FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 6, 2000
Contact: Mark D. Hendrickson
(732) 205-1449
NEW JERSEY NEUROSCIENCE INSTITUTE PHYSICIAN AIDS IN TREATMENT OF TOURETTE SYNDROME
Philip Andre Hanna, M.D., director of the Parkinson’s Disease and Movement Disorders Center at the New Jersey Neuroscience Institute at JFK Medical Center in Edison, was recently published in Archives of Neurology for his work evaluating the efficacy and safety of Botox® for the treatment of tics in patients with Tourette Syndrome (TS).
"Botox® is an effective treatment for an increasing number of conditions characterized by abnormal muscle contractions," explains Dr. Hanna. "It may not only improve the motor component of tics, but also premonitory sensations that precede tics."
TS is an inherited, neurological disorder characterized by repeated involuntary movements and uncontrollable vocal sounds called tics. It is estimated that 100,000 Americans have full-blown TS, and that perhaps as many as one in 200 show a partial expression of the disorder.
"Although the basic cause of Tourette Syndrome is unknown, current research suggests that there is an abnormality in the genes affecting the brain’s metabolism of neurotransmitters such as dopamine and serotonin," adds Dr. Hanna. "In continuing our studies on ways to treat TS, we are constantly finding new treatment options that give patients more choices." Dr. Hanna has also published on the genetics of Tourette Syndrome and Botox® in international journals (see references below).
Even though there is no cure for TS, many times the condition improves as patients mature. Individuals with TS can expect to live a normal life span, since it is not a degenerative condition and does not impair intelligence. The tics associated with TS often decrease with age, enabling some patients to discontinue use of medication.
Dr. Hanna is a graduate of the University of Northwestern University Medical School in Chicago, where he also completed a residency in neurology following an internship in internal medicine at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey – New Jersey Medical School in Newark. His post-graduate education includes a two-year post-doctoral fellowship in movement disorders at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas, under Dr. Joseph Jankovic, a world-renowned pioneer in the use of Botox® injections.
In addition to being director of the Parkinson’s Disease and Movement Disorders Center at the New Jersey Neuroscience Institute, Dr. Hanna is neurological director of the Huntington’s Disease Unit at JFK Hartwyck at Cedar Brook in Plainfield, one of few such centers in the nation.
The New Jersey Neuroscience Institute at JFK Medical Center is a comprehensive facility designed exclusively for the diagnosis, treatment and research of complex neurological disorders in adults and children, including stroke. Services offered at the Institute include a comprehensive sleep disorder clinic and laboratory, programs in dizziness and balance disorders, epilepsy, spine and brain tumors, cerebral palsy, stroke and movement disorders.
Selected references
Hanna PA, Janjua FN, Contant CF, Jankovic J. Bilineal transmission in Tourette syndrome. Neurology 1999;53:813-818.
Hanna PA, Jankovic J, Vincent A. Comparison of mouse bioassay and immunoprecipitation assay for botulinum toxin antibodies. J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry 1999;66:612-616.
Hanna PA, Jankovic J. Mouse bioassay versus Western blot assay for botulinum toxin antibodies: Correlation with clinical response. Neurology 1998;50:1624-1629.
Hanna PA, Cardoso F, Jankovic J. Basal Ganglia and Movement Disorders. In: Rolak LA, ed. Neurology Secrets, 2nd edition. New York: Hanley and Belfus, 1998:137-169. (Book Chapter)