Irene Neuner1,2, Yuliya Kupriyanova3,
Tony Stcker2,4, Oleg Posnansky2, Marc Tittgemeyer3,
Frank Schneider1,4, N. J. Shah2,5
1Department of Psychiatry and
Psychotherapy, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany; 2Medical
Imaging Physics, Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine - 4,
Forschungszentrum Juelich, Juelich, Germany; 3Max-Planck-Institut
fr Neurologische Forschung, Cologne, Germany; 4JARA
Translational Brain Medicine, Germany; 5Department of
Neurology,Faculty of Medicine, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany
White
matter abnormalities in patients with Tourette syndrome are investigated
using diffusion tensor imaging, Tract-Based Spatial Statistics and
correlation analysis. Our results indicate that TS is not restricted to motor
pathways alone but affects association fibres such as the inferior
fronto-occipital fascicle, the superior longitudinal fascicle and fascicle
uncinatus as well. The detected
abnormalities in Tourette patients complement the idea of the developmental
character of the disorder. They show a pathological pattern reaching beyond
the corticospinal tract. The alteration pattern of decreased fractional
anisotropy and increased radial diffusivity might indicate a deficit
myelination as one pathophysiologic factor in Tourette.