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Ljubljana, Slovenia
18th International Conference on Tourette Syndrome & Tic Disorders
17-19 June 2026
Our host organisers:
Jana Kodrič, Jasna Oražem Mrak, Staša Stropnik, Uroš Nović
Jana, Jasna, Staša and Uroš, hvala lepa! 👏👏👏 #LjubljanaInOurHearts
Thank you for this memorable collaboration and for pinning the "city of dragons" in our hearts! 💚 🙏
We were thrilled to welcome attendees from 23 countries across 5 continents, true to our "E for Everyone!", proof that ESSTS truly is growing to a worldwide community.
We received the highest number of abstract submissions to date, a clear sign of the momentum building in tic disorders research.
A heartfelt thank you to our invited speakers and to every researcher who presented, whether an oral presentation or a poster, for their scientific contribution: it is their work that gives this conference its scientific rigor, year after year.
A few highlights (in chronological order):
- "Tics & Tourette Syndrome at School"; a free hybrid seminar for teachers, educators and school counsellors, held in Slovene at the Pediatric Clinic UKC Ljubljana on Monday, 15 June, continuing the Varese (2024) and Athens (2025) tradition of taking TS education directly into the classroom.
- TS-school 2026, 5th edition; a hybrid training course for TS beginners (professionals), held on Tuesday, 16 June
- The six Mary Robertson Travel Grant winners, Méliza Gagnon (Canada), Ione Georgakis (UK), Annalise Leopold (Australia), Christiane Licht (Germany), Giulia Maio (Italy) and Wiktor Śliwiński (Poland), were welcomed on stage at the opening ceremony, Four grants had originally been announced; a generous private donation allowed ESSTS to extend this to six, the largest cohort yet in the third year of the programme.
- The Professor Mary Robertson Award for Research Contribution 2026, was awarded to Giulia Stanco (Italy) for her work titled "Reduced sensory attenuation reflects altered motor control in Tourette Syndrome".
- This year's Ambassador Award, introduced in Athens in 2025, was presented to Julian Fletcher (Canada) of the Tourette OCD Alberta Network, honouring his tireless advocacy for the TS community.
- The ESSTS Board Elections, voted on by the membership during the General Assembly on Wednesday, 17 June and announced at the closing ceremony on Friday, 19 June. A new Board takes the helm for 2026–2029: Natalia Szejko (Chair), Osman Malik (Vice Chair), Elia Abi-Jaoude (Secretary) and Laavanya Damodaran (Treasurer), with outgoing Chair Nanette Mol Debes continuing on as Past Chair.
Special thank you...
To Uroš Nović, ESSTS' new lieutenant, for his invaluable support!
To Lea and Tinkara, our lovely volunteers from the UKC Ljubljana, who were by our side from Monday's teachers' seminar all the way through to the very end of the conference!
To the outgoing 2023–2026 Board: Tammy Hedderly, Christelle Nilles and Kirsten Müller-Vahl, for their years of dedicated service, and to the newly elected 2026–2029 Board: congratulations, and welcome!
To Tics and Tourette Across the Globe (TTAG), for their continued collaboration and their dedication to supporting advocacy groups around the world, guiding motivated individuals stepping up to lead local and national associations; we hear the wheels have already started turning towards a Slovenian association!
To Ana Velenšek, the events manager at the Grand Hotel Union for making this collaboration and planning of the conference feel like...a walk in the (Tivoli) park!
To our Sponsors, whose vital support made yet another conference happen. 🙏🙏
We have compiled all the information related to this meeting in the following file:
View online
Lecturers that joined us from the University of Calgary:
ESSTS 2020-2023 board members
ESSTS 2023-2026 board members
ESSTS 2023-2026 board members
Upon completion of the final oral presentation & poster rounds on the last day of the conference, attendees e-voted live for "Best of" on both categories.
The Professor Mary Robertson Award 2026 was presented by Dr Jeremy Stern with the long-standing support of Tourettes Action UK.
Congratulations, keep calm and research on!
