Volunteers Needed for Ongoing TS Research

General Information About Participating in Medical Research:

If someone in your family with Tourette Syndrome is interested in participating in a clinical trial of new treatments or therapies, please visit the website www.clinicaltrials.gov and type in the keyword “Tourette.”

This government website provides regularly updated information about federally and privately supported clinical research in human volunteers. ClinicalTrials.gov gives you information about a trial's purpose, who may participate, locations, and phone numbers for more details. The information provided on ClinicalTrials.gov should be used in conjunction with advice from health care professionals.

Clinical trials are an essential tool for improving the treatment of Tourette Syndrome and other medical conditions. Why participate in a clinical trial? As ClinicalTrials.gov puts it: “Participants in clinical trials can play a more active role in their own health care, gain access to new research treatments before they are widely available, and help others by contributing to medical research. “

Research Studies in the NYC area:

Columbia University Accepting Volunteers Aged 17-70
Columbia University is conducting an outpatient research study of a non-medicational investigational treatment for Tourette's. Participants will receive treatment with a non-invasive magnetic device (Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation or TMS approved by the FDA for the treatment of Depression), diagnostic testing, a physical exam, and lab tests. Participation is free and confidential.

For more information, please call 212-543-5767 or email bbclinic@columbia.edu.

Gene Repository
The New Jersey Center for Tourette Syndrome and Associated Disorders is creating the world's first sharing repository for human cells and DNA for Tourette Syndrome research. The ultimate goal of this study is to identify genetic (inherited) factors that play a role in causing TS and related disorders such as OCD, ADHD, and Chronic Tics. Dr. Robert King, Director of the Yale University Child Study Center TS and OCD Clinic, meets with every family to conduct screenings on-site at Rutgers University in New Jersey.

If you and your family agree to participate in this study, you will be asked to complete a survey questionnaire and come to Rutgers University in Piscataway to review your survey answers, answer questions about your family tree, and give a sample of blood or saliva.

Families may participate if a member has TS and the participating family members are English-speaking.

For more information, please call 908-575-7350.

Older Adults With TS Study
Lisa Cox, Ph.D., is a licensed clinical social worker and an Associate Professor of Social Work and Gerontology at The Richard Stockton College of New Jersey’s School of Social and Behavioral Sciences. Starting this September 2008, Dr. Cox will be taking a sabbatical and will be using the time to study the impact that TS has on the lives of people older than 55. This study has been approved by the national Medical Advisory Board.

Dr. Cox's contact info
Phone: 609-652-4310
Email: lisa.cox@stockton.edu