Tourette-Like Tics Vanish in Mice Treated with Histamine

 A new study supports previous reports of a link between tics and histamine, a neurotransmitter associated with allergy. For many years our organization, Association for Comprehensive NeuroTherapy, has promoted the concept of an allergic and immune connection with Tourette syndrome. To date, this link has not been reflected in conventional approaches to Tourette’s.

Research published the week of June 5, 2017 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences reaffirms previous genetic studies that linked histamine production and Tourette, a neuropsychological disorder marked by motor and vocal tics.

Yale scientists produced increased grooming behavior in mice that may model tics in Tourette syndrome and discovered these behaviors vanish when histamine — a neurotransmitter most commonly associated with allergies — is introduced into their brains.

Histamine’s role in immunological reactions such as allergies has been intensively studied, but in recent years the neurotransmitter histamine in the brain has been linked to a variety of conditions, such as Parkinson’s, multiple sclerosis, autism and obsessive compulsive disorder, as well as Tourette syndrome.

Adapted from a press release in Yale News written by  Bill Hathaway

Research abstract for “Histamine modulation of the basal ganglia circuitry in the development of pathological grooming” here.

See also:

• 13 Resources on The Role of Histamine and Tourette Syndrome
• Histamine Injections and Sublingual Drops in Allergy Treatment
• Study Links Histamine, Genetics, Diet, and Behavior