Specific executive control impairments in Tourette syndrome: The role of response inhibition.
Adults with Tourette syndrome have a clear stop-signal problem that you can spot and work around.
01Research in Context
What this study did
The team tested the adults with Tourette syndrome against the adults without it.
They used computer tasks to measure three executive skills: stopping a response, switching rules, and updating working memory.
Each person sat alone and pressed keys when told, then tried to stop when a red X flashed.
What they found
The Tourette group was much slower to stop their button presses.
They also made more mistakes when the rules changed mid-task.
Working memory scores looked the same as controls, so the main trouble was stopping and switching.
How this fits with other research
Raspail et al. (2025) saw the same inhibition trouble in teens with mild intellectual disability.
Prigge et al. (2013) linked poor inhibition to echolalia in autism, matching the pattern here.
Lee et al. (2022) found early attention shifting predicts later EF in Down syndrome infants, hinting that early motor tics in Tourette might forecast later inhibition issues.
Why it matters
If you treat adults with Tourette syndrome, expect slow or failed stops during tasks. Build in extra wait time and use visual cues before rule changes. These simple tweaks can cut errors and reduce client frustration.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
BACKGROUND: Tourette syndrome (TS) is a childhood-onset disorder characterized by motor and vocal tics. While cognitive features of common comorbid conditions such as attention deficit hyperactive disorder and obsessive compulsive disorder have been widely investigated, the cognitive profile of TS patients remains to be precisely defined. In this regard, the executive functions system (EF) is of especial interest. AIMS: The aim of the study was to delineate the various components of executive processes in adult TS patients. METHODS: A sample of 19 adults diagnosed with TS and 19 age-matched control subjects underwent computerized battery of executive tasks, as well as block design and memory tests. All patients received a thorough clinical assessment with an emphasis on illness severity. RESULTS: There was a marked impairment in response inhibition ability regardless of comorbid conditions, In addition, there was decreased accuracy in set shifting, but not in response time. These results imply that impaired response inhibition in the EF system is the primary cognitive impairment in TS and that many of the previously reported impaired executive functions in TS are secondary to this impairment. CONCLUSIONS: This finding of impaired response inhibition in TS may imply that rehabilitation of this inhibition component could prove to be an important therapeutic strategy in adults with TS.
Research in developmental disabilities, 2017 · doi:10.1016/j.ridd.2016.12.007