Research

Tourette Disorder Medication Study at Manhattan Behavioral Medicine

To whom it may concern,

Children and adolescents who suffer from Tourette Disorder often experience tics, or sudden, rapid, recurrent, nonrhythmic, stereotyped motor movement or vocalization.

Tics associated with TD become most prominent in early childhood and worsen progressively, showing greatest tic severity at 10 years of age.

Our site is currently conducting a TD study in the children and adolescents population of ages 6-17. The primary objective of this trial is to evaluate the long-term treatment of TD with the study medication. Please visit the following website to find out more information about this exiting study https://www.tourettesstudy.com/

The benefits of participating in research studies can include: access to new medications, expert medical care, medical tests and getting lab work completed free of charge. By participating in this research study you can potentially discover a new treatment for your patients TD.

Our site is located in the heart of Manhattan and will cover the costs of your patients commute to and from our site. We would also compensate patients for each of the 17 in person and 6 phone call visits. To find out more information about the premier clinical research site in New York City please click http://manhattanbehavioralmedicine.com. Or email us at recruitment@nymbm.com or call us at 646-678-4073.

Thank you!

Scheduling and Patient Recruitment Team at MBM PLLC

Manhattan Behavioral Medicine, PLLC
2 West 46 street suite 405 (4th floor)
New York, New York 10036
Tel (646) 678-4073 Fax (646) 850-6164

recruitment@nymbm.com
www.manhattanbehavioralmedicine.com

Online Tic Treatment Study For Adults with TS

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Hannah Reese, Ph.D., of Bowdoin College, Sabine Wilhelm, Ph.D. of Massachusetts General Hospital, and Alan Brown of NYC are conducting an online treatment research study for adults with tics disorders. The study aims to compare two online treatments for adults with tics: a mindfulness-based program (Mindfulness-based Intervention for Tics or MBIT) and a psychoeducational and supportive therapy program (Tic Information and Coping Strategies or TICS).

Both programs are 8 weeks long and consist of a 90-minute weekly group videoconference, and online questionnaires.

MBIT focuses on cultivating awareness of urges to tic and developing a different relationship to those urges through meditation and other mindfulness practices. TICS focuses on learning more about tics, practicing a range of strategies for coping with tics (e.g., relaxation, effective communication), and discussing challenges commonly experienced by individuals with tics.

Participants will be randomly assigned to receive one the two treatments. Assessments will also be conducted before and after the program.

Because the study is being conducted entirely online, participants can live anywhere in the United States.

They are currently recruiting participants.

More information can be found here: https://research.bowdoin.edu/tic-treatment-study/ or by calling research assistant, Jin Shin, at (617) 724-4354.

Weill Cornell Orthotic Study

Weill Cornell is recruiting children and young adults ages 7-25 with tics or Tourette for an oral orthotic study. The study includes a total of 5 visits, and participants will be fitted for an oral orthotic appliance.

Weill Cornell Orthotic Study Flyer

Sleep-Wake Rhythms Surveys in Children and Adults with Tourette Disorder

Researchers at UCLA are recruiting children and adults with Tourette' Disorder or other chronic tic disorders to participate in a survey assessing sleep-wake rhythms. We have separate surveys for adults, and children/parents.

Parent and Child Survey (Ages 10 to 17): The parent and child survey will take approximately 45 minutes to complete and will require both your and your child’s participation. It will include questions about your child’s demographics, medical/psychiatric history, tic severity and course, sleep-wake rhythms, general sleep habits, emotional functioning, and behavioral patterns. Upon completion of the survey, you will be able to enter into a drawing to receive a $50 Visa gift card. However, survey completion is not required to participate in this drawing.

Parent and Child Survey Link:

https://www.ctrc.medsch.ucla.edu/redcap/surveys/?s=LP3RD7AWEE

Adult Survey (18 years and older): The adult survey will take approximately 30 minutes to complete. It will include questions about your demographics, sleep-wake rhythms, general sleep habits, tic severity and course, tic-related impairment, emotional functioning, and behavioral patterns. Upon completion of the survey, you will be able to enter into a drawing to receive a $50 Visa gift card. However, survey completion is not required to participate in this drawing.

Adult Survey Link:

https://www.ctrc.medsch.ucla.edu/redcap/surveys/?s=NARMNLK8K8

Researchers Locate Genetic Risk Indicators for Tourette Syndrome

The Tourette Association of America has announced that conclusive findings of TAA-funded research investigating highly complex genetic risk indicators for TS and related disorders were published today in the prestigious scientific journal Neuron. This major research milestone represents a large-scale collaborative effort involving dozens of clinicians, geneticists and advocacy leaders from around the world, and is the first to identify, with genome-wide significance, two definitive genetic defects underlying the development of Tourette Syndrome and related neurological disorders.

In the study, scientists from the Tourette Syndrome Association International Consortium for Genetics (TSAICG) analyzed and compared the genes of 2,434 individuals with Tourette Syndrome to 4,093 people without the disorder in order to decipher underlying genetic contributors.

As reported in Neuron, two prominent gene abnormalities have been definitively shown to be present in TS: deletions (or loss of one copy) of the Neurexin-1 gene (NRXN1), and duplications (or an extra copy) of a different gene called Contactin-6 (CNTN6).

Data collected from 2,434 Tourette cases and more than 4,000 controls reveal the first statistically significant genetic risk factors for Tourette.

Approximately one out of every 100 TS cases studied carries one of these copy-number variants, indicating a significant contribution to the genetic architecture of Tourette Syndrome. “The genetic evidence presented in Neuron represents a major breakthrough in our understanding of how Tourette develops and who is at increased risk for developing the disorder,” said John Miller, President and CEO of Tourette Association of America. “The Tourette Association of America is enormously proud to have been the facilitating partner for this important discovery by the TSAICG consortium. Today, we are one giant step closer to fulfilling our mission to drive improved quality of life for all who are affected by Tourette and other tic disorders through research, support, and awareness.”