Tourette syndrome is a chronic tic disorder characterized by motor and vocal tics. Comorbidities such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and obsessive compulsive disorder can be found. The overlap between neuroanatomical regions and neurotransmitter systems in the olfactory system and the pathophysiology of Tourette syndrome let us hypothesize altered olfactory performance in Tourette syndrome.
The main objective of this study was to systematically assess olfactory functioning in subjects with Tourette syndrome and to compare it to healthy controls. We assessed 28 adults with Tourette syndrome age Although it was not the primary aim of this study, we assessed whether tics and comorbidity could contribute to olfactory alterations in adults with Tourette syndrome.
Therefore, clinical scores were used to assess severity of tics and co-morbidity such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, obsessive compulsive disorder, anxiety and depression in subjects with Tourette syndrome. Pathology of the nasal cavities was excluded with rhinoendoscopy.
Independent sample t-tests were applied to compare performance in olfactory tests. In the case of statistically significant differences critical p-value: 0.
Tourette syndrome subjects showed lower combined scores Tourette syndrome subjects None of the participants were found to have functional anosmia. Compared to healthy controls, altered olfaction in adults with Tourette syndrome was found in this study. Normal odor threshold level but lower scores at tasks involving supra-threshold odor concentrations point towards a central-nervous alteration in the processing of olfactory information in Tourette syndrome.
