Senile-onset vocal and motor tics.

Abstract

Gilles de la Tourette's syndrome is a chronic disorder of fluctuating motor and vocal tics, with onset before age 15 years. We recently saw a patient with no prior history of tics, in whom, at age 81 years, complex motor and vocal tics consistent with Tourette's syndrome developed. Treatment with 1 mg/day of haloperidol was followed by complete cessation of complex motor and vocal tics after five days. The patient met the behavioral criteria for Tourette's syndrome except for age at onset. Vocal and motor tics with Tourette-like features may occur as an acquired defect late in life and can be successfully treated with haloperidol. REPORT OF A CASE Motor tics consisting of facial grimaces, mouth and neck movements, and involuntary spitting developed in an 81-year-old black man. These movements were accompanied by vocalizations, such as guttural sounds, belching, barking noises, and articulation of the word boogie. According to the