Professor Mary Robertson Award for Research Contribution 2026
Giulia Stanco
Reduced sensory attenuation reflects altered motor control in Tourette Syndrome
Best oral presentation
1st prize
Stella Haffner
Sleep Patterns in Children with Tic Disorders: Distinct Profiles by Tic Subtype rather than Diagnosis Alone
2nd prize
Tarendeep Johal
Prevalence and Phenomenology of Pain in Children and Adolescents with Tourette Syndrome: Findings from a Tertiary Tic Service
3rd prize
Hannah Wright
Effects of wrist-administered vibrotactile stimulation on tic symptoms in young people with Tourette syndrome: a mixed-methods pilot study
Best poster presentation
1st prize
Ione Georgakis
Tic Attire: Exploring Tic-Related Pain, Injury and the Co-Design of Protective Clothing
2nd prize
Camilla Birgitte Sørensen
The Hidden Burden: Caregiver experiences in childhood tic disorders and OCD. A qualitative systematic review and synthesis
3rd prize
Annalise Leopold
The experiential bases of the urge to tic in Tourette syndrome: Study protocol and preliminary qualitative findings
Yifan Hao
Examining mechanistic principles of behavioral interventions in GTS from a TEC-perspective
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AWARDS
Per ANDREN
Mary Robertson Award
Clinical and cost-effectiveness of Internet-delivered behaviour therapy for children and adolescents with Tourette syndrome: Protocol for a single-blind randomised controlled trial in Sweden
Fotis tsetsos
Best oral presentation
1st prize
Genome-wide association study of Tourette investigates the genetic determinants of Tourette and implicates neuronal and synaptic processes
Maria HADJI-MICHAEl
Best oral presentation
2nd prize
Alexithymia and interoception in children with Tourette syndrome: A clinical audit
Martina HAAS
Best oral presentation
3rd prize
YGTSS: A critical look at the psychometric quality of the gold standard based on EMTICS data
Ewgeni JAKUBOVSKI
Best e-poster presentation
1st prize
ABX-1431, A First-in-Class Endocannabinoid Modulator, Improves Tics in Adult Patients with Tourette Syndrome
Laura BELJAARS
Best e-poster presentation
2nd prize
ESSTS Patient Groups: The whole is greater than the sum of its parts
Mayaan HALEVI
Best e-poster presentation
3rd prize
“Tic Attacks” in Tourette Syndrome
Yarisa Nicola PIRIS
Best e-poster presentation
3rd prize
Sexuality and Tourette Syndrome: The impact of sexual self-esteem on sexual practices. Pilot study.
Chloe TAYLOR
Best e-poster presentation
3rd prize
A case study of a child with complex TS treated with intensive CBIT and close school liaison
ePosters
A loud 📢 thank you to all the authors who shared with us their hard work and exceeded our conservative expectations of abstract submissions this virtual year!
You will find below a comprehensive list of the Conference ePosters (titles in alphabetical order).
Click on "more info" to view the supporting material (videos & articles) that some of the authors have provided.
You will find below a digital version of the posters presented during the poster rounds (titles sorted in alphabetical order)
In many cases oral presentation-assigned authors have also shared their ePoster.
Click on "more info" to view the ePoster and any additional elements, –such as audio, videos, articles and links–, that each author has shared with us.
The headphones 🎧 icon indicates that a podcast presentation is available.
scroll inside this tab ↓
ASH1L-Related Neurodevelopmental Disorder Presenting With Tourette Syndrome, ADHD, and Epilepsy: A Case Report and Pathophysiological Integration
Oral presentation
Rodrigo Almeida Paroni
Awareness, perception, and attitude of school teachers regarding Tic disorders and Tourette Syndrome in Sokoto, Nigeria
Oral presentation
Joy Legbo
Centring Tourettic Experiences in Technology: Tourette Syndrome, Median Nerve Stimulation, and the Role of Technoableism
Oral presentation
Daniel Jones
Changes in self-esteem and quality of life following CoPs or CBIT therapies in youth with tics - Do tic-specific traits influence psychosocial outcomes?
Oral presentation
Julie Leclerc
Clinical and qEEG Correlates of Tic Severity and Short-Term Outcome in Pediatric Tic Disorders: A Prospective Study
Oral presentation
Sabra Savarese
Effects of wrist-administered vibrotactile stimulation on tic symptoms in young people with Tourette syndrome: a mixed-methods pilot study
Oral presentation
Hannah Wright
Evidence for a developmental delay in brain maturation in Tourette syndrome: a multicentre mega-analysis of TMS data
Oral presentation
Stephen Jakson
From Training to Practice: Evaluating a CBIT Programme’s Impact on Clinician Confidence and Service Pathways
Oral presentation
Ione Georgakis
Making Work Work for Tourette syndrome: Developing a Strengths-Based Employment Passport
Oral presentation
Ione Georgakis
Sleep Patterns in Children with Tic Disorders: Distinct Profiles by Tic Subtype rather than Diagnosis Alone
Oral presentation
Stella Haffner
Tic Attire: Exploring Tic-Related Pain, Injury and the Co-Design of Protective Clothing
Oral presentation
Ione Georgakis
Tic Disorders & the Psychomotor Domain in Schizophrenia Spectrum Disorders- A case report & Literature Review
Oral presentation
Laavanya Damodaran
When comorbidity matters: How anxiety and depression shape cognitive functioning in Gilles de la Tourette Syndrome
Oral presentation
Marc Lavoie
When the Body Speaks: An Occupational Therapy–Led Sensory Approach to Tic Management in Tourette syndrome and Functional Neurological Disorder – Case Study
Oral presentation
Ione Georgakis
Speakers' slides
Courtesy of our speakers and researchers assigned an oral presentation to active ESSTS members (and in some cases* also to conference attendees –upon request and for 8 weeks– following the completion of the meeting); please find below the PDFs of their presentations.
