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University of South Florida

USF Tourette syndrome study gets shout out on Capitol Hill

A Tourette syndrome study by USF’s Rothman Center for Pediatric Neuropsychiatry got a shout out on Capitol Hill last week during a Senate briefing to President Barack Obama.  USF and the University of Rochester have a cooperative agreement with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to  evaluate the neurological disorder’s public health impact on the growing number of children with Tourette syndrome, their families and the community. 

Dr. Tanya Murphy, the Rothman Chair of Developmental Pediatrics at USF Health, is principal investigator for the USF arm of the cooperative study. The researchers are  trying to pinpoint why some children adapt well to Tourette syndrome — a conditon characterized by repetitive, involuntary movments and vocalizations called tics — while others are very self-conscious about their tics and don’t achieve their full potential. 

The assessments include determining how families  find healthcare professionals who can diagnose and treat Tourette syndrome, and measuring Tourette’s effects on performance in school, including standardized test scores, grades, and teachers’ understanding of the disorder.

“This information will be used to improve outreach programs….so we might expand awareness of Tourette syndrome and lead to better quality of life for children and families across the nation who are affected by this disorder,” said Sen. Benjamin Cardin, who mentioned the USF-CDC partnership in his address to the President.  View the C-span videoclip and read more about the study here.

Dr. Murphy said that USF researchers are particular interested in how a diagnosis of Tourette syndrome affects a child’s academic success and ability to develop socially in school. “Many kids with Tourette’s syndrome excel as scholars, artists and athletes.  We want to help teachers  focus on what these students are  good at doing to build their resiliency and self esteem, instead of focusing on the tics and issues that go with the tics.”

USF’s Rothman Center for Pediatric Neuropsychiatry conducts leading research on childhood neuropsychiatric disorders, including Tourette syndrom and other tic disorders, autism spectrum disorders and obessive-compulsive disorder.  

The Center’s ongoing trials include several tic treatment studies.  Dr. Eric Storch and Dr. Murphy have begun a preliminary randomized, controlled clinical trial testing whether a behavioral therapy can improve coping and resilience in youngsters with tics by  reducing stress associated with the tics.