NICOTINE FOR THE TREATMENT OF TOURETTES-SYNDROME

Recent evidence has demonstrated that nicotine may obtund the symptoms of Tourette's syndrome (TS). TS is a neuropsychiatric disorder charac terized by motor and vocal ties, obsessions and compulsions, and frequ ently with impulsivity, distractibility, and visual-motor deficits. Wh ile neuroleptics, such as haloperidol, are most effective for treatmen t of the motor and vocal ties of TS, these medications have many side effects. In this article, we review the evidence, consistent with find ings in animals, that administration of nicotine (either 2 mg nicotine gum or 7 mg transdermal nicotine patch) potentiates the therapeutic p roperties of neuroleptics in treating TS patients and that a single pa tch may be effective for a variable number of days. These findings sug gest that transdermal nicotine could serve as an effective adjunct to neuroleptic therapy for TS. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science Inc.