View clinical trials related to Tourette Syndrome.
Filter by:OBJECTIVES: I. Determine whether the time period between randomization and endpoint is longer in the short term pimozide therapy or longer term therapy in patients with Tourette syndrome. II. Determine whether tic severity, medication side effects, academic performance and psychosocial functioning are better in the short term pimozide therapy or longer term pimozide therapy.
The purpose of this study is to better understand the long-term progress of people with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and related conditions such as anorexia nervosa, Tourette syndrome, and trichotillomania. This study involves the screening and follow-up of individuals with OCD and OCD-related disorders. Participants will be screened with a medical and psychiatric evaluation, questionnaires, and neurological testing. Participants will then have study visits every 4 to 12 weeks to undergo symptom and daily functioning evaluations, personality tests, blood and urine tests, memory tests, brain scans, and other clinical exams. Participants will be assessed with interviews and paper-and-pencil or computer-assisted tests. Participants may have the opportunity to participate in drug studies and to join a monthly OCD support group. At the end of the study, participants will be referred to community or private treatment centers.
OBJECTIVES: I. Evaluate the presumed mechanism of action of low dose pergolide to act acutely through the dopaminergic autoreceptor or postsynaptically at D2 sites in children 7 to 17 with tourette syndrome (GTS). II. Compare tolerability and safety of pergolide in these patients to standard neuroleptic therapy via naturalist assessment after 3-6 months of treatment using matched historical controls on neuroleptics. III. Determine efficacy of pergolide for tic control in these patients.
OBJECTIVES: I. Conduct a randomized, double blind, placebo controlled, parallel study of the atypical neuroleptic risperidone (RIS) in the treatment of children and adults with moderate to severe Tourette Syndrome. II. Evaluate further the safety of RIS in this population.
OBJECTIVES: I. Evaluate the safety and efficacy of the alpha-2 adrenergic agonist guanfacine in children and adolescents with Tourette syndrome or other chronic tic disorder, and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.
OBJECTIVES: I. Investigate the pathobiology of Tourette syndrome and related disorders by measuring various compounds of interest in cerebrospinal fluid, plasma, and urine of patients with Tourette syndrome, obsessive compulsive disorder, and/or chronic tics. II. Determine the pattern of familial aggregation of Tourette syndrome and obsessive compulsive disorder by systematic assessment of all first-degree family members of patients selected for cerebrospinal fluid studies. III. Establish the neurochemical and neuropeptide profile associated with the range of expression of the putative Tourette gene expression in adult and adolescent patients.
OBJECTIVES: I. Characterize the natural history, associated features, and severity of symptoms of obsessive compulsive disorder and Tourette syndrome in children and adolescents. II. Identify factors that influence the clinical course and prognosis of these patients.
Abnormalities in the re-uptake of dopamine and serotonin have been described in various neuropsychiatric disorders and substance abuse. [I-123] Beta-CIT is a recently developed radioligand for SPECT imaging of dopamine and serotonin transporters. [I-123]Beta-CIT SPECT has been used at the SPECT-lab of the Clinical Brain Disorders Branch in over fifty subjects without adverse events. Due to the trace concentrations used, a pharmacological effect of Beta-CIT is unlikely and has not been observed. The purpose of this study is to use Beta-CIT and SPECT to study the expression of dopamine and serotonin transporters in vivo in normal controls and various patient populations to address hypothesized abnormalities of the transporters in different disorders and to understand the effects of genetic variations in the genes of these transporters on their in vivo expression.
Positron Emission Tomography (PET) is a technique used to investigate the functional activity of the brain. The PET technique allows doctors to study the normal biochemical and metabolic processes of the central nervous system of normal individuals and patients with neurologic illnesses without physical / structural damage to the brain. Radioactive water H215O in PET scans permits good visualization of areas of the brain related to speech. Most of the PET scan studies conducted have concentrated on learning about how language is formed and decoded. Few studies have been conducted on speech production. This study aims to use radioactive water (H215O) and Positron Emission Tomography (PET scan) to measure blood flow to different areas of the brain in order to better understand the mechanisms involved in speech motor control. When a region of the brain is active, it uses more fuel in the form of oxygen and sugar (glucose). As the brain uses more fuel it produces more waste products, carbon dioxide and water. Blood carries fuel to the brain and waste products away from the brain. As brain activity increases blood flow to and from the area of activity increases also. Knowing these facts, researchers can use radioactive chemicals (H215O) and PET scans to observe what areas of the brain are receiving more blood flow. Researchers will ask patients to perform tasks that will affect speech, voice, and language. At the same time patients will undergo a PET scan. The tasks are designed to help researchers observe the blood flow to brain areas associated with voicebox (laryngeal) functions, movement of muscles in the jaw, tongue, and mouth, and other aspects of motor speech. Special studies will be conducted to evaluate how certain therapies and tasks can draw out symptoms in illnesses in which speech and language are affected. Results of these tests will be used in other studies to evaluate the neurologic mechanisms of diseases like Tourette's syndrome and parkinson's disease.<TAB>
The purpose of this study is to collect and study the brain tissue of deceased individuals to learn more about the nervous system and mental disorders. Information gained from donated tissue may lead to better treatments and potential cures for nervous system and mental disorders. This study will ask relatives of deceased individuals to donate the brains of their deceased relatives to allow further study of neurological and psychiatric disorders. We do not accept prospective donations.