Epigenetic Influence in Tourette Syndrome: A Higher-Order Adaptive Network Modeling Approach

Tourette syndrome (TS) is a complex neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by involuntary motor and vocal tics, often worsened by stress. Recent studies suggest that epigenetic changes, particularly in dopamine related genes such as the dopamine D2 receptor gene (DRD2) and the dopamine transporter gene (DAT), play a key role in the progression and severity of tics. This study develops a fifth-order self-modeling adaptive network to simulate how epigenetic modifications after chronic environmental stress can trigger and maintain chronic tic activity in TS and also how an epigenetic therapy might reverse this process. This illustrates how multilevel adaptive network modeling can be used to analyse the complex interactions between epigenetics and tic expression.