Correlating clinical course with baseline subcortical shape in provisional tic disorder

Tiffanie Che, Soyoung Kim, Deanna J. Greene, Ashley Heywood, Jimin Ding, Tamara Hershey, Bradley L. Schlaggar, Kevin J. Black, Lei Wang

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

Objective This study examined children at the onset of tic disorder (tics for less than 9 months: NT group), a population on which little research exists. Here, we investigate relationships between the baseline shape and volume of subcortical nuclei, diagnosis, and tic symptom outcomes. Methods 187 children were assessed at baseline and a 12-month follow-up: 88 with NT, 60 tic-free healthy controls (HC), and 39 with chronic tic disorder/Tourette syndrome (TS), using T1-weighted MRI and total tic scores (TTS) from the Yale Global Tic Severity Scale to evaluate symptom change. Subcortical surface maps were generated using FreeSurfer-initialized large deformation diffeomorphic metric mapping. Linear regression models correlated baseline structural shapes with follow-up TTS while accounting for covariates, with relationships mapped onto structure surfaces. Results We found that the NT group had a larger right hippocampus compared to HC. Surface maps illustrate distinct patterns of inward deformation in the putamen and outward deformation in the thalamus for NT compared to controls. We also found patterns of outward deformation in almost all studied structures when comparing the TS group to controls. The NT group also showed consistent outward deformation compared to TS in the caudate, accumbens, putamen, and thalamus. Subsequent analyses including clinical symptoms revealed that a larger pallidum and thalamus at baseline correlated with less improvement of tic symptoms at follow-up. Conclusion These observations constitute some of the first prognostic biomarkers for tic disorders and suggest that these subregional shape and volume differences may be associated with the outcome of tic disorders.

Original languageEnglish (US)
JournalCNS spectrums
DOIs
StateAccepted/In press - 2024

Keywords

  • FreeSurfer
  • neuroanatomy
  • neurodevelopmental disorders
  • structural MRI
  • subcortical shape
  • Tic disorders
  • tourette syndrome

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Clinical Neurology
  • Psychiatry and Mental health

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