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A Bayesian account of the sensory-motor interactions underlying symptoms in Tourette syndrome

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posted on 2023-06-09, 16:41 authored by Charlotte RaeCharlotte Rae, Hugo CritchleyHugo Critchley, Anil SethAnil Seth
Tourette syndrome is a hyperkinetic movement disorder. Characteristic features include tics, recurrent movements that are experienced as compulsive and “unwilled”; uncomfortable premonitory sensations that resolve through tic release; and often, the ability to suppress tics temporarily. We demonstrate how these symptoms and features can be understood in terms of aberrant predictive (Bayesian) processing in hierarchical neural systems, explaining specifically: why tics arise, their “unvoluntary” nature, how premonitory sensations emerge, and why tic suppression works—sometimes. In our model, premonitory sensations and tics are generated through over-precise priors for sensation and action within somatomotor regions of the striatum. Abnormally high precision of priors arises through the dysfunctional synaptic integration of cortical inputs. These priors for sensation and action are projected into primary sensory and motor areas, triggering premonitory sensations and tics, which in turn elicit prediction errors for unexpected feelings and movements. We propose experimental paradigms to validate this Bayesian account of tics. Our model integrates behavioural, neuroimaging, and computational approaches to provide mechanistic insight into the pathophysiological basis of Tourette syndrome.

Funding

Sackler Centre - donation; G1813; SACKLER-DR MORTIMER AND THERESA SACKLER FOUNDATION

History

Publication status

  • Published

File Version

  • Published version

Journal

Frontiers in Psychiatry

ISSN

1664-0640

Publisher

Frontiers Media

Issue

29

Volume

10

Page range

1-15

Department affiliated with

  • BSMS Neuroscience Publications

Research groups affiliated with

  • Sackler Centre for Consciousness Science Publications
  • Sussex Neuroscience Publications

Full text available

  • Yes

Peer reviewed?

  • Yes

Legacy Posted Date

2019-01-31

First Open Access (FOA) Date

2019-03-05

First Compliant Deposit (FCD) Date

2019-03-05

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