Tourette syndrome is a childhood-onset neurodevelopmental disorder that primarily affects the cortico-basal ganglia-thalamo-cortical (CBGTC) circuitry and is characterized by motor and vocal tics. Here, the authors investigated how two aspects of procedural learning, namely 1) frequency-based statistical learning and 2) order-based sequence learning, are affected in Tourette syndrome. The results showed that children with Tourette syndrome have enhanced sensitivity to statistical information but impaired sequence learning compared to typically developing children. These results can provide a potential path for improving therapy methods and skill-oriented educational programs for TS.
Tóth-Fáber E, Tárnok Z, Janacsek K, Kóbor A, Nagy P, Farkas BC, Oláh S, Merkl D, Hegedűs O, Nemeth D & Takács A (2021). Dissociation between two aspects of procedural learning in Tourette syndrome: Enhanced statistical and impaired sequence learning; Child Neuropsychology, DOI: 10.1080/09297049.2021.1894110