Quantitative Sensory Testing in adults with Tourette syndrome

• Sensory abnormalities are a core feature in Tourette syndrome.
• One possible etiology: altered exteroceptive sensory perception.
• Method: measuring sensory thresholds using Quantitative Sensory Testing (QST).
• There was no disease-specific pathologic QST pattern in Tourette's adults.
• Mechanisms other than exteroceptive perception might contribute to sensory abnormalities.

IntroductionAbnormal sensory perceptions, for instance hypersensitivity to certain external stimuli or premonitory urges preceding tics, are core features in Gilles de la Tourette syndrome (GTS). Aberrant awareness of externally applied stimuli in terms of altered sensory perception thresholds might contribute to these sensory phenomena in GTS.MethodsWe used the well-established and standardized “Quantitative Sensory Testing” (QST) battery (German Research Network on Neuropathic Pain) to investigate 13 sensory parameters including thermal, mechanical/tactile and pain thresholds in 14 GTS patients without clinically significant comorbidities and 14 healthy controls matched for age and gender.ResultsThere were no relevant group differences in any of the 13 QST parameters and no specific QST pattern in GTS patients. There was no correlation between QST parameters and “Premonitory Urge for Tics scale” (PUTS) scores.ConclusionOur data show that the perceptual threshold detection of externally applied sensory stimuli is normal in adults with GTS. This indicates that other perceptual mechanisms, such as abnormal central sensorimotor processing and/or aberrant interoceptive awareness might underlie the clinically significant sensory abnormalities in GTS.