Abstract
The strong coupling of gestures and speech has led to hypothesize that they belong to one integrated system of communication. This hypothesis has encouraged research into the neural basis of gesture and, in a broader perspective, into the relation between language and action in general, stressing the importance of connections between bodily actions and cognition and, specifically, between action and language, probably reflected in overlap of brain processes supporting language and action. In this perspective, in our opinion Tourette’s Syndrome (TS) seems a very intriguing disorder that can represent an important issue in the debate about the relation between language and action and, in a broader perspective, about the embodiment theory. TS is a neurobiologic condition characterized by tics that are involuntary muscles contractions that produce stereotyped movements (motor tics) or sound (vocal tics). The qualitative study is based on the analysis of two subjects affected by TS. It aims to underline the regularities of tic manifestation and to analyze tic management strategies. The brief case report offers some insights into the process of tic management strategies in this pathology. In particular, we propose that voluntary correction strategy of motor tics would produce new gestures, doomed to become tics in their turn. First it is evident that Tourette patients can correct or hide tics, modifying them or adding the parameters of a gesture. The first case shows how a tic can be converted into a deictic gesture thanks to the addition of a component, the forefinger. The second case shows the production of a covering gesture simultaneously with the tic manifestation in the facial area. After the correction or masking phase voluntarily created by the patient, this new gesture is inserted into the patient's tic inventory due to continuous repetition. The addition of the forefinger in the first case or the self-manipulation production in the second case become part of the tic they would disguise, acquiring an irregular rhythm and an uncontrollable character. In other words, movements and/or gestures produced in order to make the tic less visible lose their initially voluntary characteristic.