7T MRI in Tourette syndrome and correlations with clinical ratings

In this study, we used 7T MRI for identifying potential local associations of Quantitative Susceptibility Mapping (QSM) with tic severity in patients with Gilles de la Tourette syndrome (GTS), as well as T1w volumes for VBM analysis of the cerebellum. Our results indicate direct correlations of tic severity with the QSM values in substantia nigra and other basal ganglia regions, supporting the hypothesis that iron imbalance play a significant role in neurotransmitter dysregulations that lead to the symptomatology of GTS. VBM results show previously unreported GM morphometry alterations in Crus-I, a cerebellar region implicated in visual-motor integration, attention and cognition.