Major genetic study confirms that many genes contribute to risk for Tourette’s syndrome

A meta-analysis of multiple studies into the genetic background of Tourette’s syndrome (TS) — a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by chronic involuntary motor and vocal tics — finds that variants in hundreds of genes, working in combination, contribute to the development of the syndrome and suggests that Tourette’s is part of a continuous spectrum of tic disorders, ranging from mild, sometimes transient tics to severe cases that can include psychiatric symptoms.