Neurodevelopmental versus functional tics: A controlled study.
Functional neurological disorder
Functional tics
Neurodevelopmental tics
Tic disorder
Tourette syndrome
Journal
Journal of the neurological sciences
ISSN: 1878-5883
Titre abrégé: J Neurol Sci
Pays: Netherlands
ID NLM: 0375403
Informations de publication
Date de publication:
15 08 2023
15 08 2023
Historique:
received:
01
05
2023
revised:
30
05
2023
accepted:
28
06
2023
medline:
4
8
2023
pubmed:
9
7
2023
entrez:
8
7
2023
Statut:
ppublish
Résumé
An unprecedented increase in newly developed functional tics, mainly in young females, has been reported during the COVID-19 pandemic. We set out to complement existing case series with the largest controlled study to date on the clinical phenomenology of functional tics versus neurodevelopmental tics. Data from 166 patients were collected at a specialist clinic for tic disorders during a three-year period overlapping with the COVID-19 pandemic (2020-2023). We compared the clinical features of patients who developed functional tics during the COVID-19 pandemic (N = 83) to patients with Tourette syndrome matched for age and gender (N = 83). Female adolescents and young adults accounted for 86% of the clinical sample of patients with functional tics, who were less likely to report a family history of tic disorders than their matched controls with Tourette syndrome. Co-morbidity profiles were significantly different: anxiety and other functional neurological disorders were more strongly associated with functional tics, whereas attention-deficit and hyperactivity disorder and tic-related obsessive-compulsive behaviors co-occurred more frequently with neurodevelopmental tics. Overall, absence of tic-related obsessive-compulsive behaviors (t = 8.096; p < 0.001) and absence of a family history of tics (t = 5.111; p < 0.001) were the strongest predictors of the diagnosis of functional tics. Compared to neurodevelopmental tics, functional tics were more likely to present acutely/subacutely at a later age (21 versus 7 years), without a clear rostro-caudal progression. Coprophenomena, self-injurious behaviors, and complex clinical manifestations such as blocking tics, throwing tics, and tic attacks, were all over-represented in the functional group. Our findings provide robust confirmation of both patient-related variables and tic characteristics contributing to the differential diagnosis between functional tics developed during the pandemic and neurodevelopmental tics reported by patients with Tourette syndrome.
Sections du résumé
BACKGROUND
An unprecedented increase in newly developed functional tics, mainly in young females, has been reported during the COVID-19 pandemic. We set out to complement existing case series with the largest controlled study to date on the clinical phenomenology of functional tics versus neurodevelopmental tics.
METHODS
Data from 166 patients were collected at a specialist clinic for tic disorders during a three-year period overlapping with the COVID-19 pandemic (2020-2023). We compared the clinical features of patients who developed functional tics during the COVID-19 pandemic (N = 83) to patients with Tourette syndrome matched for age and gender (N = 83).
RESULTS
Female adolescents and young adults accounted for 86% of the clinical sample of patients with functional tics, who were less likely to report a family history of tic disorders than their matched controls with Tourette syndrome. Co-morbidity profiles were significantly different: anxiety and other functional neurological disorders were more strongly associated with functional tics, whereas attention-deficit and hyperactivity disorder and tic-related obsessive-compulsive behaviors co-occurred more frequently with neurodevelopmental tics. Overall, absence of tic-related obsessive-compulsive behaviors (t = 8.096; p < 0.001) and absence of a family history of tics (t = 5.111; p < 0.001) were the strongest predictors of the diagnosis of functional tics. Compared to neurodevelopmental tics, functional tics were more likely to present acutely/subacutely at a later age (21 versus 7 years), without a clear rostro-caudal progression. Coprophenomena, self-injurious behaviors, and complex clinical manifestations such as blocking tics, throwing tics, and tic attacks, were all over-represented in the functional group.
CONCLUSIONS
Our findings provide robust confirmation of both patient-related variables and tic characteristics contributing to the differential diagnosis between functional tics developed during the pandemic and neurodevelopmental tics reported by patients with Tourette syndrome.
Identifiants
pubmed: 37421881
pii: S0022-510X(23)00186-7
doi: 10.1016/j.jns.2023.120725
pii:
doi:
Types de publication
Journal Article
Langues
eng
Sous-ensembles de citation
IM
Pagination
120725Informations de copyright
Copyright © 2023 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Déclaration de conflit d'intérêts
Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.