Tourette Syndrome
Conditions
Keywords
Tourette, Atkins, Ketosis, Tic
Brief summary
Pharmacotherapy has long been considered the primary approach for tic suppression in Tourette syndrome (TS). Unfortunately, medications are often ineffective and frequently have significant side-effects. This is a pilot therapeutic study using a dietary approach, the modified Atkins diet (MAD). The goal of this study is to establish the safety, tolerability, and efficacy of dietary therapy in patients with TS (proof of concept) and to determine whether this intervention is worthy of evaluation in large-scale clinical trials. The modified Atkins diet mimics the well established ketogenic diet, but in a less-restrictive dietary manner. Dietary approaches using the MAD/ketogenic diet are currently under investigation for neurological conditions other than epilepsy, including Alzheimer disease, headaches, autism, narcolepsy, brain tumors, traumatic brain injury, Parkinson's disease, and depression.
Interventions
DIETARY_SUPPLEMENTModified Atkins diet
Low carbohydrate diet
Sponsors
Johns Hopkins University
Study design
Allocation
NON_RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
SINGLE_GROUP
Primary purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
NONE
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
12 Years to 65 Years
Healthy volunteers
No
Inclusion criteria
* Ages 12-65 years * Tourette syndrome (vocal and motor tics for over a year) * \> 20 score on the Yale Global Tic Severity Scale * Ability to follow instructions and comply with the dietary changes
Exclusion criteria
* Secondary tics * Underweight (BMI \< 5%) * Prior use of the Atkins diet for over 2 days * High cholesterol or triglycerides * Major depression or anxiety disorder * Pregnancy * Substance abuse
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Tic frequency | 2 months | Number of tics per day, intensity, severity, will be compared to baseline (pre-diet) |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame |
|---|---|
| Ketosis | 2 months |
Countries
United States
Outcome results
None listed