Transient Gilles de la Tourette syndrome following alcohol withdrawal

Biochemical pharmacology of Gilles de la Tourette's syndrome

A comprehensive brief review of Tourette's syndrome has been presented. This included description of various symptoms display, neuropathological findings, biochemical and pharmacological studies. An outline of pharmacotherapy and pharmacological properties of agents used in management of Tourette's syndrome has been made. They were classified according to their effect in modulating biogenic amine systems. Drugs producing exacerbation of Tourette's syndrome were also surveyed. Biochemical and pharmacological hypotheses relevant to the underlying pathology of the disease have been addressed and discussed.

Opioid neuronal denervation in Gilles de la Tourette syndrome

Increased striatal dopaminergic functions with heightened postsynaptic receptor sensitivity has been proposed to underlie the major clinical symptoms of Tourette's syndrome (TS). The beneficial response of the majority of TS patients to haloperidol supports the hyperdopaminergic pathophysiological concept of TS. However, in 5 recently encountered TS patients, haloperidol failed to ameliorate self-injurious behavior (SIB) while the opiate antagonist, naloxone, attenuated SIB, implicating deranged endorphinergic mechanisms in the pathophysiology of this disorder. Brain damage is commonly associated with partial neuronal denervation, denervation supersensitivity and neuronal habituation (Cannon's Law). While the motor tics of TS possibly reflect neuronal denervation of striatal dopaminergic neurons. SIB may represent opioid denervation with alterations in opioid receptor sensitivity possibly involving striato-limbic-hypothalamic circuits. The effect of naloxone on SIB in TS could thus be explained on the basis of a modulatory effect of this drug on opioid receptor sensitivity.

The endogenous opioid system in neurological disorders of the basal ganglia

The endogenous opioid peptides have for some time been implicated in the regulation of motor behavior in animals. Recently, however, there is increased evidence to suggest a role for these peptides in the control of human motor functions as well as in the pathophysiology of abnormal movement disorders. Degeneration of opioid peptide-containing neurons in the basal ganglia has been demonstrated in Parkinson's disease and Huntington's chorea, but the clinical significance of these findings is largely unknown. On the other hand, there is evidence that excessive opioid activity may be important in the pathophysiology of some movement disorders such as tardive dyskinesia, progressive supra-nuclear palsy, and a subgroup of Tourette's patients. These findings indicate that diseases of the basal ganglia are possibly associated with alterations in opioid peptide activity, and that these alterations may be useful in designing experimental therapeutic strategies in these conditions.