Journal Article

FZJ-2014-03372

http://join2-wiki.gsi.de/foswiki/pub/Main/Artwork/join2_logo100x88.png Altered Synaptic Plasticity in Tourette's Syndrome and Its Relationship to Motor Skill Learning

Brandt, V. C. ; Nießen, E.FZJ* ; Ganos, C. ; Kahl, U. ; Bäumer, T. ; Münchau, A. ; Cattaneo, L. (Editor)

2014
PLoS Lawrence, Kan.

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Please use a persistent id in citations: http://hdl.handle.net/2128/6756  doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0098417

Abstract: Article About the Authors Metrics Comments Related Content Abstract Introduction Materials and Methods Results Discussion Conclusions Supporting Information Acknowledgments Author Contributions References Reader Comments (0) FiguresAbstractGilles de la Tourette syndrome is a neuropsychiatric disorder characterized by motor and phonic tics that can be considered motor responses to preceding inner urges. It has been shown that Tourette patients have inferior performance in some motor learning tasks and reduced synaptic plasticity induced by transcranial magnetic stimulation. However, it has not been investigated whether altered synaptic plasticity is directly linked to impaired motor skill acquisition in Tourette patients. In this study, cortical plasticity was assessed by measuring motor-evoked potentials before and after paired associative stimulation in 14 Tourette patients (13 male; age 18–39) and 15 healthy controls (12 male; age 18–33). Tic and urge severity were assessed using the Yale Global Tic Severity Scale and the Premonitory Urges for Tics Scale. Motor learning was assessed 45 minutes after inducing synaptic plasticity and 9 months later, using the rotary pursuit task. On average, long-term potentiation-like effects in response to the paired associative stimulation were present in healthy controls but not in patients. In Tourette patients, long-term potentiation-like effects were associated with more and long-term depression-like effects with less severe urges and tics. While motor learning did not differ between patients and healthy controls 45 minutes after inducing synaptic plasticity, the learning curve of the healthy controls started at a significantly higher level than the Tourette patients' 9 months later. Induced synaptic plasticity correlated positively with motor skills in healthy controls 9 months later. The present study confirms previously found long-term improvement in motor performance after paired associative stimulation in healthy controls but not in Tourette patients. Tourette patients did not show long-term potentiation in response to PAS and also showed reduced levels of motor skill consolidation after 9 months compared to healthy controls. Moreover, synaptic plasticity appears to be related to symptom severity.

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Contributing Institute(s):

1. Kognitive Neurowissenschaften (INM-3)

Research Program(s):

1. 333 - Pathophysiological Mechanisms of Neurological and Psychiatric Diseases (POF2-333) (POF2-333)
2. 89572 - (Dys-)function and Plasticity (POF2-89572) (POF2-89572)

Appears in the scientific report 2014

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