Strengthening Tourette Treatment OPtions Using TMS to Improve CBIT, a Double-blind, Randomized, Controlled Study (STOP-TIC)

Strengthening Tourette Treatment OPtions Using TMS to Improve CBIT, a Double-blind, Randomized, Controlled Study

Strengthening Tourette Treatment OPtions Using TMS to Improve CBIT, a Double-blind, Randomized, Controlled Study

This pilot study will investigate the clinical and neurophysiological effects of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) followed by comprehensive behavioral intervention for tics (CBIT) in adult patients with Tourette's Syndrome (TS). Two groups of moderate disease severity will be randomized to receive active or sham rTMS targeted to the supplementary motor area (SMA) followed by eight CBIT sessions. The change in tic frequency and severity (primary outcome) and neurophysiological changes (secondary outcome) will be compared between the two groups. The central hypothesis is that low frequency rTMS will augment the effects of CBIT through favorable priming of the SMA network.

The neurostimulation protocol will include 1-Hz rTMS over the bilateral SMA at 110% RMT. The SMA will be identified as 4 cm anterior to the vertex (Cz in standard 10-20 EEG setup). Each session will consist of 6 trains lasting 5 minutes each (300 pulses per train) with an intertrain interval of 1 minute for a total duration of 35 minutes (1800 pulses). Patients will receive 4 sessions each day on 4 consecutive days for a total of 16 sessions. Daily duration of this study protocol should last approximately 170 minutes including a 10-minute break in between each session

Tic severity will be measured with YGTSS. YGTSS is a clinician-rated scale used to assess tic severity, scored out of 100 where a higher score indicates greater tic frequency and severity. It includes a checklist of motor and vocal tics followed by an assessment of the number, frequency, intensity, complexity, and inference of motor tics and phonic tics - scored separately. Each of these dimensions is scored on a 0 to 5 scale. The YGTSS provides three tic severity scores: Total Motor (0 to 25); Total Phonic (0 to 25) and the combined Total Tic Severity Score (0 to 50), as well as a separate Impairment dimension scored from 0 to 50.

This is a tool used by an objective examiner to quantify the severity of a patient's tics by rating the number of body areas affected, motor tic frequency, phonic tic frequency, motor tic severity, and phonic tic severity, each on a 0 through 4 score by watching a video of the patient. Scored out of 20, where a higher score indicates greater tic severity.

Inclusion Criteria: Age 18 years or older Diagnosis of Tourette Syndrome Moderate Tic Severity at baseline Exclusion Criteria: Presence of metallic objects or neurostimulators in the brain Pregnancy History of active seizures or epilepsy Contraindications to receiving fMRI Inability to participate in CBIT due to other underlying cognitive or medical condition