The Brain and Movement: The Chemistry of Tourette’s
To understand Tourette syndrome, it helps to look beyond the visible tics and focus on what is happening inside the brain. Movement, impulse control, attention and emotional regulation all depend on complex communication between different brain regions, and that communication is influenced by neurotransmitters such as dopamine, GABA, glutamate and serotonin.
In this episode, we explore how these chemical messengers contribute to the mechanisms involved in Tourette syndrome. Dopamine plays a particularly important role in motor regulation, and research suggests that altered dopaminergic signalling may contribute to the expression of tics. GABA and glutamate act more like the brain’s braking and accelerating systems, helping regulate whether motor signals are suppressed or allowed to pass. When this balance is disturbed, unwanted movements and sounds may become more difficult to control.
We also look at serotonin, which is involved in mood, anxiety and impulse regulation, and at the cortico-striato-thalamo-cortical circuits that connect the cortex with deeper brain structures. These circuits are central to the filtering and regulation of movement, and they are one of the main areas studied in Tourette research.
Finally, we discuss brain plasticity: the nervous system’s ability to adapt over time. This may help explain why tic severity often changes with age and why some people experience a reduction in symptoms as they grow older.
This episode offers a clear and accessible overview of the biology behind Tourette syndrome, without reducing it to a question of willpower or behaviour. The goal is to understand what is happening beneath the surface and why tics are the result of complex neurological processes rather than conscious choice.