“TOURETTES SYNDROME AND THE GENETICS BEHIDE THIS DISORTER”
Tourette syndrome and the Genetics Behind this Disorder
Cheyenne Holbrook
Bayside High School
Author Note
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“TOURETTES SYNDROME AND THE GENETICS BEHIDE THIS DISORTER”
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Abstract
Tourette syndrome is a condition where you have tics that include eye blinking, facial
grimacing, and head or shoulder jerking. Some tic may also include vocal things like throat
clearing and grunting noises (“Tourette syndrome fact sheet”, 2102). This paper expresses TS
(Tourette syndrome) and how it can be hereditary stated by Orlendorf (1999). If your parent is a
carrier of the gene then your child has a 50% chance of getting this disease also said by
Orlendorf (1999). TS can lead to many other disease with can spark the need for medication
(“TS and other related diseases”, 2012). Medicine for TS is needed to counteract and control the
tics. Tourette syndrome relates to medicine and genetics because it can be inherited and they are
making different medicine and test to control and cure Tourette syndrome and this is being
researched by National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (2012).
Keywords: Tourette syndrome, genetics, medicine
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Tourette syndrome and the Genetics Behind this Disorder.
Many people fear Tourette syndrome because it takes over your life and you can’t control
your body. The fear of this disorder will only affect the people whose parents are carriers of the
disease (“Tourette syndrome fact sheet” 2012). Most people do not even know what the people
with Tourette syndrome symptoms are, the causes of it, and what medical professionals are doing
to cure this syndrome. Medicine relates to this disorder through what they are doing to cure this
syndrome like, genetic testing and medical drugs (“Tourette Syndrome” 2012).
Tourette syndrome: The Disease.
Tourette syndrome is a neurological disease that affects the brain (“Tourette syndrome
fact sheet“2012). When you have Tourette syndrome you have a series of tics that can either be
classified as simple or complex. (“Tourette syndrome fact sheet” 2012) Simple tics can include
eye twitching or other eye movement rapidity, facial movements, shoulder shrugging or head
jerking. (“Tourette syndrome fact sheet” 2012) More complex tics may be vocal like, repetitive
through clearing, sniffing, or grunting sounds.(“Tourette syndrome fact sheet “ 2012) more
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dramatic tics include self-harm like punching or choking themselves ( “ Tourette syndrome fact
sheet “2012). These tics can become more complex with excitement or the anxiety.( “ Tourette
syndrome fact sheet”2012)
With these tics becoming worse, some other diseases may become present. Obsession is
one of the main diseases that are developed when you have Tourette syndrome (TS and related
disorders”, 2012). Many other diseases like ADD or ADHD witch is attention deficit disorder
(“Tourette syndrome and related diseases”, 2012). ADD is a psychological term currently
applied to anyone who meets the DSM IV diagnostic criteria for impulsivity, hyperactivity
and/or inattention (“What is add?” 1999). Also many other disorders are common in people with
Tourette syndrome like sleep disorders and dyslexic. Dyslexia is specific reading disability due
to a defect in the brain's processing of graphic symbols and a learning disability that alters the
way the brain processes written material (“What is Dyslexia” 2010). The causes of the other
Tourette syndrome and these other disease could be caused by the same things. Most people
don’t know what the cause of TS. Tourette syndrome is caused by some environmental factors
(“TS and related disorders”2012). Also, TS is caused by genetics (“TS and related
disorders”2012). If your parent is a carrier of the Tourette syndrome gene then you have a slight
chance of getting the gene but, if one of your parents has TS then you have a 50% chance of
getting Tourette syndrome (“Tourette syndrome”1999).
Tourette syndrome has many symptoms but a full treatment for this disease is unknown.
