Biomaterial Database

Time processing in children with Tourette's syndrome. 2010

Carmelo Mario Vicario, and Davide Martino, and Felice Spata, and Giovanni Defazio, and Roberta Giacchè, and Vito Martino, and Gaetano Rappo, and Anna Maria Pepi, and Paola Rosaria Silvestri, and Francesco Cardona

Department of Psychology, University of RomeLa Sapienza, Rome, Italy. carmelo.vicario@uniroma1.it

BACKGROUND Tourette syndrome (TS) is characterized by dysfunctional connectivity between prefrontal cortex and sub-cortical structures, and altered meso-cortical and/or meso-striatal dopamine release. Since time processing is also regulated by fronto-striatal circuits and modulated by dopaminergic transmission, we hypothesized that time processing is abnormal in TS. METHODS We compared time processing abilities between nine children with TS-only (i.e. without major psychiatric comorbidities) and 10 age-matched healthy children, employing a time reproduction task in which subjects actively reproduce different temporal intervals, and a time comparison task in which subjects judge whether a test interval is longer or shorter than a reference interval. IQ, sustained and divided attention, and working memory were assessed in both groups using the Leiter International Performance Scale-Revised, and the Digit Span sub-test of the WISC-R. RESULTS Children with TS-only reproduced in an overestimated fashion over-second, but not sub-second, time intervals. The precision of over-second intervals reproduction correlated with tic severity, in that the lower the tic severity, the closer the reproduction of over-second time intervals to their real duration. Time reproduction performance did not significantly correlate with IQ, attention and working memory measures in both groups. No differences between groups were documented in the time comparison task. CONCLUSIONS The improvement of time processing in children with TS-only seems specific for the over-second range of intervals, consistent with an enhancement in the 'cognitively controlled' timing system, which mainly processes longer duration intervals, and depends upon dysfunctional connectivity between the basal ganglia and the dorso-lateral prefrontal cortex. The absence of between-group differences on time comparison, moreover, suggests that TS patients manifest a selective improvement of 'motor' timing abilities, rather than of perceptual time abilities. Our data also support an enhancement of cognitive control processes in TS children, probably facilitated by effortful tic suppression.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D007100	Imitative Behavior	The mimicking of the behavior of one individual by another.	Behavior, Imitative,Behaviors, Imitative,Imitative Behaviors
D008297	Male		Males
D011597	Psychomotor Performance	The coordination of a sensory or ideational (cognitive) process and a motor activity.	Perceptual Motor Performance,Sensory Motor Performance,Visual Motor Coordination,Coordination, Visual Motor,Coordinations, Visual Motor,Motor Coordination, Visual,Motor Coordinations, Visual,Motor Performance, Perceptual,Motor Performance, Sensory,Motor Performances, Perceptual,Motor Performances, Sensory,Perceptual Motor Performances,Performance, Perceptual Motor,Performance, Psychomotor,Performance, Sensory Motor,Performances, Perceptual Motor,Performances, Psychomotor,Performances, Sensory Motor,Psychomotor Performances,Sensory Motor Performances,Visual Motor Coordinations
D012016	Reference Values	The range or frequency distribution of a measurement in a population (of organisms, organs or things) that has not been selected for the presence of disease or abnormality.	Normal Range,Normal Values,Reference Ranges,Normal Ranges,Normal Value,Range, Normal,Range, Reference,Ranges, Normal,Ranges, Reference,Reference Range,Reference Value,Value, Normal,Value, Reference,Values, Normal,Values, Reference
D002648	Child	A person 6 to 12 years of age. An individual 2 to 5 years old is CHILD, PRESCHOOL.	Children
D005879	Tourette Syndrome	A neuropsychological disorder related to alterations in DOPAMINE metabolism and neurotransmission involving frontal-subcortical neuronal circuits. Both multiple motor and one or more vocal tics need to be present with TICS occurring many times a day, nearly daily, over a period of more than one year. The onset is before age 18 and the disturbance is not due to direct physiological effects of a substance or another medical condition. The disturbance causes marked distress or significant impairment in social, occupational, or other important areas of functioning. (From DSM-IV, 1994; Neurol Clin 1997 May;15(2):357-79)	Gilles de la Tourette Disorder,Gilles de la Tourette's Disease,Tic Disorder, Combined Vocal and Multiple Motor,Chronic Motor and Vocal Tic Disorder,Combined Multiple Motor and Vocal Tic Disorder,Combined Vocal and Multiple Motor Tic Disorder,Gilles De La Tourette's Syndrome,Gilles de la Tourette Syndrome,Multiple Motor and Vocal Tic Disorder, Combined,Tourette Disease,Tourette Disorder,Tourette's Disease,Tourette's Disorder,Tourette's Syndrome,Syndrome, Tourette,Tourettes Disease,Tourettes Disorder,Tourettes Syndrome
D006801	Humans	Members of the species Homo sapiens.	Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man
D013998	Time Perception	The ability to estimate periods of time lapsed or duration of time.	Temporal Perception,Temporal Processing,Time Processing,Perception, Temporal,Perception, Time,Processing, Temporal,Processing, Time
D016022	Case-Control Studies	Comparisons that start with the identification of persons with the disease or outcome of interest and a control (comparison, referent) group without the disease or outcome of interest. The relationship of an attribute is examined by comparing both groups with regard to the frequency or levels of outcome over time.	Case-Base Studies,Case-Comparison Studies,Case-Referent Studies,Matched Case-Control Studies,Nested Case-Control Studies,Case Control Studies,Case-Compeer Studies,Case-Referrent Studies,Case Base Studies,Case Comparison Studies,Case Control Study,Case Referent Studies,Case Referrent Studies,Case-Comparison Study,Case-Control Studies, Matched,Case-Control Studies, Nested,Case-Control Study,Case-Control Study, Matched,Case-Control Study, Nested,Case-Referent Study,Case-Referrent Study,Matched Case Control Studies,Matched Case-Control Study,Nested Case Control Studies,Nested Case-Control Study,Studies, Case Control,Studies, Case-Base,Studies, Case-Comparison,Studies, Case-Compeer,Studies, Case-Control,Studies, Case-Referent,Studies, Case-Referrent,Studies, Matched Case-Control,Studies, Nested Case-Control,Study, Case Control,Study, Case-Comparison,Study, Case-Control,Study, Case-Referent,Study, Case-Referrent,Study, Matched Case-Control,Study, Nested Case-Control
D016555	Matched-Pair Analysis	A type of analysis in which subjects in a study group and a comparison group are made comparable with respect to extraneous factors by individually pairing study subjects with the comparison group subjects (e.g., age-matched controls).	Analysis, Matched-Pair,Paired Comparisons,Analyses, Matched-Pair,Analysis, Matched Pair,Comparison, Paired,Comparisons, Paired,Matched Pair Analysis,Matched-Pair Analyses,Paired Comparison