Tics and its disorders

Tourette syndrome (TS) is familial neuropsychiatric disorder that is charac terized by motor and phonic tics that begin in childhood. Once thought of a s a rare and debilitating disorder, in the last decade new scientific knowl edge suggests that TS and related tic disorders are more common and less de bilitating for the majority of individuals. Evidence points toward a spectr um of TS symptomatology that extends beyond the tics disorder to probably i nclude obsessive-compulsive diorder, attention deficit hyperactivity disord er, and mood disorders. Tourette syndrome and its differential diagnosis ar e discussed in this article with a focus on new developments in classificat ion, etiology, epidemiology, genetics, pathophysiology, and clinical manage ment.