[Aripiprazole for the treatment of Tourette syndrome. Experience in 10 patients].

BACKGROUND

Tourette syndrome is a neuropsychiatric disorder characterized by motor and vocal tics, attentional deficit, poor control of impulses and obsessive compulsive disorder. Pharmacological treatment is often disappointing due to partial response and frequent poor tolerance to neuroleptic drugs which are otherwise the most effective therapy so far.

AIM: To report a lasting improvement obtained with a new drug, aripiprazole that acts modulating both dopaminergic and serotoninergic neurotransmission.

MATERIAL AND

METHODS

Ten patients refractory to their usual therapy, aged 10 to 35 years, were switched to aripiprazole in an open trial.

RESULTS

Nine of the 10 patients showed a significant response assessed by the Yale severity tics rating scale and the clinical global impression scale (p <0.01). No relevant adverse effects were observed.

CONCLUSIONS

Aripiprazole may be a good pharmacological option for patients with Tourette syndrome.