Neurophysiological correlates of the development of event file coding: a comparison of maturational and Tourette-related mechanisms

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The central aim of this Research Unit is to use the framework of the Theory of Event Coding (TEC) to investigate how neural mechanisms of perception and action integration are altered in Gilles de la Tourette syndrome (GTS) and to gain insights into the neural basis of tics and urges. GTS is a prototypical neurodevelopmental disorder with symptom onset in childhood and age-dependent remission during adolescence in most cases. However, it is to date unclear which neurodevelopmental processes in cortico-striato-thalamo-cortical circuits subserve ‘developmental normalization’ in GTS. To fill this gap, this project will systematically compare behavioral and neurophysiological correlates of perception–action event coding, i.e. perceptual categorization, feature binding, and response selection, between patients and healthy controls across different age periods representing key phases of the clinical course of Tourette syndrome. Anticipated results of this project will shed light on mechanisms contributing to individual differences in symptom remission and will serve as the starting point of a follow-up study investigating longitudinal trajectories of neurophysiological changes that are associated with typical and atypical development of action planning.