Specific executive control impairments in Tourette syndrome: The role of response inhibition

Publication date: February 2017
Source:Research in Developmental Disabilities, Volume 61
Author(s): Asaf Yaniv, Noa Benaroya-Milshtein, Tamar Steinberg, Dafna Ruhrrman, Alan Apter, Michal Lavidor
BackgroundTourette syndrome (TS) is a childhood-onset disorder characterized by motor and vocal tics. While cognitive features of common comorbid conditions such as attention deficit hyperactive disorder and obsessive compulsive disorder have been widely investigated, the cognitive profile of TS patients remains to be precisely defined. In this regard, the executive functions system (EF) is of especial interest.AimsThe aim of the study was to delineate the various components of executive processes in adult TS patients.MethodsA sample of 19 adults diagnosed with TS and 19 age-matched control subjects underwent computerized battery of executive tasks, as well as block design and memory tests. All patients received a thorough clinical assessment with an emphasis on illness severity.ResultsThere was a marked impairment in response inhibition ability regardless of comorbid conditions, In addition, there was decreased accuracy in set shifting, but not in response time. These results imply that impaired response inhibition in the EF system is the primary cognitive impairment in TS and that many of the previously reported impaired executive functions in TS are secondary to this impairment.ConclusionsThis finding of impaired response inhibition in TS may imply that rehabilitation of this inhibition component could prove to be an important therapeutic strategy in adults with TS.



http://ift.tt/2hsWZ84