Color vision deficiencies in Gilles de la Tourette syndrome

Color perception was tested using the Farnsworth-Munsell 100-Hue Test in a sample of persons with Gilles de la Tourette syndrome (GTS), and compared to norms from three age cohorts in the early second, fourth and sixth decades. Red-green color errors on the Farnsworth-Munsell did not appear to change appreciably as a function of age or GTS. Blue-yellow error scores did, however, increase with age and were exaggerated in the GTS group. It is concluded that sensory and perceptual disturbances are present in GTS as in other basal cell ganglia disorders. The results are discussed in terms of converging retinal dopaminergic mechanisms also associated with Parkinson's and Huntington's diseases and even with normal aging. Suggestions are offered that daily activities and behavior may be affected by spatial and chromatic deficiencies.