! ! !

Brain researchers say they have confirmed for the first time that a rare genetic mutation can cause some cases of Tourette syndrome, with the fault disrupting production of histamine in the braiThe New Haven, CT, researchers at the Yale School of Medicine say the histamine effect "is a cause of the tics and other abnormalities of Tourette syndrome." Tics are repetitive movements and vocal sounds, and they are unwanted and involuntary - they cannot be controlled. Publishing their research on mice in the journal Neuron, the authors raise the question of investigating treatment of Tourette syndrome by drugs that target histamine receptors in the brain. Drugs with such a mode of action are already being explored by pharmaceutical companies for the treatment of separate brain disorders, schizophrenia and ADHD. Information from the national gene database about histamine describes the chemical's role - it is a messenger molecule released by nerves, among other functions. Current neurological drugs under investigation target a certain gene-encoded histamine receptor known as the histamine H3 receptor. Christopher Pittenger, of the Yale Child Study Center and associate professor of psychiatry and psychology, says of his particular study on histamine genetics: "These findings give us a new window into what's going on in the brain in people with Tourette. That's likely to lead us to new treatments." Histamine also has an important role in inflammation, which is why antihistamines work to reduce allergy symptoms. Interactions with the histamine system in the brain, say the Yale researchers, "explain why some allergy medications cause people to feel sleepy." The specific gene in this study is called HDC (the histidine decarboxylase gene), which the researchers previously found to be mutated in a family that had nine members with Tourette syndrome.

! The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) does not have a rm estimate of the number of people a"ected by Tourette syndrome in America, but has run studies that indicate a prevalence of between 3 and 6 children out of every 1,000 in the population.! ! ! !