A special thank you to all those who shared their valuable work with the community!
*In cases where consent is granted to share the slides with conference attendees as well, a request form will be embedded in this section.
For members:
Active (for the current calendar year) ESSTS members can access the files directly below if they are already logged in to their member account.
BT Worshops
Basic principles and behavioural techniques for treating tic disorders
BT Team 2026
Controversy discussion
"Is coprolalia a tic or functional? It is a tic."
Elia Abi-Jaoude
Controversy discussion
"Is coprolalia a tic or functional? No, it is not a tic."
Kirsten Müller-Vahl
OCD Sympoium
Neuroplasticity in OCD: lifespan changes and treatment targets
Odile van den Heuvel
Oral presentaions
Behavioral, Clinical, and Cognitive Predictors of Tic Suppression
John Piacentini
Oral presentations
Sex Differences in the Expression of Explosive Outbursts in Youth with Tourette Syndrome
Léa Dufort & Méliza Gagnon
Oral presentations
Parent-Rated Functional Impairment Over Time in Youth with Tic and Other Movement Disorders: A Preliminary Electronic Health Record Study
Donald L. Gilbert
Oral presentations
Bridging Diagnostic Gaps and Increasing Awareness of Emerging Therapies in Tourette Syndrome Through Web-Based CME
Donald L. Gilbert
Oral presentations
When Comorbidity Matters: How Anxiety and Depression Shape Cognitive Functioning in Tourette Syndrome
Marc Lavoie
Oral presentations
On the functional anatomy of the urge-for-action: an fMRI and low-intensity focused ultrasound study
Stephen Jackson
Oral presentations
Prevalence and Phenomenology of Pain in Children and Adolescents with Tourette Syndrome: Findings from a Tertiary Tic Service
Tarendeep Johal
Oral presentations
Sleep Patterns in Children with Tic Disorders: Distinct Profiles by Tic Subtype rather than Diagnosis Alone
Stella Haffner
Pathophysiology session
Longitudinal Changes in Cortico-Cerebellar and Striatal Connectivity Track Symptom Evolution in Tourette Syndrome
Yulia Worbe
Pathophysiology session
Pathophysiological insights from the EMTICS study
Andrea Dietrich
Professor Mary Robertson Award 2026
Reduced sensory attenuation reflects altered motor control in Tourette Syndrome
Giulia Stanco
Treatment
Complementary medicine in tic disorders: a scoping review
Tamara Pringsheim
Recordings
The recording of the course is available. Please make sure you are logged in to your user account, and the video will become accessible below.
Membership status:
Expired/Event-specific
Access status:
Guest
If you are already logged in, but have not renewed your membership yet, please select below the type that applies to you to regain access to member-reserved content.
Don't have an account yet?
For more details visit the Members page.
*Reserved for: MD/PhD/MSc students, postdocs, interns, residents, nurses, patient advocacy groups.
Book of abstracts
A record-breaking –57!– number of abstracts, were presented in Brussels, 30% of which were submitted from researchers outside Europe.
From Calgary to Melbourne...
Australia, Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, Israel, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, UK, USA.
Thank you all for your contribution and for keeping the collaborative spirit in top shape! 🚀
Although our previous –virtual– meeting only took place 9 months prior to the Lausanne conference, one thing is certain; researchers around the world have been working tirelessly, submitting large numbers of excellent abstracts. We accepted 38 abstracts back in October 2021 and 48 in June 2022.
Thank you all for your contribution and for keeping the collaborative spirit in top shape! 🚀
From Calgary to Melbourne...
Australia, Canada, Denmark, Germany, Israel, Italy, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Sweden, UK, USA
Whether you have already retrieved your copy of the book of abstracts at the conference venue, or you would like to explore the programme and submitted abstracts, you may download the original file below.
Controversy & poll
"Is coprolalia a tic or functional?"
