Topic: Tourette’s syndrome

We are investigating the developmental origins of alterations in striatal interneurons observed in brain of patients diagnosed with Tourette’s Syndrome using organoid models cultured from patient-derived induced pluripotent stem cells. Here we provide a first characterization of organoids differentiated using a new protocol aimed to induce ventral forebrain fates in 7 iPSC lines from neurotypical adults. During neural induction with dual SMAD inhibition, patterning was carried out over 5 days using the Wnt-antagonist XAV939 alone in our standard dorsal forebrain protocol, and in combination wi

Tourette’s syndrome (TS) and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) are neurodevelopmental disorders affecting ~0.6% of the total population. Although the full etiology of these disorders remains largely unknown, there are severe cases of TS and OCD known to be caused by a nonsense mutation in the Hdc gene coding for the enzyme responsible for histamine production with patients exhibiting lowered histamine levels. Both TS and OCD show strong social components where both stress and anxiety can facilitate as well as exacerbate symptoms, with an underlying cause remaining largely unknown. Therefore,