Brain cortex thickness alteration in Tourette syndrome in children: a magnetic resonance imaging study

Objective: To explore brain cortex thickness differences between children with Tourette syndrome and healthy controls on MRI via a surface based analysis (SBA) and correlation with clinical information. Methods: 50 children with Tourette syndrome were included as the case group and 43 healthy children as the control group. Three dimensional T₁-weighted MRI (3D-T₁WI) images were collected and analyzed by Free Surfer software to find the cortical thickness differences between case group and control group. Correlation analysis was then conducted between the brain structural image and clinical data. Results: Comparing to the control group, Tourette syndrome group demonstrated significant decreased thickness in postcentral gyrus, insula, supramarginal gyrus, pars triangularis, pars opercularis, parsoobilalis, middle temporal gyrus, rostral middle frontal gyrus, superiorparietal gyrus of the left hemisphere, and significantly decreased thickness in middle temporal gyrus, superior frontal gyrus, caudal middle frontal gyrus, insula, lateral occipital gyrus of right hemisphere. In correlation analysis, the WCST persistent error scores were negatively correlated with the cortex thickness in right superior frontal gyrus (r = -0.517), the STROOP error scores were negatively correlated with the cortex thickness in left rostral middle frontal gyrus (r = -0.46), and the The Yale Global Tic Severity Scale (YGTSS) total scores were negatively correlated with the cortex thickness in left insula (r = -0.45). Conclusion: This study revealed impaired executive function in children with Tourette syndrome, particularly impaired inhibit control. The left insular cortex thickness correlated with the severity of symptoms in children with Tourette syndrome. (authors)