DIFFERENTIAL-EFFECTS OF TRANSDERMAL NICOTINE ON MICROSTRUCTURED ANALYSES OF TICS IN TOURETTES-SYNDROME - AN OPEN STUDY

Background. The treatment of Tourette's syndrome (TS) is often unsatis factory. However, there is some evidence that transdermal nicotine pat ch (TNP) application may improve ties of nonsmoking TS patients who ar e refractory to haloperidol treatment. Methods. In this open study we applied two 10 mg TNP for 2 consecutive days to four TS patients whose symptoms were not controlled by haloperidol and to a never-medicated TS patient, all of whom are non-smokers. The Yale Global Tic Severity Scale (YGTSS) and a quantified video-taped micro-structured analysis o f ties (head-shake ties, eye-blinks, vocal ties, facial grimace and ot her body ties) were both carried out to assess the change after the ap plication of TNP.Results. TNP application significantly reduced the YG TSS by an average of 50%, with no reported side-effects, for up to 4 w eeks but not 16 weeks, as compared with TNP-free period. Consistent wi th these results, the total counts of ties also showed a significant d ecrease for up to 4 weeks after the TNP application. Conclusion. TNP a pplication differentially affected individually quantified ties, which may suggest a differential role of nicotinic receptors in the generat ion of different ties.