lings. TS definitely has a genetic tendency. The possible underlying neurological factor in TS is implicated by the hypersensitivity of the dopamine glands and the dopamine receptors in the substantia nigra (a midbrain structure) pathway. TS is closely related with dopamine (feels good) and seratonon (depression). A specific gene has still not been located. TS has an autosomal dominant inheritance, and has incomplete penetrence, or silent carrier. Females that ca5ry TS have a 70% chance of developing symptoms. Males that carry TS have a 99% chance of developing symptoms.There is a full 30% chance that female carriers will show no symptoms at all. Males only show a 1% chance of having no symptoms. Tourette syndrome and chronic tics are more likely to be had by males, whereas females are more likely to develop Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder symptoms. Many studies show that 10% of children who do inherit the TS gene have symptoms severe enough to seek treatment. Most people are never diagnosed because they do not seek medical attention. This is why it is difficult to count how many people have TS.At the present time, there are no genetic or biochemical tests to determine if a person is a carrier for TS, or whether the child will develop TS if the gene is inherited. there is no prenatal testing to determine the type of symptoms the child will have, or the severity of the symptoms. A person must wait until the TS gene is developed. There are also several additional possible causes. In the early 1990’s, research at the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) and the Memorial Hospital of Rhode Island (MHRI) showed that antibodies that are associated with strep infection may provide the environmental trigger in susceptible families for a variety of movement disorders, including Tourette Syndrome (Shimberg, 1995,p.110). Investigators speculate that an immunological reaction to neuronal tissue set off by these streptococcal products...
