Tourette syndrome

Tourette's syndrome (TS) is a developmental neuropsychiatric disorder characterized by chronic motor and vocal tics. Rare functional variants in the neuronal transmembrane molecule SLITRK1 have been associated with TS. The SLITRK1 gene is expressed in brain regions and it appears to play a role in dendritic growth. Another possible rare genetic cause of TS is a mutation in the HDC gene. The HDC gene encodes for L-histidine decarboxylase, which is the rate-limiting enzyme that catalyzes the biosynthesis of histamine from histidine.