Advances in the Treatment of Tourette's Disorder.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: This article was written in order to bring the reader up to date with developments that have occurred in the treatment of Tourette disorder (TD) over the last 5 years.

RECENT FINDINGS: Despite the fact that TD has been recognized for over a century, the understanding of the underlying mechanisms remains poor. There has been limited development in the last 5 years for new therapeutic options. Aripipazole is the only newly approved pharmaceutical therapy for TD in the last 5 years, although several medications are under active study. For the most severely affected individuals, there is increasing experience with surgical interventions. One of the most promising areas of research is the work of genetic consortiums currently looking into identifying the underlying pathogenetic basis which in turn will hopefully lead to the development of safer and more effective therapies.