[Behavioral therapy of ticks with negative reinforcement in children].

Thirty-two children suffering from motor and vocal ticks exhibited weakness and distonia of ticks-prone muscles were examined. Based on the results obtained earlier, a complex of physical exercises has been worked out and conducted for 20 days. The patients were divided into 3 groups: 1st (n = 10) group did the exercises daily for training the ticks-prone muscles; the 2nd one (n = 10) exercised only after tick's appearance--negative reinforcement; 3rd group (n = 12) did exercises after tick's appearance as well but on irregular basis--probable negative reinforcement. In the 1st group, the exercising resulted in muscle strengthening and decrease of tick's number. The patients of the 2nd group got rid of ticks for 20 days. The probable tick's reinforcement in children of the 3rd group did not change pathological muscle activity. The central mechanisms of cortical plasticity in behavioral therapy of ticks are discussed.