There are many treatments for each symptom and disease. Many medications such as atypical
neuroleptics, anti-depressants, and anti-hyper drugs are used to control their symptoms (“TS and
other related diseases”2012). There are other environmental changes that can help children and
adults that have Tourette syndrome like not having them in a cluttered household or not fighting
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in fount of a child because it could trigger a tic (“Tourette syndrom”1999). Other thing can help
a child with Tourette syndrome is to have them go do yoga or family therapy because when
children are in stressful situations then the tics tend to become more worse.(“Tourette syndrome”
1999). Also Tourette syndrome patients tend to do better in things when they have biofeedback.
witch is a treatment technique in which people are trained to improve their health by using
signals from their own bodies (“what is biofeedback?” 2010).
People do not know the statistics on Tourette syndrome because this disease that
everyone looks over and they make fun of because it is very rear. In the world 3 out of every
1,000 children between the ages of 6-17 years old have been diagnosed with TS (Tourette
syndrome” 2012). 27 % of all people who have Tourette syndrome have saver Tourette
syndrome, when you have severe TS then you usually have it all of your life (“Tourette
Syndrome”2012). When people often think of Tourette syndrome, they think of Caucasian male
but, actually TS affects all race and ethnicities (“Tourette syndrome”2012). But, the male part is
right, is proven that there are twice as many males between the ages of 6-17 with TS than women
(“Tourette syndrome”2012).
Tourette syndrome: Genetics.
There is evidence stated in many experiments that the Tourette syndrome is hereditary.
Family studies have suggested that the syndrome is more likely in males and they are most likely
the carriers of the gene even through it is the dominate gene (“Tourette syndrome fact sheet
“2012). Experiments have been done to show that there is a 50% chance of getting the syndrome
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if your parents are carriers (“Tourette syndrome” 1999). Even though there is a 50% chance there
is no control if the gene is expressed or not.
The gene that is inherited is very complex. The gene that is being linked to Tourette
syndrome is SLITRK1 witch is found on the 13 chromosome (“Tourette Syndrome fact
sheet”2012). This gene was found through a genetic research involving a person with TS. The
genetic annalist of a boy with TS has an “inversion” of the 13 chromosome (“Tourette Syndrome
fact sheet”2012). The boy with TS has shown to have an orientation of the chromosome where
it is opposite of the normal chromosome (“news from NIND” 2005). TS and the inversion of the
chromosome thought to be related because the boy’s parent was a carrier and the parent has it
same mutation on the chromosome (“News from NIND’2005).
There are more mutations in the chromosomes that make the thought of Tourette
syndrome being inherited. It was identified that a frame shifts mutation and two independent
occurrences of the identical variant where in the binding site for microRNA hsa-miR-189 stated
by State (2005). The mutations of TS were not in any other chromosomes. SLITRK1, mRNA
and hsa-miR-189 showed an overlapping expression pattern in brain regions previously
implicated in TS found by State (2005). A type of the SLITRK1 gene was used, but not the
frame shift mutant, enhanced dendritic growth in primary neuronal cultures (State 2005).
Tourette Syndrome: Medicine and education.
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Tourette syndrome has sparked many new disorders and old ones to be reassured but, most
of all, it has sparked education, People want to learn more about this disease because it is
interesting. So many people have been interested in it the have made TSNEOP. This stands for
Tourette syndrome National Education and Research Program (“Tourette syndrome” 2012).
TSNEOP has made many contributions education of people about this syndrome. They have
provided centers in places with the most people known to have Tourette syndrome (“Tourette
Syndrome” 2012). They have also made more than 520 education programs and now have over
32,000 medical personal in all 50 states that are involved with the program (“Tourette syndrome
“2012).
Also, Tourette syndrome has mad the medical field start researching more about this
topic. The National instate of Neurological Disorders and Stroke has gotten many other
organizations to support the medical field and there research on this disorder (“Tourette
syndrome “2012). Some of these organizations are The National Institute of Mental Health and
The center for disease control administration (“Tourette syndrome “2012).
The medication that has been used for the treatment of Tourette syndrome has had some
advances since the discovery of this disorder. For the treatment of this disorder there are many
medications they have to take like atypical neuroleptics, anti- hyper drugs, but mostly antidepressants(“TS and other related disorders” 2012). Many medications have been used to control
the tics of Tourette syndrome but, there is not true medicine that can change the chromosome
mutation.
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