Can Tourette Syndrome and Tic Disorders be Improved?
Tourette Syndrome and Tic Disorders can be very upsetting to a person and their life. This brain map shows very high levels of fast processing speed in the middle of the brain over the sensorimotor cortex. When the brain is chronically running fast, it can have difficulty absorbing the intensity of the energy that is produced. This results in tics. Tics are a physical manifestation in the body of the high, fast speed of the brain. Tics can make it difficult for you or your child to be involved in the activities that you love.
For example, playing soccer is Mark’s favorite thing to do. But when Mark has a game someplace new, he often has to deal with stares from strangers because he sometimes shouts unexpectedly or blinks his eyes hard. These tics are symptoms of Tic Disorder or possibly Tourette syndrome.
The qEEG Brain Map of a person with Tourette Syndrome identifies the areas of the brain that need to be improved. When those areas are re-wired to work better, tics go away. Tics are sudden, repetitive movements or sounds that some people make, seemingly without realizing it. Tics are actually more common in teens than you might think. You may know someone who has either a motor tic (sudden, apparently uncontrollable movements like exaggerated blinking of the eyes) or a vocal tic (apparently uncontrollable sounds such as throat clearing, grunting, or humming).
Many people have tics that go away in less than a year or mild tics that don’t interfere with their lives. But in some people, tics are more severe or long lasting.
What is Tourette Syndrome Therapy like?
The therapy at Leigh Brain & Spine is non-invasive and relaxing. Your brain is re-wired to work better while you relax. This happens through advanced neuroscience and technology called Neurofeedback Therapy. Neurofeedback has been proven by science to improve brain performance and reduce symptoms for patients.
What is Tourette Syndrome?
If a person has tics for more than a year, doctors call this a chronic tic disorder. In some cases, these tics can be part of a condition called Tourette (pronounced: tuh-RET) syndrome, named for the French doctor Georges Gilles de la Tourette, who first described the condition in 1885.
Mozart Speculated to have Tourette Syndrome
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart lived from 1756 – 1791 and is renowned for his musical genius. In late 1992, the British Medical Journal published an article by endocrinologist Benjamin Simkin, M.D. speculating that Mozart had Tourette Syndrome. It has been documented that he was hyperactive, suffered from mood swings, had tics, and loved made-up words. Despite these behaviors, we will probably never know for certain whether Mozart had Tourette’s or not since official diagnoses did not occur until after his time.
New studies suggest that Tic Disorders and Tourette Syndrome are caused by a disruption in brain functioning due to changes in the way that nerve cells in the brain communicate with each other. This is caused by a disturbance in the balance in neurotransmitters, chemicals in the brain that carry nerve signals from cell to cell. There is no longer need for speculation as in Mozart’s time. The highly specialized brain assessment at Leigh Brain and Spine in Chapel Hill, NC evaluates communication among the areas in your child’s brain and can determine if breakdowns are occurring.