A 17-YEAR-OLD has been diagnosed with one of the most extreme cases of Tourette’s in the world – but with the help of ground-breaking treatment, his constant tics are beginning to ease. Trevor Smith, from Iowa, US, received an initial diagnosis when he was just eight years old, with doctors identifying mild tics in his hands, neck and around his eyes. Now a freshman at college, Trevor has spent his teenage years experiencing uncontrollable jerks and twists to his body, with none of the available treatments working. Apart from brief respite when he plays guitar and piano, Trevor has been searching for a more consistent option to help his disorder – and now, he seems to have found the answer. Trevor has received a deep brain stimulation; a surgery that is usually performed on people living with Parkison’s and involves implanting electrodes in the brain to send electronic signals through the body. And thankfully, the early signs of this last-ditch attempt for treatment are looking promising, with Trevor’s tics beginning to reduce.
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