Objective: We aim to review patterns of sensory sensitivity in patients with tics and Tourette’s syndrome to gain insight into this under-reported phenomenon.

Background: Patients with Tourette’s Syndrome (TS) have often reported associated sensory phenomena.  These can include premonitory urges which can be internal, but also may encompass abnormal experiences of external sensory stimuli.  The literature suggests that individuals with TS have reported heightened sensitivity to tactile, auditory, and visual stimuli in small studies. Preliminary work suggests the problem is not one of more acute sensory organs (meaning not an actual difference in the sensory threshold).  Rather, it seems that there is abnormal sensory processing that leads to a subjective experience of greater magnitude. The pathophysiology of these findings is not fully understood, and the true prevalence of increased sensory sensitivities in children and adults with tic disorders is not yet known.

Method: Patients presenting to TS clinic will be provided with the Glasgow Sensory Questionnaire (GSQ) or the Parent-completed Glasgow Sensory Questionnaire (P-GSQ) with the addition of five exploratory questions assessing responses to textures, clothing, and sound. Survey responses will be recorded in a REDCap database in addition to patient comorbidities. For this exploratory study, participants with a diagnosis of functional neurologic disorder will be excluded. Participant data will be organized into 3 age ranges: pediatric (3-11), adolescent (12-17), and adult (18-89). Correlation analyses will be performed with Chi Square testing and descriptive statistics will be used for continuous variables and frequency of categorical values.

Results: This will be an exploratory study into specific areas of sensory sensitivity in TS that have previously not been elucidated. We anticipate presentation of data from 100 participants at the time of MDS.

Conclusion: Future research will aim to expand on the impact of specific areas of heightened sensitivity on expression of tic and comorbidities.

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MDS Abstracts - https://www.mdsabstracts.org/abstract/sensory-sensitivities-in-individuals-with-tics-and-tourette-syndrome/