Table 1.

Demographic Characteristics

Research Participants^a

Characteristic

TS^b
(n=149)

NC
(n=134)

Test Statistic

P Value

Mean age (SD), y

18.7 (13.0)

22.9 (13.7)

t₂₈₁ =2.69

.008

<18 y

105

χ_{1}^{2} = 21.4

<.001

≥18 y

Sex

Male

112

χ_{1}^{2} = 16.6

<.001

Female

SES at birth, mean (SD)^c

46.5 (11.4)

46.0 (11.2)

t₂₇₃ =0.41

.68

FSIQ, mean (SD)

113.8 (16.8)

120.0 (17.1)

t₂₁₈ =2.68

.008

Nonwhite ethnicity, %

χ_{1}^{2} = 2.07

.17

Nondextral handedness, %

χ_{1}^{2} = 3.5

.06

Abbreviations: FSIQ, full-scale IQ; NC, normal control; SES, socioeconomic status; TS, Tourette syndrome.

Unless otherwise indicated, data are expressed as number of participants.

In the TS group, 55 (36.9%) had a comorbid lifetime diagnosis of obsessive-compulsive disorder, 42 (28.2%) had attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, and 10 (6.7%) had both. At the time of scanning, 87 participants with TS (58.4%) were taking psychotropic medication (some more than 1 type), including typical neuroleptics (n=15), atypical neuroleptics (n=7), stimulants (n=5), α-agonists (n=28), selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (n=20), and tricyclic antidepressants (n=12). Eighty-one participants with TS were medication free.

Computed SES scores ranged from a high of 66 to a low of 8. Score was estimated at the time of the participant’s birth to avoid bias attributable to downward drift in adults with TS, whose educational and occupational opportunities can be compromised by persistent illness.