Hyperbinding & Tourette Syndrome

Gilles de la Tourette syndrome is often associated with motor and vocal tics. However, the condition also involves differences in how the brain processes sensations, actions, and the links between them.

In this project, we use electroencephalography (EEG) to measure brain activity while people with Tourette syndrome perform tasks involving vision, touch, and movement. Our aim is to understand how the brain combines sensory information with actions and how these connections are later reactivated. Previous research suggests that people with Tourette syndrome may link perceptions and actions more strongly than people without the condition. This phenomenon is known as “hyperbinding.” It may help explain why certain sensations, movements, or situations can automatically trigger strongly learned responses. Our project examines whether this hyperbinding arises when the brain first connects sensory and motor information, when it later retrieves these connections, or during both processes. We also compare visual and tactile information, because touch may play a particularly important role in Tourette syndrome.

By identifying the neuropsychological mechanisms behind these altered perception–action links, we hope to improve our understanding of Tourette syndrome and contribute to the development of more targeted therapeutic approaches.

Duration: 2022 - 2026
Funding: German Research Foundation (DFG) FR2133/18-1
Contact:  Christian Frings & Nicolas Münster
in collaboration with Prof. Dr. Bäumer (Univ. Lübeck), Prof. Dr. Beste (Univ. Dresden)

Selected publications:

Prochnow A., Bluschke A., Rawish T., Friedrich J., Hao Y., Frings C., Bäumer T., Münchau A., Beste C. (2025). Differential modulation of neural oscillations in perception-action links in Tourette Syndrome. Brain Communications, 7(3), fcaf172. https://doi.org/10.1093/braincomms/fcaf172

Hao, Y., Wendiggensen, P.,  Bluschke, A., Rawish, T., Friedrich, J., Toth-Faber, E., Tarnok, T., Roessner, V., Frings, C., Weissbach, A., Bäumer, T.,  Münchau, A., & Beste, C. (2025). Evidence for temporal disintegration of information processing during sensorimotor integration in GTS. NeuroImage: Clinical, 48, 103844. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nicl.2025.103844