Neurological,Neuropsychological and Behavioral Aspects of Gilles de la Tourette's Syndrome: A Case

Abstract

Gilles de la Tourette's syndrome is a rare phenomenon consisting of motor tics, vocal utterances, and in some cases coprolalic behavior. Whether the etiology is psychological or organic is a point of continuing debate. In this case study of a 12-yr.-old boy, both neurological and psychological assessment data are presented in detail. A number of deficiencies were found, especially in higher level cognitive activities, suggesting chronic diffuse organic impairment. The cross-cultural similarity of symptoms and the organic signs found in case studies such as this one suggest CNS etiology in the initial stages of the syndrome. However, considering the multi-step developmental aspects of the problem, a shaping process into the final high-rate coprolalic verbalizations due to selective environmental contingencies could be hypothesized.