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Basal Ganglia & Tourette's Disorder

Tourette's disorder, also known as Tourette syndrome, is a neurological condition characterized by tics, unusual sounds or movements over which the patient has little or no control, according to Medline Plus. The disorder is very common, appearing in more than 1 percent of the American population. For most of those with the disorder, the symptoms are relatively mild and present no significant problem. Although medical researchers have not officially agreed on what causes the disorder, there is mounting evidence that the basal ganglia may provide some answers.

  1. Basal Ganglia

    • Basal ganglia, located deep within the brain, are clusters of neurons that are believed to play a significant role in motor control, memory, perception, learning and other functions. According to the Neuro Jargon website, these clusters include the caudate nucleus, globus pallidus, putamen and substantia nigra.

    Important Findings

    • An article in the September 2007 issue of Brain Briefings, an online newsletter of the Society for Neuroscience, chronicles the 2005 discovery of alterations in a gene found "consistently in a small subset of people with Tourette." Researchers learned that the gene was a key factor in the early development of such brain components as the basal ganglia and the frontal lobes of the cerebral cortex. By taking images of the living brain, researchers also were able to find a possible link between the size of a child's caudate nucleus, part of the basal ganglia, and the severity of her Tourette's symptoms later in life, according to the Brain Briefings article.

    Drawing Conclusions

    • Based on the 2005 findings and other research into Tourette's, scientists are leaning toward the conclusion that the disorder stems from dysfunction in the parts of the brain most closely associated with learning and habituation, of which the basal ganglia are a part. According to the article in Brain Briefings, researchers also believe that "activity in certain brain circuits is disturbed, perhaps when parts of the basal ganglia . . . do not develop correctly early in life."

    Other Disorders

    • Tourette's disorder is not the only condition that is believed to be closely related to possible dysfunction in the basal ganglia. Medical researchers believe there is a close relationship between these portions of the brain and obsessive-compulsive disorder, Huntington's disease and addiction.

    Deep Brain Stimulation

    • There is a growing body of opinion within the medical community that Tourette's disorder and other conditions related to the basal ganglia can be treated with deep brain stimulation (DBS). This still-experimental technique involves the implantation of a pacemaker-like device that delivers a constant low level of electrical stimulation to the brain. The idea of using DBS is not new, having been discussed for more than a decade, but it seems to be growing in acceptance. An article in the September 2009 issue of Progress in Neurobiology reported success in treating Tourette's, obsessive-compulsive disorder and depression that previously had been resistant to treatment. The article cautioned, however, that more needs to be learned about the precise mechanisms triggered by DBS.

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