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Tourette’s Syndrome

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Behavioral Neurobiology of the Endocannabinoid System

Part of the book series: Current Topics in Behavioral Neurosciences ((CTBN,volume 1))

Abstract

Tourette’s syndrome (TS) is a chronic disorder characterized by motor and vocal tics and a variety of associated behaviour disorders. Because current therapy is often unsatisfactory, there is expanding interest in new therapeutic strategies that are more effective, cause less side effects and ameliorate not only tics but also behavioural problems. From anecdotal reports and preliminary controlled studies it is suggested that – at least in a subgroup of patients – cannabinoids are effective in the treatment of TS. While most patients report beneficial effects when smoking marijuana (Cannabis sativa L.), available clinical trials have been performed using oral Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). In otherwise treatment-resistant TS patients, therefore, therapy with THC should not be left unattempted. To date, it is unknown whether other drugs that interact with the endocannabinoid receptor system might be more effective in the treatment of TS than smoked marijuana or pure THC. Since it has been suggested that abnormalities within the endocannabinoid receptor system might underlie TS pathophysiology, it would be of interest to investigate the effect of substances that for example bind more selectively to the central cannabinoid receptor or inhibit the uptake or the degradation of different endocannabinoids.

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Abbreviations

2AG:

2-Arachidonoylglycerol

ADHD:

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder

GCIS:

Global clinical impression scale

GP:

Globus pallidus

MRI:

Magnetic resonance imaging

NL:

Neuroleptics

PD:

Parkinson's disease

PET:

Positron emission tomography

OCB:

Obsessive compulsive behaviour

SSCP:

Single-strand conformation polymorphism

SSRI:

Selective serotonin-reuptake inhibitors

STSS:

Shapiro Tourette-syndrome severity scale

TS:

Tourette’s syndrome

TSGS:

Tourette’s syndrome global scale

TSSL:

Tourette syndrome symptom list

YGTSS:

Yale global tic severity scale

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Clinic of Psychiatry, Social Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Hannover Medical School, Carl-Neuberg-Str. 1, D-30625, Hannover, Germany

    Kirsten R. Müller-Vahl

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  1. Kirsten R. Müller-Vahl
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Correspondence to Kirsten R. Müller-Vahl .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Queen's Medical Centre, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, NG7 2UH, United Kingdom

    Dave Kendall

  2. Queen's Medical Centre, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, NG7 2UH, United Kingdom

    Stephen Alexander

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Müller-Vahl, K.R. (2009). Tourette’s Syndrome. In: Kendall, D., Alexander, S. (eds) Behavioral Neurobiology of the Endocannabinoid System. Current Topics in Behavioral Neurosciences, vol 1. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-540-88955-7_17

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