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Cho, Soo-Churl;Suh, Yoo-Hun
- Journal of the Korean Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
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- v.6 no.1
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- pp.47-55
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- 1995
To elucidate the biochemical etiology. 1) plasma dopemine-beta-hydroxylase activity was measured and 2) the correlation between age and DBH activity was examined in 30 Tourette's disorder, 19 chronic motor tic disorder, and 24 controls. The results are summarized as follows : 1) The mean plasma DBH activity in Tourette's disorder was significantly elevated compared to normal groups, but significant differences in DBH activity between Tourette's disorder and chronic motor tic disorder, and between chronic motor tic disorder and normal control group were not found. 2) In all three groups, the significant positive correlations between age and plasma DBH activity found. These findings support the hypothesis of a possible involvement of brain catecholamine dysfunction in the production of Tourette's disorders, and this dysfunction might be due to the increased dopaminergic and decreased noradrenergic function. Future research should be focused on the mechanism of functional abnormalities of DBH.
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