Apathy in Tourette Syndrome and Changes in Quality of Life

July 3, 2017 updated by: University of Florida

Apathy in Tourette Syndrome and Changes in Quality of Life - Effect of Medications

Tourette syndrome is a complex neuropsychological disorder with both motor and vocal tics associated with multiple psychological co-morbidities. Apathy has not been widely studied in patients with Tourette syndrome. Apathy can result in decrease in self-care and disease control. In this study investigators will compare the occurrence of apathy in the adolescent Tourette syndrome population (at the UF center for movement disorders and Neurorestoration) to an age and gender matched control population. Investigators will also assess the role of commonly used medications in the Tourette population (neuroleptics and selective serotonin receptor inhibitors) in the occurrence of apathy.

Study Overview

Detailed Description

Tourette syndrome(TS) is a complex neuropsychological disorder with both motor and vocal tics associated with multiple psychological co-morbidities. The most common co-morbidities include obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and depression. Apathy has not been extensively studied in the Tourette syndrome population. Apathy is currently defined as reduced motivation, with symptoms in at least two of three domains of reduced initiative, reduced interest and/or reduced emotional responsiveness. A study assessed the prevalence of apathy in multiple movement disorders and reported that apathy is much more common in disorders associated with slowed movements like Parkinson disease while less common in disorders with increased movements like Huntington disease and Tourette syndrome in adults. However, no apathy studies in adolescent patients with Tourette syndrome are published. Disengagement from treatment may affect health outcomes in other disease states. Apathy has significant effects on the quality of life and health outcomes in many patients. Apathy can be a direct manifestation of the neuropsychological process (intrinsic to the disease) or can be secondary to medication side effects most notably anti-dopaminergic agents and some reports of selective serotonin receptor inhibitors (SSRI). Further attention to the prevalence and impact of apathy in the adolescent Tourette syndrome population is needed to explore if this may be a factor influencing TS management and ultimately Quality of life (QOL). Multiple psychotropic medications are used in the management of tics as well as the psychological co-morbidities. How these medications affect apathy prevalence in Tourette syndrome patients is not known.

Study Type

Observational

Enrollment (Actual)

38

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

    • Florida
      • Gainesville, Florida, United States, 32607
        • UF Center for Movement Disorders and Neurorestoration

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study

8 years to 12 years (Child)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Genders Eligible for Study

All

Sampling Method

Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

Targeted study population includes patients 12-16 years old diagnosed with Tourette Syndrome who are a patient of University of Florida Movement Disorders Center.

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Diagnosis: Tourette syndrome
  • Age: 12-16 years
  • Followed at the CMDNR

Exclusion Criteria:

  • History of cerebral palsy or traumatic brain injury

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Observational Models: Case-Control
  • Time Perspectives: Cross-Sectional

Cohorts and Interventions

Group / Cohort
Intervention / Treatment
Patients with Tourette Syndrome
The primary caregiver will be asked to fill the Children's motivation Scale. Other measures will be collected including a clinician filled Yale Global Tic Severity Scale (YGTSS) - severity score, Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale for Children (CES-DC) and Gilles de la Tourette Syndrome Quality Of Life scale (GTS-QOL). Demographic data will also be collected for each study patient. Demographic data will also be collected for each study patient.
A 16-item questionnaire to evaluate level of motivation in children and adolescents completed by the primary caregiver.
Clinician administered questionnaire given to Tourette patients. Part 1 asks about 10 types of motor tics, 12 types of vocal tics (current, ever, age of onset, description). Part 2 is a severity rating that scores both motor and vocal tics on a 0-5 scale for each severity item: number of tics, intensity, frequency, complexity, interference, impairment. Totals are summed for all items.
Clinician administered questionnaire given to Tourette patients. Consisting of 20 items, respondents are asked to indicate how strongly they have felt a certain way during the past week using a Likert-type scale that ranges from "not at all" to "a lot." Only two items on the questionnaire relate specifically to sleep or fatigue. CES-DC is a validated score for assessing depression in children and adolescents
Clinician administered questionnaire given to Tourette patients. Gilles de la Tourette Syndrome Quality Of Life scale (GTS-QOL) is a recently validated score for the assessment of quality of life in patients with Tourette syndrome. Consisting of a 27-item GTS-specific HR-QOL scale (GTS-QOL) with four subscales (psychological, physical, obsessional, and cognitive).
Data will be collected including: age, age at disease onset, gender, current medication regimen and presence of co-morbidities (like a diagnosis of ADHD, OCD, depression or insomnia).
Patients with Diabetes type 1
The primary caregiver will be asked to fill the Children's motivation Scale. Demographic data will also be collected for each study patient.
A 16-item questionnaire to evaluate level of motivation in children and adolescents completed by the primary caregiver.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Children's Motivation Scale
Time Frame: Day 1
A 16-item questionnaire to evaluate level of motivation in children and adolescents completed by the primary caregiver.
Day 1

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Yale Global Tic Severity Scale (YGTSS)
Time Frame: Day 1
Clinician administered questionnaire given to Tourette patients. Part 1 asks about 10 types of motor tics, 12 types of vocal tics (current, ever, age of onset, description). Part 2 is a severity rating that scores both motor and vocal tics on a 0-5 scale for each severity item: number of tics, intensity, frequency, complexity, interference, impairment. Totals are summed for all items.
Day 1
Studies Depression Scale for Children (CES-DC)
Time Frame: Day 1
Clinician administered questionnaire given to Tourette patients. Consisting of 20 items, respondents are asked to indicate how strongly they have felt a certain way during the past week using a Likert-type scale that ranges from "not at all" to "a lot." Only two items on the questionnaire relate specifically to sleep or fatigue. CES-DC is a validated score for assessing depression in children and adolescents
Day 1
Gilles de la Tourette Syndrome Quality Of Life scale
Time Frame: Day 1
Clinician administered questionnaire given to Tourette patients. Gilles de la Tourette Syndrome Quality Of Life scale (GTS-QOL) is a recently validated score for the assessment of quality of life in patients with Tourette syndrome. Consisting of a 27-item GTS-specific HR-QOL scale (GTS-QOL) with four subscales (psychological, physical, obsessional, and cognitive).
Day 1

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Investigators

  • Principal Investigator: Wissam Deeb, UF Center for Movement Disorders and Neurorestoration

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start

April 1, 2016

Primary Completion (Actual)

March 1, 2017

Study Completion (Actual)

April 1, 2017

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

May 4, 2016

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

May 5, 2016

First Posted (Estimate)

May 6, 2016

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

July 6, 2017

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

July 3, 2017

Last Verified

July 1, 2017

More Information

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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