Urge-tic associations in children and adolescents with Tourette syndrome.

Premonitory urges preceding tics are a cardinal feature of Gilles de la Tourette syndrome (GTS), a developmental disorder usually starting during middle childhood. However, the temporal relation between urges and tics has only been investigated in adults. In 25 children and adolescents with GTS (8-18 years), we assess urge-tic associations, including inter-individual differences, correlation to clinical measures, and in comparison to a previously reported sample of adult GTS patients.