Tourette Syndrome Essay examples -- Biology Essays Research Papers

Tourette Syndrome I have been intrigued by this disorder since I met a beautiful little girl named Sarah. Sarah's father recently told me that doctors have informed him that Sarah may have Tourette Syndrome. I had visions in my mind of a little girl shouting profanity uncontrollably with arms flailing about, although the times that I have been with Sarah have never been marked by these actions. I set out to find more information to satisfy my own curiosity and to make myself a resource for Sarah's father. Tourette Syndrome (TS) was first officially described over 100 years ago by a French neurologist named Gilles de la Tourette, a pupil of Charcot's and a friend of Freud's. He described nine patients, primarily Madame de Dampierre, by saying: At the age of 7 (she) was afflicted by convulsive movements of the hands and arms. . . She was felt to be suffering from overexcitement and mischief, and . . . she was subjected to reprimand and punishment. It soon became clear that these movements were indeed in voluntary. . . involved the shoulders, the neck, and the face, and resulted in contortions and extraordinary grimaces (1). Soon after the motor tics developed, Dampierre developed vocal tics consisting of screams and cries. Until her death at 85, she was forced to live in seclusion (2). Between 1920 and 1960, TS was all but forgotten, and psychiatrists and psychoanalysts treated the symptoms as suppressed aggression, which proved ineffective (1). When drugs such as haloperidol were able to alleviate symptoms in the 1960's, however, Giles de la Tourette's initial observations were reevaluated. Dr. Oliver Sacks notes, "Tourette's was regarded - in a sudden reversal - as a chemical disease, the result of a neurotransmitter, dopamine... ...ourette Syndrome. http://neuro-www2.mgh.harvard.edu/TSA/AboutTS/faq.html 7. Definitions and Classification of Tic Disorders. The Tourette Syndrome Classification Study Group. http://tsa.harvard.edu/TSA/medsci/definitions.html 8. Personal Health: Living with the Mysteries of Tourette Syndrome. Brody, Jane E. The New York Times, March 1, 1995. http://tsa.mgh.harvard.edu/TSA/whatshappening/brody.html 9. An Early Warning for Tics?: Faint Signals, Sensory Urges, and Momentary Relief. Leckman Ph.D., James F. National TSA Newsletter - Spring 1996. http://tsa.harvard.edu/TSA/medetter/spring1996.html 10. The Facts about Tourette Syndrome. Alternative Health. http://members.tripod.com/~tourette13/ 11. Scientists Brainstorm to Find Cure for Tourette Syndrome. Weizmann Institute of Science. http://wis-wander.weizmann.ac.il/site/EN/weizman.asp?pi=372