriguingly embedded in motor, associative and limbic pathways and should be further investigated in his role for neuromodulation of human movement and behavior.
CM-Pf deep brain stimulation and the long term management of motor and psychiatric symptoms in a case of Tourette syndrome
Scarnati, Eugenio;Mazzone, Paolo
2019-01-01
Abstract
Tourette syndrome is a rare neuropsychiatric disorder affecting the cortico-striato-thalamo-cortical system. The disease manifests in childhood with tics and various psychiatric comorbidities. Cases of refractory Tourette syndrome are valuable candidates for functional neurosurgery. The thalamic centromedian-parafascicular complex is an experimental target that shows a promising role in Tourette syndrome deep brain stimulation, due to pathophysiologic evidences. We have shown on a long term follow-up, that thalamic deep brain stimulation, targeted on the centromedian-parafascicular complex, could modulate motor (i.e. tics) symptoms and owns a putative effect on various psychiatric aspects. Non-responding psychiatric symptoms could be due to the aberrant developmental environment of young Tourette patients more than disease itself. Centromedian-parafascicular complex is intriguingly embedded in motor, associative and limbic pathways and should be further investigated in his role for neuromodulation of human movement and behavior.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.