Finger tapping‐related activation differences in treatment‐naïve pediatric Tourette syndrome: a comparison of the preferred and nonpreferred hand

Abstract

This study demonstrates clear functional differences of simple index finger tapping in early-stage TS. We suggest that this reflects the requirement for additional brain networks to keep a normal performance level during the actual task and adaptive mechanisms due to continuous tic suppression and performance in TS.

Functional neuroimaging in Tourette syndrome: recent perspectives

“…31 The hemispheric preponderance of this task might be the reason for this discrepancy. 32 In contrast, one study did not find any differences in activation patterns during a finger-tapping task between children with TS and healthy controls. 30 One study examined whether there was a difference in activation pattern of imaginary and actual voluntary finger oppositions in patients with TS and healthy controls.…”

“…The authors hypothesize that the cerebellum might be involved in the pathogenesis of TS. Roessner et al 32 found a higher recruitment of the inferior parietal lobe during right (preferred) and left index finger tapping in TS compared with healthy controls. Compared with controls, less recruitment of the caudate and middle frontal gyrus was seen during preferred right finger tapping, and during left (nonpreferred) index finger tapping, less activity in contralateral right SM1 (primary sensorimotor cortex) together with greater activation of several other brain regions was seen.…”

“…[30][31][32][33] Tobe et al 33 found decreased regional volumes of the cerebellar hemispheres during a finger-tapping test in patients with TS. The authors hypothesize that the cerebellum might be involved in the pathogenesis of TS.…”

“…[30][31][32]34 Although methodological differences between studies can be small, they can cause different results, making the studies difficult to compare.…”

Pediatric Tourette syndrome: Insights from recent neuroimaging studies

“…Roessner and colleagues similarly found that children with TS had to recruit additional motor and task control-related regions of the brain to achieve the same performance level as their peers during a finger-tapping task [80, 81]. In a study of the Simon task (in this case reporting the direction of arrows that are either congruent or incongruent with the side of the visual field in which they are presented) across child and adult groups, Raz and colleagues found greater fronto-striatal activity in adults overall, and in adults with TS in particular, suggestive that adults with persistent TS have adapted to either chronic greater control demands, or inefficient use of fronto-striatal control mechanisms [82].…”