# Neurophysiologic Correlates of Sensory Over-Responsivity in Tourette Syndrome

> **NIH NIH K23** · VANDERBILT UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CENTER · 2024 · $176,796

## Abstract

Project Summary / Abstract
Candidate: David Isaacs, MD, MPH is Assistant Professor in the Department of Neurology at Vanderbilt
University Medical Center. During his faculty tenure, he has demonstrated enthusiasm and aptitude for patient-
centered research, with emphasis on non-motor aspects of movement disorders. Notable early career
highlights include founding Vanderbilt’s Adult Tourette Syndrome (TS) Clinic and co-directing Vanderbilt’s
Tourette Association of America (TAA) Center of Excellence; securing multiple extra- and intra-mural grants,
including the TAA Young Investigator Award to support research into sensory phenomena in TS; and serving
as site principal investigator for industry-sponsored clinical trials in TS. He seeks to become a leading
researcher in neurophysiologic mechanisms of non-motor symptoms in TS and other movement disorders.
Research Project: TS affects 0.5-0.8% of school-aged children, one-third of whom suffer bothersome tics into
adulthood. Tics are the defining feature of TS, but sensory symptoms are widespread. In particular, over 50%
of children and 80% of adults with TS report sensory over-responsivity (SOR), defined as heightened
awareness of and behavioral reactivity to sensory stimuli. SOR is an integral facet of the TS phenotype, but
significant knowledge gaps surround its clinical significance and neurobiological underpinnings. This proposal
seeks to clarify the mechanistic bases of SOR in TS (Aims 1 and 2) and to determine whether SOR is a risk
marker for more severe clinical course in TS (Aim 3). To achieve Aims 1 and 2, Dr. Isaacs will use quantitative
electroencephalography (EEG) and multi-modal autonomic measurement to assess neurophysiologic response
to auditory and tactile stimuli in adults with TS. To achieve Aim 3, he will use validated rating scales to assess
motor, sensory, and psychiatric symptoms in adolescents with TS at two time points: baseline and 2 years.
Study results will deepen insight into TS pathophysiology and identify risk markers for more severe TS course.
Career Development Plan and Goals: With guidance from his Scientific Steering Committee, Dr. Isaacs has
created a curriculum incorporating formal coursework, workshops, conferences, and individualized training with
mentors and collaborators to adequately prepare himself for independent research in the neurophysiologic
basis of non-motor aspects of movement disorders. His short-term career goals are to develop proficiency in 1)
measurement of sensory and neuropsychiatric symptoms; 2) event-related potentials and quantitative EEG
methodology; and 3) psychophysiological techniques complementary to EEG.
Environment: Vanderbilt University Medical Center is an optimal academic environment for nurturing Dr.
Isaacs’ maturation into a fully-fledged independent researcher. The institution has an exceptional track record
for fostering productive, independently funded, and internationally renowned clinician-scientists. The primary
mission of V...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10774331
- **Project number:** 5K23NS131592-02
- **Recipient organization:** VANDERBILT UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CENTER
- **Principal Investigator:** David A Isaacs
- **Activity code:** K23 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $176,796
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2023-03-01 → 2028-02-29

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10774331

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10774331, Neurophysiologic Correlates of Sensory Over-Responsivity in Tourette Syndrome (5K23NS131592-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-06-12 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10774331. Licensed CC0.

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