Brain-feedback training to help teens with Tourette control tics
Official title: Neurofeedback from the supplementary motor area for Tourette Syndrome
Funded at Yale University · NIH-11308704 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project teaches teenagers with Tourette syndrome to use real-time MRI brain-feedback to change activity in a motor brain area with the goal of reducing tics.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Yale University NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (New Haven, United States) |
| Project start | May 9, 2022 |
| Project end | February 28, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $771,579 |
| NIH project number | 5R01MH127147-05 |
| Project ID | NIH-11308704 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates are teenagers diagnosed with Tourette syndrome who can safely have MRI scans, tolerate repeated scanner sessions, and attend scheduled follow-up visits.
✕Less likely to help
People who cannot undergo MRI (for example, due to metal implants), those outside the trial's age range, or individuals whose symptoms are not primarily Tourette-related may not benefit from this intervention.
What this research studies
You would be taught to watch real-time activity from a motor brain area (the supplementary motor area, or SMA) while inside an MRI scanner and use mental strategies to make that activity go up or down. You will be cued to try things like imagining complex movements or doing mentally demanding tasks to increase activity, and imagining relaxing scenes to reduce activity, with feedback showing your success. The trial randomly assigns participants to the active neurofeedback or a control condition and includes follow-up visits to see whether any improvements last. The aim is to confirm promising results seen in a smaller earlier study using a larger, randomized design.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this could offer adolescents with Tourette a non-drug therapy that teaches self-control of brain activity and may reduce tic severity.
How similar studies have gone: A prior small crossover study of the same neurofeedback approach reported promising large clinical effects, but those results now need confirmation in a larger randomized trial.
Where this research is happening
-
Yale University
New Haven, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Hampson, Michelle — Yale University
- Study coordinator: Hampson, Michelle
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
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Precision brain mapping of tics in children with Tourette syndrome
A new study uses advanced MRI to map brain activity in individual kids with Tourette syndrome to understand why tics differ from child to child.
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Digital tic-detection partner to support Tourette syndrome therapy
A computer vision system will help detect tics in children and youths with Tourette syndrome to support behavioral therapy at home and in real life.
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Quantifying Tourette tics with video and computer tools
This project aims to develop and test video-based, automated ways to measure tic severity in people with Tourette Syndrome.
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International collaboration mapping genes and brain scans in Tourette syndrome
This project brings together MRI brain scans and genetic data from people with Tourette syndrome and related conditions to spot biological patterns linked to tics and co-occurring symptoms.
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How Tourette syndrome develops in the brain
Researchers are using donated brain tissue and patient-derived stem cells to learn why people with Tourette syndrome have fewer specific brain cells in the basal ganglia.
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Investigating brain imaging and cognitive markers in children with Tourette syndrome
This study is looking at how Tourette syndrome affects kids by using brain scans and tests over time to see how their brain functions change as they grow, with the goal of finding ways to help manage their symptoms better.
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.