The Current Understanding of Premonitory Urge Phenomena in Chronic Tic Disorders

AbstractPurpose of ReviewThe goal of this review is to collect the progress made in the area of premonitory urge research in the areas of demographics, psychometrics, neurologic, psychopharmacology, and behavioral psychotherapy.Recent FindingsIndividuals with no previous treatment for tics have differing levels of control over their ability to suppress tics. It is unclear if tic suppression reliably causes predictable and uniform changes in urge severity. The literature is unclear regarding the role of comorbid psychological conditions with respect to urge severity. Comprehensive Behavioral Intervention for Tics (CBIT) and several pharmacological treatments have shown decreases in tic severity but it is not clear if there are corresponding decreases in urge severity.SummaryPremonitory urges are prevalent sensations reported by individuals with tic disorders prior to the completion of a tic. Although there has been a recent increase in research on this topic over the past decade, several issues regarding the nature of urges remain ambiguous or in contention. Here, the authors have compiled a brief review of the literature which directly addresses current day understanding of premonitory urges.
Source: Current Behavioral Neuroscience Reports - Category: Neuroscience Source Type: research