The controversy discussion combined with live polling was first introduced in 2019 during the Hannover meeting ("Is it time to rename Tourette syndrome?") and the second one followed in Lausanne in 2022 ("Are functional tics easy to diagnose?").
Kirsten Müller-Vahl from the Hannover Medical School argued "No, it is not a tic, coprolalia is functional" and Elia Abi-Jaoude from the University of Toronto argued "Yes, coprolalia is a tic".
The session was moderated by Tammy Hedderly.
Both speakers have made their presentations available online within the Speakers' slides section.
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click!
📸 A photo journey immortalising the Athens 2025 "on stage and backstage" experience! More photos are being added...!
(Feel free to get in touch, if you'd like to...contribute to the collection!)
New feature, the "T-playlist!"
A new feature was introduced in Brussels; audio presentations of the conference posters recorded by the authors themselves and made available in a podcast format.
click!
📸 A photo journey immortalising the Brussels "on stage and backstage" experience!
(We did our best to collect as many photos as possible. Feel free to get in touch, if you'd like to...contribute to the collection!)
Controversy & poll
Are functional tics easy to diagnose?
As promised when we first introduced controversy discussions followed by live polling during the Hannover meeting in 2019, it was indeed only the beginning!
This year, 2 esteemed colleagues from the University of Calgary, Tamara Pringsheim and Davide Martino took the stage and debated on a genuinely controversial topic; are functional tics easy to diagnose?
As you can see from the results...no landslide victory for either debater, yet Tamara's smile says it all! 💪
Both speakers have made their presentations available online; scroll to view them on the following section.
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YES!
Programme
view PDF version
scroll inside this tab ↓
Thursday, 9 June 2022
Workshops
10.00-13.00 (parallel session)
Trainers:
Workshops
10.00-13.00 (parallel session)
II. Behavioural therapy for tic disorders:
"Tic treatment – Learn how to become a tic therapist or enhance your skills."
Workshop in English for beginner participants.
(view programme)
"Tic treatment – Learn how to become a tic therapist or enhance your skills."
Workshop in English for beginner participants.
(view programme)
Trainers:
Workshops
14.00-17.00 (parallel session)
III. Behavioural therapy for tic disorders:
"Exciting advances in Group treatment for Tics and Tourette syndrome."
Workshop in English for advanced participants.
(view programme)
"Exciting advances in Group treatment for Tics and Tourette syndrome."
Workshop in English for advanced participants.
(view programme)
Trainers:
Guest speakers (in order of appearance):
Judith Nissen, Eve Mc Allister, Nimmi Parikh, Annet Heijerman-Holtgrefe, Sharon Zimmerman Brenner, Noa Benaroya-Milshtein, Dana Feldman Sadeh
Dedicated to the memory of Kieron O'Connor
13.00-17.00 (parallel session)
18.00-19.00
I. Opening ceremony and lecture:
"Functional, Tourette-like behaviours; an evolving landscape"
"Functional, Tourette-like behaviours; an evolving landscape"
Speaker:
II. Apéritif time, getting together again!
III. Projection of film-documentary "Tics", by Thomas Oswald with the collaboration of Prof. Dr. Münchau and the neurologist & psychiatrist Dr. Daniel Alvarez-Fischer.
Friday, 10 June 2022
Pack your running shoes!
07.00
Morning run tradition continues, route TBA*
More info by our Chief Track & Field Officer:
*Weather & participation permitting, we shall repeat the run on Saturday 11 June.
Brain stimulation sessions
10.30-11.15
Podium discussion including discussion with the audience
moderated by Kirsten R. Müller-Vahl
Participants:
Juan Carlos Baldermann
11.15-11.45
Coffee break
11.45-12.15
Ecopipam in Children and Adolescents with Tourette Syndrome: Results from a Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Phase 2b Study
Speaker:
13.00-14.00
Lunch break
13.00-14.00 (parallel session)
ENIGMA-TS Working Group meeting
Confirm attendance
Confirm attendance
(at “Pavillon Ouest”, adjacent to main building)
Coordinator:
Society and TS session
14.00-14.45
Ticking the wrong box –a global look at why we don't know what works in tic education and how we can find out.
Speaker:
moderated by Andrea Cavanna
History of TS session
14.45-15.30
Georges Gilles de la Tourette, the man behind the name.
