Thomas V. Fernandez, MD, Assistant Professor in the Child Study Center and of Psychiatry, was co-lead author of a genetic sequencing study of Tourette disorder patients judged among the top five articles published in 2017 by the journal Neuron.
Fernandez and Yale co-authors Robert King, MD, and Matthew State, MD, PhD, from the Yale Child Study Center were among a consortium of researchers from several institutions who participated in the study, "De Novo Coding Variants Are Strongly Associated with Tourette Disorder."
In the article, published May 3 in Neuron, the researchers reported discovering four genes associated with a higher risk of developing Tourette disorder, which is marked by motor and vocal tics. The researchers analyzed the protein-coding genes of more than 500 Tourette patients and unaffected parents.
Neuron annually publishes a "best of" issue to highlight top research studies and reviews.