TY - JOUR JF - Developmental Medicine & Child Neurology SP - 1205 N1 - This version is the author accepted manuscript. For information on re-use, please refer to the publisher?s terms and conditions. ID - discovery10104967 Y1 - 2020/10// IS - 10 TI - Anti?dopamine D2 receptor antibodies in chronic tic disorders AV - public EP - 1212 UR - https://doi.org/10.1111/dmcn.14613 A1 - Addabbo, F A1 - Baglioni, V A1 - Schrag, A A1 - Schwarz, MJ A1 - Dietrich, A A1 - Hoekstra, PJ A1 - Martino, D A1 - Buttiglione, M A1 - Emtics Collaborative Group N2 - AIM: To investigate the association between circulating anti-dopamine D2 receptor (D2R) autoantibodies and the exacerbation of tics in children with chronic tic disorders (CTDs). METHOD: One hundred and thirty-seven children with CTDs (108 males, 29 females; mean age [SD] 10y 0mo [2y 7mo], range 4-16y) were recruited over 18 months. Patients were assessed at baseline, at tic exacerbation, and at 2 months after exacerbation. Serum anti-D2R antibodies were evaluated using a cell-based assay and blinded immunofluorescence microscopy scoring was performed by two raters. The association between visit type and presence of anti-D2R antibodies was measured with McNemar's test and repeated-measure logistic regression models, adjusting for potential demographic and clinical confounders. RESULTS: At exacerbation, 11 (8%) participants became anti-D2R-positive ('early peri-exacerbation seroconverters'), and nine (6.6%) became anti-D2R-positive at post-exacerbation ('late peri-exacerbation seroconverters'). The anti-D2R antibodies were significantly associated with exacerbations when compared to baseline (McNemar's odds ratio=11, p=0.003) and conditional logistic regression confirmed this association (Z=3.49, p<0.001) after adjustment for demographic and clinical data and use of psychotropic drugs. INTERPRETATION: There is a potential association between immune mechanisms and the severity course of tics in adolescents with CTDs. VL - 62 ER -