PET and Tourette Syndrome

Grant Type
Clinical
Grant Year
1989
Institution Location
CA
Institution Organization Name
UCLA Neuropsychiatric Inst.
Investigators Name
Guze, Barry, MD

Patterns of sugar metabolism in the brain can be determined with a device known as a PET scanner. This device allows those patterns to be quantified in a; manner which is rapid, and does not harm or distress the participants in the study. This method is important because the sugar glucose is the energy source to the brain. In our TS PET study we will not only examine sugar metabolism, but we will also look at and quantify the pattern of distribution of the neurotransmitting chemical dopamine and its receptor binding site. Using these parameters we will compare the patterns in subjects with Tourette Syndrome to those with obsessive-compulsive disorder, chronic multiple tics and normal controls. By using a comparative study approach such as this, we hypothesize that we will be able to identify which regions in the brain are responsible for causing many of the symptoms of Tourette Syndrome. Barry H. Guze, M.D. UCLA Neuropsychiatric Institute, Los Angeles, CA Award: $50,000 Tourette Association of America Inc. – Research Grant Award 1989