Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2020 Oct;62(10):1205-1212.
doi: 10.1111/dmcn.14613. Epub 2020 Jul 9.

Anti-dopamine D2 receptor antibodies in chronic tic disorders

Francesco Addabbo  1 , Valentina Baglioni  2 , Anette Schrag  3 , Markus J Schwarz  4 , Andrea Dietrich  5 , Pieter J Hoekstra  5 , Davide Martino  6 , Maura Buttiglione  1 ; Emtics Collaborative Group
Collaborators, Affiliations
Free article

Anti-dopamine D2 receptor antibodies in chronic tic disorders

Francesco Addabbo et al. Dev Med Child Neurol. 2020 Oct.
Free article

Abstract

Aim: To investigate the association between circulating anti-dopamine D2 receptor (D2R) autoantibodies and the exacerbation of tics in children with chronic tic disorders (CTDs).

Method: One hundred and thirty-seven children with CTDs (108 males, 29 females; mean age [SD] 10y 0mo [2y 7mo], range 4-16y) were recruited over 18 months. Patients were assessed at baseline, at tic exacerbation, and at 2 months after exacerbation. Serum anti-D2R antibodies were evaluated using a cell-based assay and blinded immunofluorescence microscopy scoring was performed by two raters. The association between visit type and presence of anti-D2R antibodies was measured with McNemar's test and repeated-measure logistic regression models, adjusting for potential demographic and clinical confounders.

Results: At exacerbation, 11 (8%) participants became anti-D2R-positive ('early peri-exacerbation seroconverters'), and nine (6.6%) became anti-D2R-positive at post-exacerbation ('late peri-exacerbation seroconverters'). The anti-D2R antibodies were significantly associated with exacerbations when compared to baseline (McNemar's odds ratio=11, p=0.003) and conditional logistic regression confirmed this association (Z=3.49, p<0.001) after adjustment for demographic and clinical data and use of psychotropic drugs.

Interpretation: There is a potential association between immune mechanisms and the severity course of tics in adolescents with CTDs.

PubMed Disclaimer

Comment in

References

    1. Ganos C, Martino D. Tics and Tourette syndrome. Neurol Clin 2015; 33: 115-36.
    1. Martino D, Ganos C, Pringsheim TM. Tourette syndrome and chronic tic disorders: the clinical spectrum beyond tics. Int Rev Neurobiol 2017; 134: 1461-90.
    1. Godar SC, Bortolato M. What makes you tic? Translational approaches to study the role of stress and contextual triggers in Tourette syndrome. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2017; 76: 123-33.
    1. Martino D, Zis P, Buttiglione M. The role of immune mechanisms in Tourette syndrome. Brain Res 2015; 18: 126-43.
    1. Robertson MM, Eapen V, Singer HS, et al. Gilles de la Tourette syndrome. Nat Rev Dis Primers 2017; 2: 16097.

Publication types

LinkOut - more resources