Project Summary

Amir Raz, Ph.D. (Young Investigator 2006) of the New York State Psychiatric Institute and Columbia University, will use functional MRI technology to study the mechanism behind a possible treatment for people with Tourette Syndrome (TS). Impulse control disorders, such as TS, are characterized by a developmental impairment in inhibitory processing. These pathologies give rise to disinhibition over thoughts, actions, and feelings. Clinical observations report that attentional training can transiently suppress the emotional, cognitive, and motor symptoms associated with TS, rendering impulse inhibition as a way to view TS formulation. Since prefrontal maturation is related to inhibitory control, Dr. Raz proposes using fMRI to investigate whether inhibitory modulation can improve attentional and relaxation training in 32 children and adolescents diagnosed with TS, compared to healthy control subjects. He predicts that compared with the healthy controls, individuals with TS will have increased activations of the anterior cingulate cortex of the prefrontal cortex, basal ganglia, and atypical activation patterns of the cortico-striato-thalamo-cortical region, where TS pathophysiology is believed to reside, at baseline. Findings might lead to new treatment approaches for individuals with TS.

Program Area: OTHER\Aggressive Behavior\Impulsive Behavior

Search Again