In the largest Tourette syndrome (TS) imaging study to date, Peterson et alArticle report that subjects with TS have larger dorsal prefrontal but smaller parieto-occipital and inferior occipital volumes. Volumes in the TS group were inversely associated with age, and orbitofrontal, midtemporal, and parieto-occipital volumes were positively associated with the severity of tic symptoms.
A commentary by Giedd is included. Article
Infectious diseases and other conditions associated with increased production of inflammatory cytokines are often associated with mood and cognitive disturbances. Reichenberg et alArticle report that low-dose endotoxemia, a well-established model of experimental host defense activation, induces a transient increase in anxiety and depressed mood in healthy volunteers, although subjects did not perceive subjective symptoms of illness. Moreover, verbal and nonverbal memory functions were compromised. These effects of endotoxin were significantly correlated with the secretion of cytokines, in particular tumor necrosis factor α, and interleukin 6. These findings suggest that cytokines are important mediators of emotional and cognitive changes in infectious, autoimmune, and neurodegenerative diseases.