FEATURES RESEMBLING TOURETTES-SYNDROME IN DEVELOPMENTAL STUTTERERS

Developmental stuttering (DS) may be related to the extrapyramidal mot or system and shares many clinical similarities with Tourette's syndro me (TS), which is widely believed to be associated with extrapyramidal dysfunction. Twenty-two stutterers were examined for neuropsychiatric features commonly seen in TS, including ties, obsessive-compulsive be haviors (OCB), and attention deficit disorders. Eleven stutterers disp layed motor ties, and symptoms of OCB were observed at rates similar t o those seen in persons with TS. Few stutterers demonstrated significa nt attentional deficits. Findings are consistent with models suggestin g extrapyramidal involvement in DS and raise the possibility that DS a nd TS are pathogenetically related. (C) 1998 Academic Press.