Is Tourette Syndrome degenerative?
No. Degenerative conditions like Parkinson’s disease or Alzheimer’s disease involve brain cells dying over time. There is no evidence for this in Tourette Syndrome. In clinical terms the reverse is true. Tourette Syndrome generally improves with time. On average, tics are most severe at ages 10 to 11. Every patient is different. It is not impossible for people with mild tics to experience worse tics, and it is certainly common for them to fluctuate in severity. But a child with mild tics is unlikely to become an adult with more severe Tourette Syndrome.
