A volumetric MRI study of Gilles de la Tourette's syndrome.

The neuroanatomic or neuropathologic basis of Gilles de la Tourette's syndrome (GTS) remains unknown. Recent studies have suggested abnormalities of cerebral asymmetry and basal ganglia volumes. We studied 17 patients with GTS and eight normal controls using volumetric MRI techniques for measuring the caudate nucleus, amygdala, and corpus callosum. One subject with GTS was subsequently excluded because he was left handed. No absolute differences in caudate nucleus volumes between patient and control groups were evident. There was an increase in corpus callosum (CC) cross-sectional area and a loss of the normal asymmetry of the caudate nucleus in the patient group. A loss of the normal correlation between cross-sectional area of the CC and whole brain index (WBI) in the patient group also was found. The amygdala measurements had a poor interrater reliability.