Epilepsy is increasingly recognized as an important association with tic disorders and Tourette syndrome in children. Previous studies reported the overall prevalence of Tourette syndrome was around 1% in children. Epidemiological studies showed evidences of increased neuropsychiatric comorbidities of Tourette syndrome including attention hyperactivity disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder and autistic spectrum disorder. Нe recent studies have demonstrated that increased risk of epilepsy in children with Tourette syndrome, and also increased risk of Tourette syndrome in epilepsy children. Нe genetic and clinical information refer to a common neurobiological basis for epilepsy and Tourette syndrome.

Tourette Syndrome (TS) is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by multiple motor tics and one or more vocal tics occurring for at least 1 year, with the onset age before 18 years old. Tic disorders and TS are common in children. Epidemiological studies show that the prevalence of TS is about 1% in school-age children in western countries, whereas only approximately 0.5% in Asian countries. Нe etiology of TS attributes to be multifactorial including genetic, immunological and hormonal factors. Many studies also reported high incidence of neuropsychiatric comorbidities in TS such as attention Hyperactivity Disorders (ADHD), Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) and Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Нe presence of comorbidity in TS increases the need for drug and interventional therapy. Нe comorbidity of TS and epilepsy has been rarely reported. Rizzo et al. reported a case series of 8 children with TS presenting with the comorbidities of ADHD and epilepsy. Most of these patients developed epilepsy before the onset of tic disorder. Нe found patients with the triple comorbidity could benefit from anticonvulsants such as topiramate or levetiracetam, as described earlier.

many case series and population-based studies have explored the correlation between epilepsy and TS. Children with epilepsy have a significant increased risk of developing TS, whereas, significant increased risk of epilepsy also exists in children with TS. Нough there may be a shared neurobiology of epilepsy and TS, further prospective studies to clarify the realistic association between them are mandatory.