ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVES: It has been reported that higher percentage of B cells react with monoclonal D8/17 antibody in patients with rheumatic fever, childhood onset obsessive-compulsive disorder, Tourette's disorder, or prepubertal anorexia nervosa. The purpose of this study is to replicate the previous studies in a Korean young population with tic disorder and to identify any relationship between D8/17 and clinical symptoms. METHODS: The binding of D8/17 to B cells was determined in patients with tic disorder (N=21) and healthy controls (N=9) by Fluorescence-Activated Cell Sorter analysis. RESULTS: In the sample examined by this study, the average percentage of B cells expressing D8/17 in tic disorder was 2.05%; healthy controls was 3.15%. No statistically significant differences were found in the mean percentages of D8/17 between the two groups. CONCLUSION: The expression of D8/17 in B cells was very low in this study. No subjects with tic disorder or healthy controls was above 12% in D8/17 positive proportion. Further studies, including higher number of patients and control group members, should be performed.