One popular and powerful television show that gets it right is worth a thousand public awareness seminars. And the hope is that maybe today, a few more people understand. Then his wife saw the same program a few months later. No one knows for certain what causes TS, but researchers believe it stems from the abnormal metabolism of at least one brain chemical, called dopamine. TS is characterized by tics - involuntary and rapid movements or vocalizations that occur repeatedly.
Some people shriek.
Others wildly jerk their head or limbs. Many experience only minor twitches, such as an eye blink or the need to clear the throat. Horton says he had them all. But the tics were the most obvious problem. Eventually, his dad would come in with a belt, he says.