Abnormal thalamic volume in treatment-naïve boys with Tourette syndrome

Objective: Thalamic abnormality has been implicated in the pathophysiology of Tourette's syndrome (TS). We examined the presence of aberrant thalamic volume from the treatment‐naïve boys with TS using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Method: Volumetric MRI was performed on 18 treatment‐naïve boys with TS, aged 7–14 years, and 16 healthy comparison subjects. The anatomical boundaries were then manually parcellated to measure the thalamic volume. Results: Tourette's syndrome subjects had a significantly larger left thalamus in comparison with those of healthy subjects. On the contrary, no group difference was observed from the right thalamic volume. TS subjects also showed a significant reduction in rightward asymmetry in thalamic volume compared with the healthy subjects. Conclusion: Our findings provide new evidence of abnormal thalamic volume in pediatric TS.