Behavioural therapy could help to reduce the symptoms of children with Tourette syndrome, a study by the University of Nottingham suggests.

Researchers discovered that the brains of children with the problem develop in a unique way.

The study showed that in many cases, the brain tries to compensate for the condition by reorganising its structure during the teenage years.

Scientists believe that encouraging this process with behavioural therapy could help young people learn to control their symptoms more quickly and effectively.

Tourette syndrome is an inherited condition that affects one school child in 100. It is characterised by “tics” – involuntary and uncontrollable sounds and movements.

The new approach could provide an alternative to drug-based therapies which can have undesirable side effects, including weight gain and depression.

Study leader professor Stephen Jackson, from the School of Psychology at the university, said: “

“This new study provides compelling evidence that this enhanced control of motor output is accompanied by structural and functional alterations within the brain. This finding suggests that non-pharmacological, ‘brain-training’, approaches may prove to be an effective treatment for Tourette syndrome.”