Gene may be linked to Tourette’s Syndrome

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Researchers said on Thursday they
have found a gene that helps cause Tourette’s Syndrome, but
that many other genes are also likely to be involved in the
complex disorder.

Tourette’s may affect as many as one in 100 people and is
marked by muscle and vocal tics including repeated sudden
movements or vocalizations. Children with Tourette’s also often
have attention deficit hyperactivity disorder,
obsessive-compulsive disorder or depression.

In a report published in Friday’s issue of the journal
Science, Dr. Matthew State of the Yale University School of
Medicine and colleagues at several other institutions said a
gene called SLITRK1 appears to contribute to some cases of
Tourette’s.

“This finding could provide an important clue in
understanding Tourette’s on a molecular and cellular level,”
State said in a statement.

“Confirming this in even a small number of additional TS
patients will pave the way for a deeper understanding of the
disease process.”

State and colleagues looked for unusual patients with a
clear genetic anomaly.

They found a boy who was the only member of his family with
Tourette’s, and who had a gene inversion on chromosome 13. A
gene inversion occurs when a section of chromosome appears to
have broken off and flipped before being reinserted.

Looking at the ends of this section, the researchers found
one gene, called SLITRK1, that is active in brain cells and is
associated with the growth and interconnection of neurons.

Then they screened 174 more people with Tourette’s,
comparing their SLITRK1 gene to the version found in people who
do not have the syndrome, and found a genetic mutation.

This one gene variation is unlikely to hold all the answers
to Tourette’s, State said.

“I think there is general consensus at this point that
there are likely to be multiple genes, likely interacting, and
probably different sets of genes in different people, that
contribute to TS,” he said.