Speaker:
moderated by Andreas Hartmann
15.30-16.15
Neural mechanisms of cognitive behavioral treatment in the framework of perception-action integration
Speaker:
moderated by Andreas Hartmann
16.15-16.45
Coffee break
16.45-18.30
moderated by Natalia Szejko & Andreas Hartmann
18.30-19.00
General assembly meeting
Saturday, 11 June 2022
Comorbidities
09.00-09.45
Update of guidelines for the treatment of OCD and OCD with GTS including PANDAS
Speaker:
Comorbidities
09.45-10.30
Podium discussion including discussion with the audience
moderated by Kerstin von Plessen
Participants:
11.15-11.45
Coffee break
11.45-12.30
Are functional tics easy to diagnose?"
Controversy discussion, followed by a poll.
moderated by Andrea Cavanna
Arguing yes:
Arguing no:
12.30-13.30
Lunch break
14.30-16.15
moderated by Natalia Szejko & Andreas Hartmann
16.15-16.30
Coffee break
17.30
Closing ceremony, best poster & best oral presentation prizes, Professor Mary Robertson award.
click!
scroll ↓ & click on photos for gallery view
scroll ↓ & click on photos for gallery view
Congratulations!
Jana and Natalia, you are coming to Lausanne next year!
Jana and Natalia, you are coming to Lausanne next year!
Programme
- Welcome online! Introduction by ESSTS Chair, Kirsten Müller-Vahl and presentation of the new Board
- Interview with James Leckman (30 min)
- Update on immunology in Tourette Syndrome/tics, by Davide Martino (20 min)
- Update on Behavioural Therapy in Tourette Syndrome by Per Andrén (20 min)
- Best papers of 2019 by Kevin Black (40 min)
- Live Q&A session with the Davide Martino (moderator: Nanette Mol Debes) & Per Andrén (moderator: Cara Verdellen)
Invited speakers
Behavioural therapy goodie
BT updates, a summary of treatment guidelines and new studies on BT for Tourette Syndrome & chronic tic disorders
Clinical psychologist and PhD student at Karolinska Institutet Per Andrén, has kindly made available to our attendees and now to all interested parties the slides of his presentation. Feel free to download!
Controversy & poll
...to "T" or not to "T"? Is it time to rename Tourette syndrome?
This year, we introduced live polling for the ePoster and oral presentation awards, but also for our first (though certainly not last!) controversy, titled:
“Is it time to rename Tourette syndrome?”
See the final results on the following chart.
In Jeremy Stern’s immortal and spontaneous comment, "it was Brexit all over again”…😉
Of note, the discussion with the audience was lively and could easily have gone on for much longer. To be continued in Lausanne on this and other topics!
click for pop up
Awards
Professor Mary Robertson Award for Research Contribution 2022
Paula Viefhaus
Efficacy of a Resource Activation Treatment in Children with Chronic Tic Disorders – A Within-Subject Analysis
ESSTS Lifetime achievement award
Anne Gersdorff Korsgaard
Efficacy of a Resource Activation Treatment in Children with Chronic Tic Disorders – A Within-Subject Analysis
Best oral presentation
Leanne Hockey
Attention and inhibition in Tourette’s Syndrome
Best poster presentation
Juan Carlos Baldermann
Stimulation-dependent functional connectivity of effective deep brain stimulation for Tourette Syndrome
AWARDS
Paula Viefhaus
Mary Robertson Award
Efficacy of a Resource Activation Treatment in Children with Chronic Tic Disorders – A Within-Subject Analysis
Leanne Hockey
Best oral presentation
Attention and inhibition in Tourette’s Syndrome
Juan Carlos Baldermann
Best poster presentation
Stimulation-dependent functional connectivity of effective deep brain stimulation for Tourette Syndrome
Anne Gersdorff Korsgaard
ESSTS Lifetime achievement award
Book of abstracts
Lookbook
Click!
view lookbook!
scroll ↓ & click on photos for gallery view
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Recordings
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Venue
A loud 📢 thank you to all the authors who shared with us their hard work and exceeded our conservative expectations of abstract submissions this virtual year!
You will find below a comprehensive list of the Conference ePosters (titles in alphabetical order).
Click on "more info" to view the supporting material (videos & articles) that some of the authors have provided.
Conference: Grand Hotel Union
(visit website)
Built in 1905, is an emblematic establishment that forms part of the living history of the city of Ljubljana and the Slovenia. It is an imposing and beautiful building, an example of the Vienna Secession style, part of the Art Nouveau movement, which has hosted various personalities from the world of politics, film, music, and royalty over the years.
Social event: B-Restaurant, 20th floor InterContinental Hotel
A more intimate setting than our previous outdoor venues, the B-Restaurant offered stunning panoramic view of the Ljubljana Castle, the Old Town, and its surrounding natural landscape.
