Dr. Jessica Frey
College of Medicine
Health Science
N/A
Assistant Director of Internal Hospitality for GatorGrowl, Alpha Tau Omega Fraternity member, Dream Team member
Florida Academic Scholar, AP + PLTW Distinction in Biomedical Sciences
Dream Team, GatorGrowl
Neurology, Movement Disorders, Tourette's, Dystonia
I enjoy competitive swimming, hiking, backpacking, and boating
This pilot study will investigate the clinical and neurophysiological effects of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) followed by comprehensive behavioral intervention for tics (CBIT) in adult patients with Tourette’s Syndrome (TS). TMS is a non-invasive neuromodulation technique that can potentially alleviate tic symptoms in patients with TS. The central hypothesis is that low frequency (LF)-rTMS will augment the effects of CBIT through favorable priming of the supplementary motor area (SMA) network. The neurostimulation protocol will consist of 1 Hz rTMS targeted to the SMA at 110% of the resting motor threshold. Each session will consist of 6 trains lasting 5 minutes each with an intertrain interval of 1 minute for a total duration of 35 minutes (1800 pulses). Participants will receive four sessions each day on four consecutive days for a total of 16 sessions. The primary outcome is tic severity, which will be measured with the Yale Global Tic Severity Scale (YGTSS) and the modified Rush Videotape Tic Rating Scale (mRVTRS). Secondary outcomes include the following: the safety and tolerability of the accelerated protocol will be assessed after each day of neurostimulation through patient-reported outcome measures and documenting of adverse events. The neurophysiologic effects will be investigated with resting-state functional MRI, TMS techniques, and high-density EEG.
This pilot study will investigate the clinical and neurophysiological effects of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) followed by comprehensive behavioral intervention for tics (CBIT) in adult patients with Tourette’s Syndrome (TS). TMS is a non-invasive neuromodulation technique that can potentially alleviate tic symptoms in patients with TS. The central hypothesis is that low frequency (LF)-rTMS will augment the effects of CBIT through favorable priming of the supplementary motor area (SMA) network. The neurostimulation protocol will consist of 1 Hz rTMS targeted to the SMA at 110% of the resting motor threshold. Each session will consist of 6 trains lasting 5 minutes each with an intertrain interval of 1 minute for a total duration of 35 minutes (1800 pulses). Participants will receive four sessions each day on four consecutive days for a total of 16 sessions. The primary outcome is tic severity, which will be measured with the Yale Global Tic Severity Scale (YGTSS) and the modified Rush Videotape Tic Rating Scale (mRVTRS). Secondary outcomes include the following: the safety and tolerability of the accelerated protocol will be assessed after each day of neurostimulation through patient-reported outcome measures and documenting of adverse events. The neurophysiologic effects will be investigated with resting-state functional MRI, TMS techniques, and high-density EEG.