Tourette syndrome is named after a French doctor with the impressive name of George Albert Edouard Brutus Gilles de la Tourette who described the disease in 1885. Earlier it was said that the disease was caused by hysteria.
Tourette syndrome is quite rare. It already appears between the ages of 2 and 15, sometimes not until the 21th. year, and for most people it lasts for the rest of their lives. A disturbance in the brain signalling substances serotonine, dopamine, and GABA is said to be involved.
The disease is characterized by various kinds of involuntary tics; they can be violent, combined movements, winking, and grimacing. Moreover, involuntary sounds such as hawing, coughing, screaming, grunting, or other sounds might occur.
Echolalia (in which the words and sentences of others are being repeated), palilalia (in which the same syllable is repeated over and over), or coprolalia (intrusion of offensive and profane words into normal speech) might also appear. Some people think that Mozart suffered from this last disorder.
Tourette syndrome can also involve other compulsions and other kinds of compulsory behaviour. Not being able to carry out certain repeated acts can be related to great anxiety.
Puberty, stress, other people's expectations and especially other people not being able to understand the symptoms might worsen them and cause a depression. Some people learn to suppress their involuntary movements for a while. This mental strain, however, subsequently can cause the movements to be reinforced.
The disease can have periods with both less and more violent symptoms. People suffering from Tourette syndrome are usually intelligent but they get problems concentrating which complicate learning.
Tourette syndrome is hereditary. The risk of inheriting the disease is 50%. Boys are more often afflicted than girls.
