The Correlation Between the Severity of Premonitory Urges and Tic Symptoms: A Meta-Analysis

Premonitory urges (PUs) are defined as sensory experiences of pre-tic inner tension. Evidence suggests that most patients with Tourette syndrome experience PUs, which are transiently relived by the expression of tics. However, recent studies have revealed inconsistent results regarding the correlation between the severity of PUs and the severity of tic symptoms. A meta-analysis was performed to confirm the correlation between the severity of the urge and the severity of the expression of the tic. In total, 10 studies involving 626 patients with tic disorders were included in this meta-analysis. The correlation coefficient (r) was extracted from each selected study, and a pooled correlation coefficient (r) and its 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated. Sensitivity and subgroup analyses were performed to identify the potential sources of heterogeneity. The pooled correlation coefficient (r) of the relationship between the severity of PUs and tic symptoms was 0.296 (95% CI: 0.215-0.376) with an I² of 15.2% (95% CI: 0.00-56.5) based on a fixed effects model. The correlation was stronger in adults than in children (p = 0.03). A slight to moderate positive correlation was observed between the severity of PUs and tic symptoms. This correlation may be affected by the age of the patients. Further research should seek to elucidate the relationships among PUs, tic suppression, and tic expression to support the development of behavioral intervention therapies to reduce tic symptoms.