Tourettes Syndrome

1
Tourettes Syndrome

• By Elyria

2
Some History

• Tourettes was first studied by Gilles de la
  Tourette in 1885.
• A disease that seemed very uncommon
• Because of the lack of technology and lack of
  understanding it was soon forgotten and over
  looked.

• In 1969 when Oliver Sacks began treating another
  disease with L-Dopa the medicine caused the
  patients to start having tics.
• Then, in 1971, The Washington Post published an
  article on tics prompting many people to begin
  studying the reasons behind these tics.

3
Symptoms

• Excited episodes
• Violent impulses
• Sometimes antic humor
• Sometimes inappropriate oral outburst
• Eye twitching
• Limb twitches (such as arms and legs

4
Causes

• Because Tourettes is such a complicated disease
  doctors have still not found a reason why it
  occurs
• One main theory is the disease is genetic but the
  gene has not yet been found
• It also could be caused by a autoimmune
  deficiency
• dysfunction in cortical and subcortical regions.

5
Diagnosis

• Tourette's has been both misdiagnosed or under
  diagnosed
• Doctors diagnosis it when the patient complains
  of random unexplainable spasms
• Disability to control impulses

6
How common is Tourettes?

• Although it is not a well known or understood
  disease many people suffer from the disease
• 10 of Americans have the disease
• 200,000 Americans suffer from a severe case of
  Tourettes.
• 6 of the 10 suffer from severe cases

6 have a severe case of Tourette's 301, 103,
947 10 have Tourette's
7
Cure

• Because doctors are still not sure of the cause
  they can not find a absolute cure or prevention
• They have found medicines such as Haldol which
  has helped stop the tics

8
Work cited

• William A. Friedman, Jr., MD, Department of
  Neurological Surgery, College of
  Medicinehttp//www.neurosurgery.ufl.edu/Images/Kn
  ego.gif
• Tim Vickers. Brain Structure.
  www.wikipedia.org. 8/31/06. May 15,
  2008.lthttp//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ImageBrain_str
  ucture.gifgt
• Sacks, Oliver. The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a
  Hat. New York, NY Simon and Schuster, 1998.
• John M. Grohl. Tourette's Disorder.
  www.psychcentral.com. 9/7/06. May 15, 2008.
  lthttp//psychcentral.com/disorders/sx81.htmgt