Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 14, 2026
Generating Acute and Chronic Experimental Models of Motor Tic Expression in Rats
Published on: May 27, 2021
Neuroimaging of neuronal circuits involved in tic generation in patients with Tourette syndrome
A Lerner1, A Bagic, E A Boudreau
1Molecular Imaging Branch, National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892-2035, USA. lernera@mail.nih.gov
Objective:
To identify brain regions generating tics in patients with Tourette syndrome using sleep as a baseline.
Methods:
We used [15O]H2O PET to study nine patients with Tourette syndrome and nine matched control subjects. For patients, conditions included tic release states and sleep stage 2; and for control subjects, rest states and sleep stage 2.
Results:
Our study showed robust activation of cerebellum, insula, thalamus, and putamen during tic release.
Conclusion:
The network of structures involved in tics includes the activated regions and motor cortex. The prominent involvement of cerebellum and insula suggest their involvement in tic initiation and execution.
