Investigating Circadian Rhythms in Youth With Persistent Tic Disorders

University of California, Los Angeles35 enrolled

Overview

This study examines circadian rhythms and morningness-eveningness preference in youth with Persistent Tic Disorders (PTDs), including Tourette's Disorder (TD); and assesses the effects of wearable short wavelength light therapy on circadian rhythms and tic symptoms.

Many individuals with Persistent Tic Disorders (PTDs), including Tourette's Disorder (TD) fail to significantly benefit from existing tic treatments. Case studies have shown morning exposure to light therapy, known to advance circadian phase is associated with modest to large tic reductions (Coles \& Strauss, 2013; Niederhofer, 2003) suggesting the presence of circadian abnormalities (i.e., phase delay) in select individuals with PTDs. The present project assesses circadian phase and morningness-eveningness preference in youth with Persistent Tic Disorders (PTDs), including Tourette's Disorder (TD), and examines whether morning use of wearable short wavelength light therapy is associated with shifts in circadian rhythms and reductions in tic severity. Study participation will take place over a three-week period. Clinician-rated tic interview and rating scales of morningness-eveningness preference, sleep, tic, and other symptoms will be completed during an initial screening assessment. Participants will then monitor sleep at home using an actigraph for one week and return for a baseline clinical assessment of tic severity and evening assessment of internal melatonin levels involving saliva sampling every 30 minutes for 6.5 hours in a dimly lit room. Next, participants will complete an abbreviated course (i.e., two weeks) of morning light therapy using wearable short wavelength (i.e., blue-green) light-emitting glasses while continuing to monitor sleep using the actigraph. Following this two-week period participants will return for a final assessment of tic severity and internal melatonin levels.

Study Type

INTERVENTIONAL

Allocation

Purpose

TREATMENT

Masking

NONE

Enrollment

Conditions

Tourette's Disorder

Interventions

Wearable short wavelength light therapyOTHER

Wearable short wavelength (i.e., blue-green) light-emitting glasses worn for two weeks

Eligibility

Sex: ALLMin age: 13 YearsMax age: 17 Years

Medical Language ↔ Plain English

Inclusion Criteria: 1. DSM-5 diagnosis of Tourette's Disorder, Persistent Motor Tic Disorder, or Persistent Vocal Tic Disorder 2. Yale Global Tic Severity Scale Score ≥ 14 for Tourette's Disorder or ≥ 10 for Persistent Motor Tic Disorder or Persistent Vocal Tic Disorder 3. fluency in English Exclusion Criteria: 1. Current or lifetime diagnosis of Bipolar Disorder, psychosis, or autism spectrum disorder 2. Suicidality, severe depression or anxiety (i.e., Depression or anxiety diagnosis is more severe than Tourette's Disorder; equivalence in severity is allowed), or substance dependence, present within the past 6 months 3. Current diagnosis of Obstructive Sleep Apnea, Restless leg syndrome, Periodic Limb Movement Disorder, or Narcolepsy 4. Intellectual functioning below the low average range (WASI-II IQ score \< 80) 5. Hypnotic medications, or melatonin within 8 weeks of study enrollment 6. Changes in dosage of any psychiatric medications within the past month 7. Behavior therapy for tics within the past 3 months 8. Prior use of light therapy 9. Current pregnancy or travel across \> 2 time zones in the past month 10. Medical or neurological condition (e.g., seizure disorder, migraines) that would interfere in the individual's ability to participate in the study

Locations (1)

Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior, University of California, Los Angeles

Los Angeles, California, United States

Outcomes

Primary Outcomes

Dim Light Melatonin Onset

The clock time at which salivary melatonin concentration reaches a threshold of 4 picograms (pg) per milliliter.

Time frame: 2 weeks

Yale Global Tic Severity Scale (YGTSS)

The YGTSS (Leckman et al., 1989) is a clinician-administered measure of tic severity encompassing tic number, frequency, intensity, complexity, and interference. The measure yields independent severity ratings for motor and vocal tics, a combined total tic severity score (0 to 50), and an independent tic-related impairment score (0 to 50).

Time frame: 2 weeks

Secondary Outcomes

Clinical Global Impression-Improvement (CGI-I) Scale

The CGI-I (Guy, 1976) is a clinician-rated scale that has been used in a number of clinical trials for over 25 years, and in several studies with TD patients. The CGI-I is a clinician-rated measure of global patient improvement relative to baseline based on the clinician's perspective. Scores of Much (2) or Very Much (1) Improved indicate positive treatment response.

Time frame: 2 weeks

Children's Morningness-Eveningness Preferences Scale (CMEP)

The CMEP (Carskadon et al., 1993) is a 10-item measure of diurnal or nocturnal activity preference in recent past weeks. It will be modified to assess symptoms in the past week for the present study. The measure yields a total score ranging from 10 (extreme evening preference) to 42 (extreme morning preference).

Time frame: 2 weeks

Parent Tic Questionnaire (PTQ)

The PTQ (Chang et al., 2008) is a parent-reported measure of tic severity assessing both motor and vocal tics present within the past week. Individual tics are rated separately according to frequency and intensity. The measure yields separate scores for motor and vocal tics, in addition to a combined total tic severity score.

Data from ClinicalTrials.gov

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