Nottingham researchers in Tourettes breakthrough

CHILDREN with Tourettes syndrome could be taught techniques to help them manage their symptoms, a new study has shown.

Researchers at the University of Nottingham found that the brain of children with Tourettes develops differently, as it learns to compensate for the condition and gain control over symptoms.

They believe that training the brain to encourage this process, through behavioural therapy, could help young people gain control over their symptoms more quickly and effectively.

This may be an alternative to drug-based therapies, which can have unwanted side-effects such as weight gain and depression.

Stephen Jackson, Professor of Cognitive Neuroscience in the School of Psychology, was one of the researchers.

He said: "This finding suggests that non-pharmacological, brain-training, approaches may prove to be an effective treatment for Tourette syndrome."

Tourettes is a neurological disease that affects one in 100 children.

The key feature of Tourettes syndrome is tics – involuntary and uncontrollable movements and sounds.

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