The urge-to-tic: Examining the neural and experiential bases of Tourette syndrome

At a glance

People with Tourette Syndrome commonly experience unpleasant sensory phenomena known as premonitory urges (PUs) before they tic.

PUs play an important role in treatments such as Comprehensive Behavioural Intervention for Tics (CBIT). The U-TIC TS Study is a longitudinal project examining tics and PU in adolescents with Tourette syndrome. This project investigates both the lived experience and brain activity associated with PU, and how these change after adolescents complete CBIT. We are exploring how young people experience tics and PU and compare this to brain activity measured using Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI).