Ningdong granule and Tourette's syndrome

Ningdong granule is a prescription used in traditional Chinese medicine. Researchers from Shandong University in China looked at its effectiveness in treating Tourette's syndrome. 64 children between seven and 18 were divided into two groups. One group took the granules while another group took a placebo. After eight weeks the participants taking the ningdong granule showed a 41.39% reduction in their total tic score while the placebo group showed only a 10.79% decrease. There were few side effects to the ningdong granules with one participant reporting loss of appetite and one constipation.

Zhao, L. ... [et al] - Traditional Chinese medicine ningdong granule: the beneficial effects in Tourette's disease The Journal of International Medical Research January/February 2010, 38(1), 169-175

Deep-brain stimulation gets thumbs up for severe cases

Deep-brain stimulation involves implanting electrodes into patients' brains. The electrodes are connected to an impulse generator - usually implanted below the collarbone - and deliver continuous, high-frequency, short electrical impulses aimed at 'resetting' brain circuitry. Jens Kuhn, from the University of Cologne and Theo P.J. Gruender from the Max Planck Institute reviewed studies into the effectiveness of deep-brain stimulation published between 1980 and 2009. They found improvement rates of between 35-70% in treatment resistant OCD (obsessive-compulsive disorder), depression and Tourette's syndrome with a low rate of side effects.

You can find out more about this research at

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/03/100304075705.htm?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+sciencedaily+%28ScienceDaily%3A+Latest+Science+News%29&utm_content=Google+Reader

Deep brain stimulation and Tourette's

Deep brain stimulation has been used to treat people with depression and now new research from Birmingham University in the U.K. suggests that it might also be helpful for people with Tourette's syndrome too. People with Tourette's have uncontrolled movements, vocalizations and tics and often also suffer from obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). The researchers used deep brain stimulation on 15 people with severe Tourette's and OCD who had already tried medication and psychological treatments. The brain stimulation involved a surgically-implanted brain pacemaker sending electrical impulses to certain parts of the brain. The participants in the study experienced 52% fewer tics and their OCD, depression and anxiety fell by up to a third. The treatment had no effect on people's cognition but larger studies need to be done before the treatment becomes more widely available.

You can find out more about this research at

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091027161524.htm

How many children have Tourette's

Nearly 150,000 children in the U.S. could have Tourette's syndrome. Researchers from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention looked at data from the 2007 National Survey of Children's Health which covered 64,034 people between 6 and 17. They found that 3 in 1,000 children had Tourette's which is characterized by sometimes debilitating tics such as repetitive, stereotypical movement and inappropriate vocalizations. The syndrome is linked to higher rates of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and can cause learning disabilities and problems getting on with other children.

You can find out more about this research at

http://uk.reuters.com/article/healthNews/idUKTRE5537CN20090604?feedType=RSS&feedName=healthNews

Tourette's syndrome and ADHD

People with Tourette's syndrome often have other problems as well, the most common of which is attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Researchers at the universities of Calgary and Toronto studied 400 children with Tourette's some of whom had ADHD and some of whom did not. They found that children with low birth weights, who had been born prematurely and whose mothers had smoked during their pregnancy were two-or-three times more likely to have ADHD, replicating results in the general population.

You can find out more about this research at

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/04/090415102134.htm