Tourette's syndrome

Rare neurological condition characterized by multiple tics and vocal phenomena such as grunting, snarling, and obscene speech, named after French physician Georges Gilles de la Tourette (1859–1904). It affects one to five people per 10,000, with males outnumbering females by four to one, and the onset is usually around the age of six. There are no convincing explanations of its cause, and it is usually resistant to treatment.

Canadian researchers proved in 1999 that the tics that characterize the syndrome are not involuntary reflexes but result instead from an irresistible urge. This indicates that Tourettes is not a simple motor disorder but is instead more closely related to obsessive compulsive disorders.