Semiology, nosology and criteria for tic disorders

Precise description of the signs, symptoms, classification and criteria for Tic Disorder and Gilles de la Tourette Syndrome (GTS) is important to reduce heterogeneity in studies and to develop hypotheses about the pathophysiology of these disorders. Previous diagnostic categories and criteria for Tic Disorders and GTS in DSM-III and ICD-9 were derived from our study of 114 consecutive patients, questionnaire responses by 31 patients and data on 76 patients from 8 published reports. During the past 20 years we have evaluated 1490 patients for movement disorders, of whom 1210 had GTS and 137 had another tic disorder. Analysis of these data and review of the literature serve as the basis for proposed revision of the signs, symptoms, nosology and criteria for Tic Disorders and GTS.