Fine-motor skill deficits in childhood predict adulthood tic severity and global psychosocial functioning in Tourette’s syndrome

Bloch, M. H., Sukhodolsky, D. G., Leckman, J. F. & Schultz, R. T. (2006). Fine-motor skill deficits in childhood predict adulthood tic severity and global psychosocial functioning in Tourette’s syndrome. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry 47(6), 551–559. doi:10.1111/j.1469-7610.2005.01561.x

Chapter 11 of the text, which covers movement, discusses the implications of damage to specific brain areas. Specifically, it mentions how this damage can be displayed in disabilities in movement. For instance, damage to the basal ganglia can produce hyperkinetic symptoms, like those present in Parkinson’s disease, and damage to the secondary somatosensory cortex can disrupt how movements are preformed. Another instance of brain damage that is displayed via movement disabilities is when damage to the basal ganglia causes hypokinetic symptoms that can be shown in Tourette’s syndrome, a neurological disorder characterized by repetitive, stereotyped, involuntary movements and vocalizations called tics. Those diagnosed with Tourette’s syndrome often have difficulty on neurological tests involving coordination of fine-motor movements and also integration of visual and motor tasks. The researchers in this study examined the fact that many children who have Tourette’s experience a decrease in the severity of their motor symptoms during adolescence; however, so do not experience this decline. They used fine-motor and visual-motor tasks to attempt to predict who would receive somewhat of a relief from symptoms later in life. It was longitudinal study, and the participants were given a clinical assessment, neurological tests, and another clinical assessment about seven years later. Poorer performance on the neurological motor task, the Purdue Pegboard, successfully predicted more severe symptoms later in life. Coincidentally, poorer performance on this task and another were also predictive of poor adult psychosocial functioning. Using knowledge gained for Chapter 11 material, it may indicate that the more severe the damage to the basal ganglia (therefore affected more types of movement that simply displaying hyperkinetic symptoms) would persist in severity beyond adolescence. The implications of the study provide a demonstration that some patients with Tourette’s syndrome could need more prolonged therapy and treatment.