Gilles is in the air

" ...and it was so weird that something I was trying to erase all my life, I had to suddenly defend it"  In this compelling second part, Salomé, an artist from France, shares her profound experiences of living with the condition and how it has shaped her life, relationships, and self-awareness. Salomé candidly discusses the challenges and growth that come with embracing her diagnosis, providing in...

In the latest episode of "Gilles is in the Air," we delve into the nuanced experiences of individuals living with Tourette Syndrome. This episode, the first of a two-part series, welcomes Belinda from the UK and France, and Belén from Argentina who lives is Spain. Through candid conversations, our guests share their personal journeys with Tourette Syndrome, discussing their initial diagnoses, the...

For this episode we sit down with Dr Julius Verrel and Dr Alexander Münchau to delve into their recent publication (Parkinsonism and Related Disorders Journal) on eye blinking abnormalities in Tourette Syndrome. They offer a deep dive into the intricacies of eye blinking patterns, shedding light on the distinctions between normal blinking, blink tics, and potential pathological blinks. We talk abo...

For our last episode of the year, we had the pleasure of speaking with Julian Fletcher, the programme coordinator of the Tourette OCD Alberta Network in Canada.  This insightful conversation delves into how associations can provide indispensable support for families and healthcare professionals dealing with Tourette Syndrome and OCD. Throughout the episode, Julian shares the multifaceted approach...

Key findings, limitations and clinical perspectives on the important phase III study of Ecopipam for TS; taking a closer look with Dr Don Gilbert.  For our November episode, and following his talk at the Athens 2025  Conference, we speak with Dr Gilbert about Ecopipam, a promising new treatment for Tourette syndrome that has recently completed phase 3 clinical trial. The discussion explores the ne...

For our latest "Gilles is in the air" episode, we remain...across the pond and get the chance to hear more about premonitory urge, the sensory phenomenon described and characterised in numerous studies and publications for more than 30 years. Our guests today have conducted a scoping review of premonitory urge in primary tic disorders to identify and address limitations and knowledge gaps.  "Knowl...

Our guest today is Rena Zito, associate professor of sociology in the Department of Sociology and Anthropology at Elon University in North Carolina, U.S.A and a person with Tourette Syndrome. Her research focuses on social stigma, including how stigmatised populations form identities, preserve dignity, and combat social exclusion.   Drawing on interviews with 30 adults diagnosed with TS, she explo...

Our guest today (the episode was recorded in late April 2025) is Dr Noa Benaroya Milstein , Head of the Child Psychiatry Division Schneider's Children Medical Centre of Israel, where she also serves as Head of the Tourette Clinic. She is a Senior Lecturer at the Tel Aviv University Faculty of Medicine and actively involved in local and multi-centre studies specialised in Tourette syndrome and asso...

We are pleased to welcome today Tamara Pringsheim , who is a Professor with the Department of Clinical Neurosciences, Psychiatry, Paediatrics and Community Health Sciences at the University of Calgary. She also works as an evidence-based medicine methodologist for the American Academy of Neurology.   Tamara is the president of the Tourette OCD Alberta Network , a nonprofit organisation that suppor...

A long-awaited episode with Professor Stephen Jackson and Dr Barbara Morera from the University of Nottingham and Neurotherapeutics Ltd.  They have been developing "a safe and effective non-drug treatment that reduces tics and the urge to tic, through gentle stimulation of the median nerve in the wrist".  We are grateful to them for taking the time to answer very important questions that help us u...

Our guest for the 7th episode of "Gilles is in the air" is Dr Anna Castrioto from the Grenoble Alps University Hospital in France. View her research works .  We talk about hormonal changes and tics, contraception methods in association with anti-tic treatments, tic changes during pregnancy and post-partum, treatments that are not recommended during pregnancy and the ones that are harmless. We addr...

For our 6th episode, Christelle Nilles interviews Lindsay Berg, a special guest, who is very knowledgeable about today's particularly important topic. Lindsay Berg is a Master’s student at the University of Calgary in the Clinical Psychology Program. Her current research focuses on care equity and on examining barriers and facilitators of medical and mental health care for trans and gender diverse...

For our 5th episode of "Gilles is in the air", we reach out to parents and teachers to hear about the challenges that they and their children are encountering within the school environment, and the solutions and mechanisms that help them in various situations. Christelle Nilles interviews Lucy Toghill, Education Manager at Tourettes Action UK , Jose Rosa and Phillip Schöne from Spain and New Zeala...

For our 4th episode of "Gilles is in the air", Christelle Nilles talks to Professor David Mataix-Cols who works at the Department of Clinical Neuroscience at the Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm, as a Professor of Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Science.  We are delighted to hear about his very important article “ Early-Life and Family Risk Factors for Tic Disorder Persistence into Adulthood ”,...

Inspiring, honest and enlightening stories For our 3rd "Gilles is in the air episode", we welcome E.G. Gidner (USA), Devyn LaCroix (USA) and Paul Stevenson (UK). We discuss amongst other things about the chronology of their first tics, if/how bothersome they were, how they were perceived by their close ones, the diagnosis –the announcement and its effect, the term "Tourette", available resources a...

For our second episode of "Gilles is in the air", Christelle Nilles co-hosts the interview with Dr Natalia Szejko and together they ask important questions on cannabis-based medicines as a treatment strategy for improving tics. Our guest today, is Professor Kirsten Müller-Vahl from the Hannover Medical School, specialised in neurology and adult psychiatry. Over the past 30 years, she has investiga...

For 2024 we introduce "Gilles is in the air", our new podcast series hosted by Christelle Nilles. We discuss the latest findings on Tourette syndrome, share stories, and create connections. Every month, (we are only warming up!), we will talk about tics, associated comorbidities and lived experiences; our episodes are aimed at researchers, clinicians, patients and their families. We shall intervie...

For the first episode of "Gilles is in the air", Christelle Nilles talks to Dr Andreas Hartmann, a movement disorder neurologist at the Pitié Salpêtrière Hospital in Paris, France and coordinator of the French Centre of Excellence (centre de référence) for Tourette syndrome. References, studies and papers cited: Fat MJ, Sell E, Barrowman N, Doja A. Public perception of Tourette syndrome on YouTube...

By Danni Phoenix-Kane

By Alexandra Ducroizet

By Alexandra Ducroizet

By Johanna Marie Luise Fijn van Draat 

By Daniel Alvarez-Fischer

By Daniel Alvarez-Fischer

By Natalia Szejko