Motor Control in Children with Tourette Syndrome

Previous research has shown that collecting highly-sampled functional MRI data, known as Precision Functional Mapping (PFM), can reveal unique functional network topologies and offer more accurate brain features in individuals (Gordon et al., 2017).

Using children PFM datasets collected in our lab (Demeter et al., preprint), I am doing research to explain the neural mechanism of involuntary, repetitive motor and vocal tics in kids with Tourette Syndrome diagnosis.

Specifically, I am interested in the interaction between the cortex and the basal ganglia with a specific focus on Action Mode Network/Cingulo-opercular Network (AMN/CON). I recently presented at 2025 Flux with the preliminary results suggesting that Default Mode Network (DMN) and AMN/CON and their connections to the basal ganglia and thalamus might underlie Tourette Syndrome diagnosis (2025 Flux poster).

Workflow of 2025 Flux poster titled “Characterizing functional brain network integration in the basal ganglia and thalamus in children with Tourette syndrome”

Additionally, I will be looking at excitation-inhibition (E:I) ratio using electroencephalogram (EEG) data before and after clinical intervention in collaboration with Voytek Lab.

There are still lots of exciting future avenues in this topic, such as 1) including recently identified Somato-cognitive Action Network (SCAN), putatively contributing to integrating goals, physiology and body movement (Gordon et al., 2023), and 2) disentanling the roles of AMN/CON and SCAN contributing to the transformation of intention to move to actual execution of action!

Seed-map showing a strong interconnectedness among Somato-cognitive Action Network nodes (pink outline) punctutating the known ‘homunculus’ in the primary motor cortex (M1)