Altered parvalbumin-positive neuron distribution in basal ganglia of individuals with Tourette syndrome.

ABSTRACT: Tourette syndrome (TS) is a childhood neuropsychiatric disorder characterized by motor and vocal tics. Imaging studies found alterations in caudate (Cd) and putamen volumes. To investigate possible alterations in cell populations, postmortem basal ganglia tissue from individuals with TS and normal controls was analyzed by using unbiased stereological techniques. A markedly higher total neuron number was found in the globus pallidus pars interna (GPi) of TS. In contrast, a lower neuron number and density was observed in the globus pallidus pars externa and in the Cd. An increased number and proportion of the GPi neurons were positive for the calcium-binding protein parvalbumin in tissue from TS subjects, whereas lower densities of parvalbumin-positive interneurons were observed in both the

SUBMITTER: Kalanithi PS 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC1201574 | biostudies-literature | 2005 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature